[linrad] Soundcard info (long)

["Conrad G0RUZ" <g0ruz@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Sorry for the late replies but I have been having some email problems this
week I have answered a few emails as a kind of digest.



-----Original Message-----
From: owner-linrad@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:owner-linrad@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of DEHAYS Dominique
Sent: 04 September 2002 07:22
To: owner-linrad@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Cc: linrad@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re. : [linrad] Delta 44 mod.


Hi Leif and all guys on the reflector.

I did a search on Internet about this Delta 44 board. My question is : the
board is sold with an interface box ( jacks , potentiometers and so on...
Is this box needed for LINRAD? I don't think so , is it possible to buy
the board only , it possibly could turn the price to a more affordable
level?

73's Dom/F6DRO


Hi Dom no it is not available without the interface box, there are many
appearing second hand on Ebay now. I have had the card for a long time as I
used to use it in my recording studio, the actual retail price has dropped
by 150 euro in the UK as the card is being phased out. My friend works for
the UK distribution company and he says that there is one more scheduled
production run and that is it, he thinks that there would be no possibility
or saving without the breakout box. There are no pots on the standard
break-out box, perhaps you are confusing it with the Omni in/out add on box
which is available as an extra? There are alternative boards but non with
Linux drivers that I am aware of.

73

Conrad G0RUZ


Secondly, if I understand Leif correctly, there are other sound cards in the
pipeline with far better performance but with no Linux drivers, so the Delta
44 might me obsolete in a nearby future. Then, that's where efforts should /
could be made to buy the card at best price.

73
-niklas-
SM7UFW


The best performing boards are the RME Digi96 series but when I approached
them about Linux drivers last year, the result was a stony silence but now
it seems that OSS supports the RME cards. There is even a board (not RME and
no Linux drivers) that samples at 192kHz with a genuine usable 24bits or so
the manufacturer claims, quite how they achieve this I don't know because at
some point they have to use op amps and I know of no device that can achieve
that kind of dynamic range with a computer power supply! I would suggest
that the Delta 44 has the best price performance ratio, especially now that
the second hand market is awash with them. Thomann
http://www.netzmarkt.de/thomann/thoiw2_index.html sell them in Europe at 269
Euro brand new, second hand prices are typically half that. Be aware also
that a second hand Delta 66 will also work with Linrad as the drivers are
the same.

I have lots of experience with soundcards and almost all of the pro audio
cards use the same A/D converters, but some have better clocks and lower
phase noise and clock jitter. Only the Delta 44 and it's family and the RME
cards have the Linux drivers as far as I know. The RME units only have
digital in/out as standard and you would need to purchase the AD4 unit to
get 4 channels of  A/D. This is expensive but the cards are VERY highly
regarded in pro-audio circles. It would be really interesting if somebody
could get hold of this combination and get it to Leif to test, to see if
they really are better than the modified Delta 44. Perhaps I might do it as
a "justifiable" professional expense :-)

Conrad G0RUZ




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