Just wanted to ask few questions about sound two cards - I own first (M-audio) and read close about second one (EMU).

Now, the main purpose of using the sound card is quality recording of various analog sources, such as turntable, cassette deck, open reel etc.

What are differences between those two cards - is EMU better solution for my purposes, does it sounds better? I still have some problems with M-audio line in levels that are lower than I was expected. Also there is a problem with no built in mixer device and no active adjustment of bass/treble while editing (separate slider will do much for me, because I want to emphasize some treble while editing, to hear details, etc - and no such thing in M-audio driver)...

Later I will drop in into some music composing and editing, but primary reason for now is what has been said above - recording, and sound editing.

Is 0404 better solution than my existing card, or I should keep M-audio and "be happy with it". What are yours opinions?

Many thanks in advance,

Milan

I would keep the M-Audio card and get a preamp (and maybe an EQ?) to put in your audio chain between your source and the card. M-Audio makes great cards but there is no way to adjust recording levels. All adjustments have to be done externally.

I agree and would recommend you stay with the 2496. I also have a M-Audio Delta 2496 card and love it! If I am recording from a tape deck or mic, I hook up an external Mic Preamp (M-Audio DMP-3) or tape deck and boost the audio levels to compensate to make sure I am at a good signal level without clipping. I use Adobe Audition as my editor. Get a preamp for your turntable to record from it.

The 2496 is a clean sounding card for standard 44.1 kHz recording. I get no background noise introduced at all by the 2496 card (unless it is in the source audio already), plus I like the built in RCA jacks for input and output, rather than a smaller minijack connectors that so many modern soundcards use.

The EMU0404's ADC is the BB PCM1804, it has SNR of 111dB for recording.

http://focus.ti.com/docs/prod/folders/print/pcm1804.html

The 0404's DAC is the flagship AKM DAC, AK4395.

http://www.asahi-kasei.co.jp/akm/en/produc...395/ak4395.html

It's no contest when it comes to playback, I've heard the 0404 and the 0404 is definitely a step above anything else at the price it's selling($99 or so). For recording, it's a toss up, the AP2496's ADC is rated 110db SNR.

Yeah I'v gotta 2496 as well. Very good card.
I do a lot of recording from cassette and vinyl. I hook my turntable to a mixer and in to the s/card....that way levels can be controlled plus I can use the mixers EQ to adjust input sound if needed.

Is EMU 1212m step further?

Is SNR regarding the noise floor? When I check the noisefloor of my EMU0404 in Audition, it reads between -90 and -100.

Yes, but preamp turntable and cleaning are the first things to get right for transferring vinyl since the Audiophile is reasonably good.

Just because the component (PCM1804) has a stated noise floor of -111dB doesn't mean that it will be achieved in a real world application. Other factors such as board layout, power supply noise, RFI inside the PC, etc, will affect what can actually be achieved.

As far as getting a good soundcard for recording of domestic analogue sources is concerned, any of the cards mentioned is more than sufficient. I use an M-Audio 2496 myself, and it's audibly transparent for recording of vinyl and cassette tape. I would suggest that it will also be perfectly adequate for open reel tape (unless mmilovan has some Dolby SR mastertapes). As CSMR said, getting a decent analogue signal off the record is the most important step in transferring vinyl. If you use a cheap deck and don't bother to clean the LP, you may as well use a Soundblaster PCI.