Converters in Sound Cards
I may be in the market for a new sound card (see my post under Production), and I have a question about converters (ADC and DAC). Are they all pretty solid after a certain price point? In the past I was told to avoid certain brands because the converters were cheap, but has the technology progressed these days? Is the converter a significant reason to prefer say an RME over a Focusrite or Presonus?
Thanks!
Playback is less of an issue than recording. Even cheap soundcards like the Audio 2 have steller performance for playback.
However when it comes to recording some cards will sound cleaner than others due to the preamps & convertors and every manufacturer will have their own “secret sauce” when it comes to getting what they perceive is the best sound from the given circuitry. Latency on the inputs and outputs is another factor to consider as well as durability if its being used for live gigs.
Only thing to do is check the specs and check the reviews and find the one that best matches your balance of features and budget. In general the higher the price the lower the noise, additional channels and other features e.g. optical, displays etc…
Good review on smaller ones here…
