Experience with E-Mu (Creative Professional) Audio Cards

Saber Rider · Post by **Saber Rider** » Sun May 23, 2004 12:06 pm

I'm looking for the ultimate Audio Card.

It should have:
At least 7.1 analog output (better: 8 independent, software-patchable outputs), very high quality. Consumer Level is enough, Balanced Audio not neccesary but better.
At least Stereo analog input, very high quality, with RIAA Phono Preamp. Also consumer level enough, balanced studio level better. More inputs nice but not neccesary.
At least one mic input with +48V phantom power, and, you may have expected it: very high quality
Hardware or Software Wavetable, preferred with soundfonts, or at least a MIDI Interface to connect a MIDI Expander
Digital I/O, preferred without 44/48/44-Conversion like e.g. the Audigy does when feeding a 44KHz Signal
Stable ASIO Drivers
Realtime Effects
Good software bundle
Breakout Box with AD/DA Converters in the box

Somehow, such a card seems not to exist. Soundblaster Audigy 2 Platinum and ST-Audio DSP24 Media 7.1 come near to this, but the Audigy lacks of some features and good bundle software (not mentioning the bad ASIO Support), the DSP24 has quite unstable drivers.

But now I found the E-Mu 1820
http://www.emu.com/products/product.asp ... oduct=2210

Does everything I want and this even better. The Breakout Box does the converting job so a 8-pin Cat.5 LAN Cable is enough to connect the box to the card. So no noise from other hardware components. Very cute: The Neutrik Connectors for Mic-In combining 1/4" and XLR Jacks. And it seems you can plug in an electric guitar directly to the card without guitar preamp. The card does really everything I want and even more.

The price is quite high compared to the Audigy and ST-Audio, but if it's worth I'll pay it. But I don't want to buy something I don't know and which may be the most expensive piece of trouble I ever had.

Does anyone have experience with this card?

madmallard · Post by **madmallard** » Wed May 26, 2004 7:32 pm

no personal experience, but if you're looking for comparison brands, check out M-Audio or Steinberg.

Is there any reason you need a card? I ask because there are uber-powerful external firewire solutions too.

Brain-Carnival · Post by **Brain-Carnival** » Sat Jun 05, 2004 4:36 pm

terratec has some nice high quality sound cards for professionals:

www.terratec.com

Saber Rider · Post by **Saber Rider** » Sun Jun 06, 2004 3:23 am

Brain-Carnival wrote:terratec has some nice high quality sound cards for professionals:

www.terratec.com

Terratec is the greatest shit I've ever seen, any card they sell is full of bugs, the biggest bugs are fixed with a driver update and then they build a new model, discontinue the old one and don't update the drivers anymore.

Brain-Carnival · Post by **Brain-Carnival** » Sun Jun 06, 2004 8:42 am

Öhmm...ok