Adc 24/96 (192)

[Listener666]

Long time no visit.........:(...but back into my music!

While waiting for a new job contract I have decided to transfer my LP's to hard disk at 24/96 or 24/192.......they will be played via a laptop and DAC ....(another discussion I think:eyebrows:)

so.........the Garrard 301 will plug into one of these...........

Could I have opinions/experience on the following:

http://www.sounds4uentertainment.co.uk/hercules-deejay-trim-46-usb-audio-interface-4971-p.asp

I like the fact that I can use this as a pre as well, with analogue volume and without a PC

and

http://www.etcetera.co.uk/products/TER010.shtml

smaller and more compact but only 24/96...needs pc if used as a pre amp

and
http://www.terratec.net/en/products/DMX_6Fire_USB_2084.html

24/192....needs pc for digital volume about £ 175

need to buy soon ...so any comments appreciated.....i have a stan dac for replay via usb ...but some of these look interesting and may be used once the ripping is finished....if ever!!:)

[StanleyB]

24/96 vinyl rips sound superior to the 24/192 rips. They do on my system at least.

[Listener666]

24/96 vinyl rips sound superior to the 24/192 rips. They do on my system at least.

cheers Stan.......i have heard that said before....not sure why though...:confused:

[Ergoline]

Hi Listener666,

My experience with vinyl is pretty limited, but I have heard a decent number of analog-to-digital converters. Unfortunately, I haven't heard the ones you've provided links to, but I do have a suggestion that might make things easier for you.

I use a Sony PCM-M10 for recording music, and it can make 24 bit/96 khz wave recordings. In the U.S. it sells for $230 street. It sounds dead neutral from its line input, and it has its own GUI and runs on battery power, so you don't need a computer at all to do the recording. Sony bundles software with it that allows you to split tracks after the fact, so you don't have to worry about it. Or, you can use the T-Mark function on the recorder during vinyl playback, and then the software will split it for you.

There are many competitors that are 24/96 capable in this price class, such as the Zoom H4N, the Edirol R-09 HR, and the Olympus LS-11. They all have their fans and haters. However, they all sport the same ease of use.

Another option to consider is the Emu 0404 USB. I can't vouch for this unit personally, but many posters on Head-Fi consider it to be the bee's knees.

I hope this helps in some capacity. By no means do I intend to make an already difficult decision more difficult, so I won't be offended if you don't care for and/or ignore these suggestions. :)

[Listener666]

thanks for the input .....i really want to stick to a laptop as i have a couple of "spares" that need to earn their keep...:).

I had my fingers burnt once before with pc music.......... with an escient fireball music server/come all singing all dancing pile of rubbish...(great dealer who agreed and took it back........thanks Paul)

I had a quick look at the E-mu 0404.......great manual... good tech spec but the 1/4 " sockets put me off a bit and I "think" I would need a seperate phono stage for a turntable...

Anyone else.........

[Ergoline]

No worries, I'm sure the last thing any of us need is more swag laying around that we don't use :doh:.

Good luck on your search :).

[nat8808]

thanks for the input .....i really want to stick to a laptop as i have a couple of "spares" that need to earn their keep...:).

I had my fingers burnt once before with pc music.......... with an escient fireball music server/come all singing all dancing pile of rubbish...(great dealer who agreed and took it back........thanks Paul)

I had a quick look at the E-mu 0404.......great manual... good tech spec but the 1/4 " sockets put me off a bit and I "think" I would need a seperate phono stage for a turntable...

Anyone else.........

You should be able to use the very same hifi that you use for listening to provide the line input for A/D conversion? Hopefully you've already invested in gear that you'r happy with the sound of - use that rather then putting music through a cheapo afterthought of a phono stage bundled just to attract customers with the same intentions.

Sounds as though you have no soundcard with your computer with a digital input ans furthermore want to use a laptop?

If you can, cobble together an old desktop machine for free and buy a 2ndhand, good quality semi-pro PCI internal soundcard like RME or Digigram or I guess even an original Lynx soundcard within your budget.. You only need two channels so research Sound on Sound archive of reviews for the best card that can now be had within budget on Ebay. Dont worry about the latest drivers as you can set up th old pc with the OS to match what you can get.

Alternatively, buy a 2 channel digital card for example by RME, S'EKD, Prodif etc for dirt cheap (£40) and find the best pro /semi pro stand alone A/D converter you can. I managed to find a dcs 24/96 converter for £300 a while ago, about 10 years old - is it the latest technology? No, but Ill be at the same A/D quality level as the top recording studios in the world were at ten years ago which is good enough for me!

If you must use a laptop then you dont get as much bang for buck due to USB gear only being aimed at bedroom musicians and so the quality is not always up there.

Then again, cheap gear can often bring surprises and I remember reading (in Sound on Sound) a recordist and his chamber orchestra clients being very happy with results from a mixer fed directly into his Dell laptop's line in socket!

Then again, sometimes you can find a whole pro AMS Neve £10K record/edit system on ebay for £100 as there is currently (untested and 15 years old)..

[skriefal]

I prefer to use a portable SD recorder -- an Edirol R09HR -- for needledrops. This is easy to use and eliminates the need to keep a potentially noisy, potentially large, energy-wasting PC attached to the audio system. Most of these (incl. my R09HR) can handle up to 24/96 via the line-level input, although I use 24/44.1.

Cue up the side, press the record button, and go. Repeat for as many sides as you wish. Then transfer the SD card to your PC and apply any processing (ClickRepair, volume adjustment, track splitting), and finally burn to CD or convert to FLAC for playback via a streaming device (Logitech Squeezebox, etc).