Which Audigy to buy..

ZaGhost · Feb 12, 2007, 12:38 PM

Hey guys,
Looking for a little advice on an upgrade.
I've been using a dual SB LIve setup for 4 input recording...
I just did a bit of an upgrade to the system (XP 1600+ to a 3700+, and new 200G hd)
and now have a dual boot set-up, 1 for normal use, and one tweaked for recording.

After spending some time in the forums reading again, because I forgot most of how to set things up again hehe :-) , I've been thinking of switching over to an Audigy.

Found a few up for sale, trying to decide the best one to grab.
1 is an SB0090 with a Live Drive, the other not sure which model yet..
What extra perks are there in a KX setup with the Live drive?
I know I can get 4 inputs without the LD, can I get 6 with it?
And then either keep an SB in for a total of 8 or grab the second Audigy and get 10?

Just trying to figure out the best option, only need 2 to 4 most times, but more in's is always a perk.

Thanks

peate · Feb 12, 2007, 01:21 PM

A live drive will give you 2 extra stereo analog inputs, Line/Mic. 2 and Aux. 2 which are RCA inputs. Those are very useful for quick connecting a tape deck, VCR, what ever. Also I believe the quality is better due to higher quality A/D converters. There are also Midi ins and outs and a headphone jack, not to mention SPDIF and optical ins and outs. Lots to choose from.

The Audigy will also give you more DSP resources so you can use more plug-ins than with a Live.

Many users here have multiple cards running in their systems with up to 14 inputs if I remember. If you have empty PCI slots, go for it.

Just remember that one card must be used as a master and the other ones as slaves, physically connected together using SPDIF. That way everything remains in sync.

You will find all the info in this forum. I think DougW has a guide on how to do this, or it might be another user. It's been a while since I looked around.

Good luck.

mike2h · Feb 12, 2007, 01:39 PM

evrything else aside i think audigy2 gives you best perf for the $. i have xfi in my comp now & had 2 before(as does the wifes machine) wished i would not have uograded as they r still having issues with xfi - tho they seem t obe working them out (very slowly).

bottom line audigy 2.

ZaGhost · Feb 13, 2007, 07:01 AM

I haven't seen any 2's around, but I have located a couple of 1's.

Back to the Live drive, would I get 3 analog ins for ASIO through that ?
I know I read it in here somewhere but I can't remember. One of the one's I found comes with one, waiting for the guy to get back to me with a price. Trying to figure out if it's worth it

thomasabarnes · Feb 13, 2007, 01:21 PM

Man, you can find an Audigy 2 ZS soundcard cheap on eBay. I just bought a Audigy 2 ZS Platinum Pro, and I'm about to get a brand new Audigy 4 Pro for $109 on eBay. A plain ole Audigy 2 ZS is considerably lower, $50 US dollars and lower, if I recall correctly.

ZaGhost · Feb 13, 2007, 01:45 PM

True, I was just looking locally to start. I have a few Audigy's on my watch list to see what a good price is.... :-)

mike2h · Feb 13, 2007, 01:51 PM

stay away from the audigy1. the performance & sound quality is better on 2 as is driver support.

**dj_stick** · Feb 13, 2007, 04:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mike2h

stay away from the audigy1. the performance & sound quality is better on 2 as is driver support.

well as this is in the kX forum, i assume the poster will be using kX, meaning your point isn't really valid here (it probably is for creative drivers)

i use an audigy 2 zs and an audigy es, no performance difference with kX

ZaGhost · Feb 13, 2007, 05:28 PM

Yep, it's mainly a KX related question... feeling out opinions, best card for maximum expandability....A1 vs A2, live drive vs none....

mike2h · Feb 13, 2007, 06:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dj_stick

well as this is in the kX forum, i assume the poster will be using kX, meaning your point isn't really valid here (it probably is for creative drivers)

i use an audigy 2 zs and an audigy es, no performance difference with kX

my point is not valid? maybe not as far as the driver goes but the a2 is definetly a better product than the a1.
imo the a1 was barely a step above the sb series while the a1 was a leap.
guess im in the wrong place, im really not into recording or making music, my digital drive for my xfi is for mic/headphone use only

, but i am very serious about sound fidelity, & spend considerable time & $$ to get the best sound for the best value. dont think we r on the same page.

ZaGhost · Feb 14, 2007, 08:35 AM

Maybe valid wasn't the right choice of words, applicable may work better.
We're looking at things from the perspective of ASIO recording inputs, not playback fidelity.

One thing I have noticed from the compatability list is there seeems to be more A2 models with issues than A1s so before I grab an e-bay purchase I would need to be sure of the model #.

ZaGhost · Feb 14, 2007, 06:28 PM

OK, Located an A2 ZS (SB0350) on e-bay, and it's local so I can skip the shipping if I can win it. I've noticed some others out there using it, and it's on the supported list.

thomasabarnes · Feb 14, 2007, 09:36 PM

Roger. You're good to go with that model.

**dj_stick** · Feb 15, 2007, 05:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mike2h

my point is not valid? maybe not as far as the driver goes but the a2 is definetly a better product than the a1.
imo the a1 was barely a step above the sb series while the a1 was a leap.
guess im in the wrong place, im really not into recording or making music, my digital drive for my xfi is for mic/headphone use only

, but i am very serious about sound fidelity, & spend considerable time & $$ to get the best sound for the best value. dont think we r on the same page.

i meant no offence, however your point that the audigy 2 has better performance that the audigy 1 doesn't apply at all with kX. As kX is a totally different architecture - performance is prety much identical across all supported models

and yes the SB0350 is a good choice, i have one myself

TravelRec. · Feb 15, 2007, 09:56 AM

The best expandable card models related to number of inputs are the SB0090 and SB0092 Audigy1 cards. No later model has that many (possible) inputs at the same time (up to 14 mono channels, composed as 4x analog and 10x digital). I use one SB0090 since years for multichannel-recording. No problems and a bunch of great material after switching to kX

ZaGhost · Feb 15, 2007, 10:59 AM

TravelRec Thanks, I knew the SB0090 was one of the good ones....need confirmation.
I'd like to see more info on your setup, what are you using for digital I/O?
I currently have a line on a SB0090 with a live drive, but he hasn't given me a price yet.

I've been using KX for a few years now, added a second SB Live last year cheap to get the extra in's. Now that I finally have my new system together I plan to get into serious recording mode.

ZaGhost · Feb 15, 2007, 11:02 AM

AHA!! I just realized, I was on your page looking at the Digital stuff, I'd like to build one of the analog to spdif boxes

~~DudeBoyz~~ · Feb 15, 2007, 11:19 AM

Hey, instead of Audigy, try something more progressive like the Turtle Beach Montego, maybe?

Turtle Beach - Montego DDL 7.1 Sound Card

Nice stuff.

Just another option.

Maddogg6 · Feb 15, 2007, 12:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DudeBoyz

Just another option.

Not if he desires to use KX specifically.

~~DudeBoyz~~ · Feb 15, 2007, 04:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maddogg6

Not if he desires to use KX specifically.

True dat...

Den_VS · Feb 15, 2007, 07:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DudeBoyz

Hey, instead of Audigy, try something more progressive like the Turtle Beach - Montego DDL 7.1 Sound Card, maybe?

Nice stuff.
Just another option.

True dat...

Thats not an option at all ... ... 99% of kX_project users would say!

Or you just
"recomending to use m$wmplayer on mplayer development forum" ?! ...
true dat?! whats it good for ?!

**dj_stick** · Feb 15, 2007, 07:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TravelRec.

The best expandable card models related to number of inputs are the SB0090 and SB0092 Audigy1 cards. No later model has that many (possible) inputs at the same time (up to 14 mono channels, composed as 4x analog and 10x digital). I use one SB0090 since years for multichannel-recording. No problems and a bunch of great material after switching to kX

the SB016x models are almost identical, but they have a gameport rather than a firewire port, so they're just as expandable

ZaGhost · Feb 26, 2007, 03:41 PM

OK, located an Audigy 2 SB0240 locally for $20, waiting to hear back...

Maddogg6 · Feb 26, 2007, 04:46 PM

you may save your self some time if you do a forum search for that card model..
My quick glance seems to indicate other use it ok - but, you may not want to take my word for it....

ZaGhost · Feb 26, 2007, 05:39 PM

It's on the compatible list....so here's hoping.....
Worst case is I have to sell it for the same price and try again :-)

ZaGhost · Apr 1, 2007, 07:42 PM

OK, finally after several, almost and back outs etc... I snagged an Audigy tonight SB0090
WOOHOO!!!! actually got the card and 1 gig of ram for $70... so not a bad night.
I was running pc 2100, up to 2700, still waiting on the 2 gig of 3200 from someone, but they are very slow...so in the meantime this should suffice.... Now I need to pirate a bracket to add in the extra stereo channel and I can remove the 2 Live's (or maybe keep on and have 6 in's) heh :-)