Need Recommendations for Sound Card and Computer Speakers

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by Paul G, Mar 20, 2004.

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  1. Paul G

    Paul G Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    New York, NY, USA
    I am considering adding an external sound card and speakers to my two-year-old IBM ThinkPad. A main purpose would be to help transfer LPs and cassettes to CD. (My audio software is Sound Forge 7.0.) For the sound card, I am thinking of the M-Audio Audiophile USB. (Sam Ash and J&R in NYC are both offering it for $199.) I do not know what speakers to use. Any thoughts? Will I have any USB compatibility issues (USB v. USB 2.0)?

    As a side note, another reason for adding the external sound card is that I somehow managed to crack the plastic sleeve on my computer's headphone jack, so I'm stuck with the ThinkPad's internal speakers. I learned through posting another thread that a repair would cost about about $400 -- the computer is out of warranty -- and would require sending the computer back to IBM. An external sound card run through a USB port would cost much less and provide 24-bit recording capability.

    Thanks for your help.

    Paul
     
  2. Grant

    Grant Life is a rock, but the radio rolled me!

    I have been told by many that the USB M-Audio Audiophile does no play nice. What OS are you running?
     
  3. Paul G

    Paul G Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    New York, NY, USA
    My operating system is Windows XP Professional.

    Paul
     
  4. -=Rudy=-

    -=Rudy=- ♪♫♪♫♫♪♪♫♪♪ Staff

    Location:
    US
    Who's the "many"? Runs absolutely flawlessly here. No problems at all if USB 2.0 is on the computer. It was designed that way.
     
  5. StyxCollector

    StyxCollector Man of Miracles

    First, what are you looking to do with your sound card? If just playback, then that is a different beast than say, wanting to record 96 or 192/24.
     
  6. Paul G

    Paul G Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    New York, NY, USA
    I want to record as well as play.

    Paul
     
  7. Paul G

    Paul G Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    New York, NY, USA
    What if the USB ports are 1.1, which is what IBM tech support says my ThinkPad has? Will the card work properly? I have reviewed checked the M-Audio website (although not yet the knowledge base) and the Audiophile USB manual, and neither says that the computer's USB ports must be 2.0.

    Paul
     
  8. Joe Koz

    Joe Koz Prodigal Bone Brother™ In Memoriam

    Location:
    Chicagoland
    Paul, if you have a 1.1 and buy a 2.0, just make sure it is backward compatible.
     
  9. StyxCollector

    StyxCollector Man of Miracles

    1.1 is slower, so I wouldn't recommend it unless your sound input device was 1.1. An audio device designed for 2.0 I wouldn't recommend running it with a 1.1. Now that said, you can pick up a 2.0 or a Firewire PCMCIA card; I have an Adaptec one that has both. There's also a Firewire version of the Audiophile.

    If it wasn't a laptop, I'd recommend other things for you.
     
  10. StyxCollector

    StyxCollector Man of Miracles

  11. Paul G

    Paul G Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    New York, NY, USA
    I got the Echo Indigo io sound card. To adjust the recording level, as the Echo unfortunately does not have that capability, I bought a Behringer Eurorack UB502 mixer, as the suggestion of an Echo tech. The results so far have been pretty good to my ears. Thanks for your suggestions.

    As for speakers, I went with the Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 (two satellites and a subwoofer). The setup actually rivals the speakers connected to our main stereo system, a nearly-sixteen-year-old pair of Ohm Sound Cylinders. My wife has actually suggested that we get new speakers for the main system!

    Paul G
     
  12. -=Rudy=-

    -=Rudy=- ♪♫♪♫♫♪♪♫♪♪ Staff

    Location:
    US
    Wow--I just listened to the same Klipsch computer speakers two weeks ago, and I was quite impressed! The mids seemed to be a lot more natural than other computer speakers I'd heard, and thanks to the power and the good sub, the bottom end has a lot of weight to it as well. My only decision is whether to get the 2.1 or 5.1 (since I have surround capabilities). I don't need the surround system now, but to have them on standby if needed would be nice.
     
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