Re: OT Best Quality Sound Card - Least Amount of Money

[Tony K <bigtonyk@gmail.com>]

I think the M-Audio Audiophile 2496 (PCI) kicks butt for $99.

On Mon, Feb 23, 2009 at 12:21 PM, Rick Walker <looppool@cruzio.com> wrote:
> In every field,  there tend to be fantastic deals on gear that gives the
> most bang for the buck.
>
> In percussion, for example  you could, for years,  buy a certain brand of
> the budget CP conga
> that would be as good as the professional (and highly overpriced) LP 
>congas.
>   Sure,  the
> LPs were Cadillacs and had the heavy duty 'comfort rims',  but, 
>essentially,
>  the budget conga
> produced completely professional sound at half the budget.    The 
>reputation
> of these cheap
> congas got so good that LP (CP's parent company) quit making the congas 
>in
> Natural Wood
> colors (the most popular conga color) just to force professional 
>drummers on
> a budget to
> buy the more expensive ones and , eventually, they phased the cheaper 
>ones
> out altogether to
> eliminate the competition.
>
> Are there any similar stellar deals in Audio cards for PCs (running Win 
>XP)?
>
> Or does one have to buy the bullet and plunk down the big bucks for boxes
> like the RME ones?
>
> Do the latest M Audio cards really tank heavily when compared to the 
>pricier
> sound cards?
>
> Are there PCI cards that sound comparable to more pricey breakout boxes?
>
> Is anything made for the Prosumer Gamers of the world that are close in
> fidelity to
> the most expensive breakout boxes?
>
> ******************************************
>
> I'm building a second PC desktop so that my wife and I can both work,
> simultaneously on our
> respective album projects and I don't have an unlimited budget.
>
> I picked up a Mackie ONXY satellite system that got good reviews and I 
>got
> it hella cheap.
> Now my funky old Creative Labs sound card seems to be biting the dust.   
>I'm
> wondering if I should
> buy a second ONXY while they are still available and relatively 
>inexpensive
> (around $175).
>
>
> *All you audiophile pros out there:      what are your recommendations?*
>
> *What's the best bang for the buck,  financially,  for a Sound Card for 
>a PC
> these days  (including
> older gear that is no longer made but still readily available through 
>places
> like E Bay)?
>
> What can you recommend for a person who loves to live a champagne 
>lifestyle
> on a beer budget?
> *
>
>



-- 
-==-=-=-
Tony