View Full Version : Another Budget DAC
I think the original thread of this name must have got lost in the recent problem.
I drew attention to a discussion on another forum about the EMU 0404 USB 2 DAC which will run to 24/192 with special drivers using a well implemented USB2 port. UK price £150.
http://www.emu.com/products/product.asp?product=15185&nav=technicalSpecifications
The thread should be read here
http://www.computeraudiophile.com/node/1420?page=2
And this from the (presently) latest post should be noted:
Next, for fun, my friend wanted to compare the EMU to his Apogee setup for playback just to see what the differences would be. We loaded the same HRX cut onto both out PC's and using two inputs on his preamp and matching levels we could easily toggle between the $200 EMU 0404 and the $3500 Rosetta/Big Ben combo. Well, I promised him I would not go onto any forums and describe what we heard (he's still in disbelief I'm sure) so I'll just leave it at this: EMU 0404 USB owners can also "rest easy" that they are getting truly state of the are high resolution sound out of this little $200 "wonder-box".
I am tempted to give it a go, even though it has a cheap plastic case.
Sounds interesting Brian, must have a read up about it
I'm still hunting for ways to send 24/192k to my Sabre dac
Sounds interesting Brian, must have a read up about it
I'm still hunting for ways to send 24/192k to my Sabre dac
Then you need to set some time aside to read the whole thread!
It looks a hell of a lot of dac for the money :smoking: main thing which interested me was USB 24/192k , huge amount of handy features and some well specified internal hardware
Numbers aren't everything, I would like to know how it stacks up against the Standac - 24/96
http://www.beresford.me/main/main.html
and the Edirol UA-25EX, which is also highly respected - 24/96.
http://www.soundonsound.com/news?NewsID=10185
http://www.edirol.net/products/en/UA-25EX/
Numbers aren't everything, I would like to know how it stacks up against the Standac - 24/96
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Exactly, I already have two dacs which are high quality when playing 16/44.1 , it seems the EMU can also output high res digital to my dacs though which would be handy, its nice to have the option;)
ReachtheSky
27-02-2009, 01:28
Brian, the EMU 0404 performance might have something to do with the AK4396 "miracle" dac chip that it uses? The AK4396 has received load of good reviews.
Granville
Brian, the EMU 0404 performance might have something to do with the AK4396 "miracle" dac chip that it uses? The AK4396 has received load of good reviews.
Granville
I guess so. At the price it will have fairly basic supporting circuitry, but since most of the work is done in the chip . . .
foxysounds
27-02-2009, 09:48
It should be pointed out that there are 2 versions of the EMU0404 - one is a USB soundcard and the other is a PCI soundcard which means that while it might be great for PC audio, even the USB version probably can't be used stand-alone. It can do zero-latency monitoring which means that inputs will be processed via the onboard DSP (if enabled) and then sent to the outputs without the PC getting involved (if you set it up to route that way) but you would need the PC to set up the routing. It isn't clear from the description on the EMU website whether the USB version is buss-powered and whether the routing information is stored in the device itself so it's possible that without a PC even the USB version does nothing.
OTOH, it is, of course, an ADC as well as a DAC so if you happen to need an ADC too and you're wanting something for PC audio it may be perfect for you.
Comparing it to any stand-alone DAC is therefore not really useful IMHO.
Simon.
foxysounds
27-02-2009, 10:10
Stan's new DAC (the TC-7520), of course, can be used stand-alone as well as being half a soundcard (it performs the output duties of a soundcard but not the input duties) so if you use it for PC audio via its USB input you would need an additional soundcard in order to (for example) use a Skype headset or capture audio from your TT onto your PC. This is not a problem because Windows doesn't mind how many soundcards you have (I don't know if the same is true for Macs).
Simon.
nbaptista
27-02-2009, 20:11
Guys,
What you think of Edirol sound cards?Is it OK to connect the sound card to the amplifier trough RCA or the sound is not so good?The amp is a Densen B 110 and Epos speakers.
The sound card is this
http://roland.com.br/edirol/produtos/520/images
Should I wait and save in order to buy a good DAC?
Guys,
What you think of Edirol sound cards?
I read good reports of the edirol ua-25ex.
It has the custom drivers to enable bit perfect transfer via USB from a Windows PC. The new Beresford 7520 uses the default windows drivers, so the Windows mixer is still in the replay chain and a ripped CD at 16/44.1 will be re-sampled to 48K. Theoretically not good, but how much difference it makes I don't know. I haven't heard either the 7520 or the UA 25EX.
Has anyone made the comparison?
nbaptista
27-02-2009, 21:03
but how about the sound card?
purite audio
27-02-2009, 21:07
I read good reports of the edirol ua-25ex.
It has the custom drivers to enable bit perfect transfer via USB from a Windows PC. The new Beresford 7520 uses the default windows drivers, so the Windows mixer is still in the replay chain and a ripped CD at 16/44.1 will be re-sampled to 48K. Theoretically not good, but how much difference it makes I don't know. I haven't heard either the 7520 or the UA 25EX.
Has anyone made the comparison?
L Hi, you need to install 'ASIO for all', that will bypass the sound mixer and give you a much better result.
L Hi, you need to install 'ASIO for all', that will bypass the sound mixer and give you a much better result.
But only if the hardware and associated drivers will use ASiO. The Edirol can - can the Beresford?
nbaptista
27-02-2009, 23:56
I think the Edirol is better for record and reproduction of instruments,like guitars or something else.It is not only a Dac,so I wonder if is overpriced,for those that just want a Dac,and not record instruments
nbaptista
01-03-2009, 23:47
And what about the Musical Fidelity V-DAC versus Cambridge DacMagic?
A good review here
http://ixbtlabs.com/articles2/proaudio/emu-0404-usb.html
and the thread in the other place is still running.
I have just looked again at the now very long thread in another place on the EMU 0404 USB DAC
It seems to have quite a following
http://www.computeraudiophile.com/content/24192-USB-20-beer-budget-EMU-0404-mini-review
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