FYI, I just got and installed the Terratec DMX6Fire -- definitely a better alternative for Linux as you can use "envy24control" to control the card, instead of the confusing and error-inducing alsamixer. Plus you get an extra MIDI I/O, spdif and toslink I/O, etc. Overall, an excellent $20.00 card, perhaps even preferable to the equivalent M-Audio Delta 66. The card's performance seems in line with it's specs ( http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/Apr02/articles/terratecdmx6.asp ) "A-D converters: 24-bit 64x oversampling (part of AK4524 chip). Input dynamic range: 100dB (converters only)." With the waveblaster connected to the db50xg, but no output coming from the synth-card, here's what the noise looks like: http://nielsmayer.com/npm/jaaa-DMX6Fire-L-fullband-db50xg.png http://nielsmayer.com/npm/jaaa-DMX6Fire-L-lowfreq-db50xg.png http://nielsmayer.com/npm/jaaa-DMX6Fire-R-fullband-db50xg.png http://nielsmayer.com/npm/jaaa-DMX6Fire-R-lowfreq-db50xg.png (above tests set with input amplification for the A/D set at 126/163 in envy24control, which seems to handle the full-output of the loudest of my XG-midi test files without clipping... you can make the noise disappear entirely (or at least go below -160db) by turning the A/D amplification below 60/163.) Subjectively, however, the sound is not better! Although cleaner and more noise free (the other dx-sc51 would light up the lowest level -60db output metering LED's on my external DAC ... this one doesn't) this card doesn't actually sound as "punchy" as the same synth playing through the crap Dynex dx-sc51. Especially interesting is that the card sounded particularly anemic&shrill when I first plugged it in, but as it ran overnight it now sounds much better (electrolytic capacitors might have been in storage for a while on this used card). (For all my listening tests, I'm using TOSLINK outputs into a higher quality external D/A, so the only change is the sound of the A/D and analog inputs, not the D/A or outputs). By lacking "punch" i mean that the bass-transients sound somewhat "round" and "soft" . Bass drum doesn't have a forceful "kick" to it. And likewise a there's little "snap" to the attack portion of the bass. On the other hand, the high-end sounds a little brighter and less "veiled" but sometimes shrill. To improve the bass-response, I'm considering changing some of the input decoupling electrolytics to larger values. The JRC4580 op-amps are surface mounted and therefore difficult to replace. (Nonetheless, people have replaced the opamps and caps on this board and claim/measure an improvement: http://forum.rightmark.org/topic.cgi?id=4:122 ) Perhaps the input op-amps on the Dmx6fire are "slew limiting" or rounding large-signal transients. The cheap Dynex card didn't have *any* input opamps and connects inputs directly to the Codec via a coupling capacitor and resistor. The input opamps on the Dmx6fire, on the other hand, allow for adjusting input levels. On the dx-sc51 the input level could not be adjusted and would easily clip if the main-volume control of the synth-card wasn't turned down. Of course, with the external breakout box on the dmx6fire, it'll be easier to perform a simple mod and get back to hearing the excellent sound of this synth -- bypass the soundcard entirely (other than using it to house and midi-drive the db50xg) and solder 1/4" TRS jacks driven by a RDL STA-1 active transformer pair.... But first, I'm going to let this card "burn in" for a week (even though it's 7 years old) as that seems to be improving the sound without my doing any work, or spending any money :-). -- Niels http://nielsmayer.com _______________________________________________ Linux-audio-user mailing list Linux-audio-user@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx http://lists.linuxaudio.org/listinfo/linux-audio-user
