Upon arriving home tonight my favorite person, my wife, told me flat out that I could get that soundcard I wanted. I immediately went for an ice pack and thermometer, and had the phone standing by. I wasn't sure just how serious this was...

Anyway, I have been eyeing up two cards:

M-Audio Audiophile 24/96 and the Revo 7.1. I'm sure you've all been through this before, but if limited to the two choices given and knowing that most use would involve audio only. What would you pick?

I have a feeling the choice for me would be simple: The first choice. The Revo has some appeal because of multi-channel capability. But I already have dedicated stuff for this and wouldn't be so likely to use it anytime soon.

The other however...would be in constant use.

Anyone care to give a real good reason why I might , or rather should be tempted by the Revo?

before any suggestions I just want you to clarify something:

when you said "most use would involve audio only" did you mean play back or recording/editing? I mean it's hard to use a sound card for something other than audio

when you said "I already have dedicated stuff for this" what sound card (or external processor/receiver) would that be? since this new purchase would complement you current audio hardware, it would be nice to know if they would overlap in their use.

P.S. audiophile USB is geared as a recording card, revo is a playback, so isn't it like comparing apples and oranges?

The Revolution supports playback of 192kHz sampling rate audio (maximum DVD-A IIRC) with XP SP1, while the Audiophile does not.

Also, I believe the Revolution has a higher measured SNR on Digital to Analog conversions than does the Audiophile.
The Revolution is also typically 40% cheaper.

It would be interesting to ABX or otherwise compare the cards side-by-side. I'd wager in stereo analog out, the differences would be quite minor.

Playback.

The other was a reference to DVD type stuff. I do not use the computer for that. Hence, dedicated.

Basically I want audio playback only. But I do not think I'd like seven channels for something that is encoded, and played back in stereo anyway.

well revo doesn't make you plug all 7.1 in, you can start at 2.0 and go to 7.1 (there are profiles), whatever you like (my speakers are 4.1 for example, but I have sblive). ability to use all of your speakers is sometimes nice, though you right the quality doesn't change (it's still stereo) but it does add some dimension to the sound.

finally as mentioned by Audible!, higher freq ability and lower price should finish the job here

I think it'll really depend on a) what's cheaper and B) whether you like tweaking settings. Then again, if you're just going to play 16/44.1 stereo files, there really isn't much to tweak. However, if you want to play with the those kinds of settings, the Revo doesn't give too much when it comes to things to play with, while the 24/96 has the standard M-Audio panel of thingies. Of course, if that stuff doesn't matter, I guess that'd leave price in my opinion. I personally have a Revo because I do use this computer for surround and don't do any recording at all, so it's perfect for me.

The price isn't an issue. The only other thing I can pick apart on the Revo is mini-pin connectors. These bother me.

And... resampling up to 192khz. Unless I get Bionic Bat ear implants I don't see this as being a big swaying point either. Tinnitus being a constant companion...

Forgot about the recording aspect though. Glad this was brought up. A means of recording vinyl might be nice indeed. It just occured to me that the local pawn shop has a ton of vinyl. Cheap. Some is OoP, too. Might have to re-invest in a decent turntable again as well.

revo doesn't resample, it is capable of up to 192 kHz, you get to choose the freq, and bit depth yourself.

edit: what kind of outs does a turntable have? I'm not familiar with those, I had one long ago, it was plugged into speakers and I didn't care how.

although I'm not the person to listen to when it comes to recording I'm more of a playback kinda guy.

I'd pick the Audiophile 24/96 personally -- mostly because it's time-tested, drivers are known solid and it has the kind of features (and lack thereof) that I want. Also, afaik it works with more OS's than the Revo.

I think the Revo is aimed at the multichannel listener/gamer, whereas the Audiophile 24/96 is aimed more toward the (semi)pro musician and those into HD recording (analog and digital)... that might be worth thinking about also.

Have you considered the Audiophile USB? It looks like a very cool device to me, if you have room for another wall wart or plug (not sure which it takes). Has a headphone jack with an analog volume control too (I'm kicking myself over this one, wish I'd gotten the Audiophile USB + a USB 2.0 card instead of the internal Audiophile 24/96).

fewtch-

No, I hadn't. I'm assuming from your comment that you do have the PCI card? Has it been everything you thought it would be?

Well... in the end, I think so. I don't much like the way volume is controlled, and think I would have probably been happier with the USB model (features, including the headphone jack). However, as far as sound quality and etc. it's definitely up to snuff.

I have trouble answering the question because there are certain features of the card I haven't used yet (the MIDI in/outs, the S/PDIF in/outs, ASIO, etc.) that I think are going to come in very handy some time in the future. I think the card is best used with another card with "consumer" features like mic input, internal MIDI synthesizer, internal CD-ROM connectors, etc (if they can be gotten to work together -- I had to really futz with motherboard settings to keep my MB from assigning both cards to the same IRQ... there's another aspect where the USB model would have been better).

MIDI wouldn't be of much use to me unless I wanted to record my Dad playing his Hammond or whatever that thing is. I don't!

Same for me with S/PDIF. And I'm almost sure I'd use ASIO. MC does support the use of this for output.

Thanks for the feedback.

Sounds like you're heading in the Audiophile direction, then. Now it's just a matter of choosing between the USB or PCI interfaces. I generally prefer USB, more for convenience than any "interference" issues.

I went for the PCI. Knowing my luck, the dog or cat would chew off the USB cable otherwise.

I really do not use headphones all that much. And if I did I'd just go through the stereo anyway.

It finally arrived today. Kind of a pain getting it installed (drivers) for some reason. But managed anyway. So far I've played with settings a bit and am really impressed. Also, since the computer is in another room, I've spent more time tweaking then actually sitting down and giving a good listen.

One feature that will be missed already is my keyboard volume control. Maybe I should check to see if new drivers are available. I doubt if that would remedy the problem though. At any rate I can always use the master volume and adjust from there.

OT: Have you thought about the possibility that your wife might have something to hide...

I own a Delta 410 (practicly same card as the Delta Audiophile) and a Revolution. The cards sound very similar, with the Revo being somewhat louder (more VRMS is an advantage when driving headphones or lower gain power amps).

So, should you not need recording from an external source (the Audiophile may have a slight edge here) I'd say GO Revo!

A few things about the revo:

* The jacks are all minijacks (prone to fail -- believe me, it happens commonly) vs. the RCA-type on the Audiophile 24/96
* This card has a mic-in, which M-Audio has left out of the Audiophile 24/96 for reasons of sound quality (so they say). Yet although it has the Mic input, it has no internal connectors whatsoever (for CD-ROM drives, voice modems, etc). I don't think it has built in soft MIDI synthesis either, although that's less important these days (DirectX can emulate it too).
* The card is geared more toward multichannel (could either be a plus or a minus)
* Although the card has a headphone jack, who knows how well it works with difficult to drive cans? And at <$100 for the card, how much has SQ really been considered here?
* Probably less OS support, as the Revo hasn't been around as long (not sure about this one).

My overall impression is that the Revo is geared basically toward "consumers," whereas the Audiophile 24/96 and similar are geared toward semi-pro and pro musicians and audiophiles (thus the name of the card).

Also, I understand the Revo isn't terribly good with games (poor DirectSound support, etc)-- although neither is the Audiophile 24/96, why get a "semi-gamer" card that works but just isn't very good for it?

This card may have great SQ, but it also has some wildly swinging ups and downsides that should be considered. Very "schizophrenic" card with a blurry/unclear target audience. Of course, if good SQ < $100 is the overriding factor, this may be one of the few choices availab.e

As this thread seems to have done its purpose I squeeze in a related question.

M-Audio Audiophile USB looks nice, but is it worth it? I keep reading about how inexpensive it is, but that's not how I see it...
I'm looking to buy a soundcard to replace the integrated one I'm currently using.

Untill now I've been thinking about these three cards:
M-Audio Revolution 7.1
TerraTec SoundSystem DMX 6Fire LT
TerraTec SoundSystem Aureon 5.1 Sky

I would appreciate any comments as I don't want to regret once I've bought one of them, but at the same time I don't want to waste my money as I'm student. I will only use it to listen to music with my AKG K-401 headphones and sometimes with my stereo. The Audiophile USB is close to twice the price of the two first cards, but on the positive side it would give me the ability to adjust the headphone volume with a knob. But still, would I really hear a difference and would I regret it if I didn't stretch my budget to get one, or is it just about that warm fuzzy feeling?

I just can't make up my mind

I think you're already answering the question yourself: paying twice the price just to get a volume pot may be a bit crazy...
Also, I don't expect it to sound a lot better. Yes, it's more expensive, but quite some of that money is spent on a separate casing, a separate power supply, usb interfacing, etc.
But this is just guessing - haven't seen a proper review of it yet...

She tried to hide her new bike under the bed. But I tripped over it when I went to shut the alarm off.





Did you know they're about to release a firewire version of the 410. Save your pennies.

Ouch The thing looks yummy... But I'll stay with the classic 410 & the Revo for now...

Damn that thing looks nice. I want it, now. Seems like these things always bring out the child in us.

Unfortunately this: $499.95 MSRP, will probably not make this an option for me over the next years.

@UpNorth:

I'd say that purely for listening purposes you probably won't need the most expensive of Soundcards. Got a Terratec SixPack ( I guess quite similar with the aureon sky, am not sure what the exact difference is) and am very happy with it.

Playback quality seems really nice to me and no clipping whatsoever with udial.wav at full Volume.

Have to say though that I had slight problems (hiss) with the headphone amp. Seems though that other people had the same issue with other cards from different manufacturers.

Although you would probably want consider going for something slightly more expensive and go for a 24bit card these days.

Of course I absolutely don't want to discourage you from getting any of the expensive models (am still drooling over that FireWire 410), you would probably be more then happy with using a rather basic card from a good manufacturer and use the rest of the money one something else.

In case you want external controls you can always try to dig up a cheap hardware mixer somewhere (second hand?). After having had the problems woth the headphone out, I simply hooked one up to the line out. It now sits nicely on my desk within arms reach and makes it very easy to adjust any volume settings (speakers, headphone, input,etc).,

So, to get back to the cards you mentioned I'd say, if you want to save some money and still be very happy I would probably go for the Sky 5.1 or SixPack. In case you want to give yourself a little treat go for the M-Audio Revo.

IIRC my SixPack was only 50 - 60 Euro when I bought it and in my opinion it is a damn nice card for that price.

And it has dual headphone jacks...

Maybe I should have saved my pennies.

Bleh. This box will be old next year. Maybe she'll get hit in the head again!

I should mention:

The best I could do for the 2496 was here.

I own both cards. Both are very similar audio quality. For the usage you are going to give it, Audiophile has the advantage of having RCA connectors, and the Revo has a main output more suitable for driving headphones (lower impedance and higher power).

I'm pretty sure nobody could ABX them, quality is high enough to avoid it.