Thread: USB SQ Sound Card battle - Consumer level

Personally... M-Audio transit. It's more straight forward, has a better driver set, and also works incredibly well for measurements. I use it as the input/output device for a measurement rig with a Behringer ECM-8000 and always get nice results.

Doaes the Transit offer the Time Alignment option?

Hippo Hi Fi Bloat.

Its anywhere from $200-250 depending on options, and has the best sound quality, by far.


Website is here

Originally Posted by Cris

Doaes the Transit offer the Time Alignment option?

Not in it's native driver set. It supports ASIO though so it can be used with something like Console and VST plugins to do time alignment among other things.

I personally use a SB Audigy 2 ZS with the KX driver set for my Car PC, like I mentioned before I primarily use the Transit for measurements or at home 2-channel playback.

That's a nice little unit there...unfortunatly it's not available over here.


I don't know why, but I'd still go for the Audigy 2NX...many people around here have them, and although some aren't really satisfied with it, the rest seem to be.

I'd also like to have the time scalling option, as my audio system is a full active 4way, and for a better sound stage time scalling is pretty important.

Well, you won't be able to use the NX with the KXdrivers to do a complete 4way active setup, but it will allow time alignment and a basic crossover between mains and subwoofer with it's own driver. You need to supply the NX with power too-not powered via USB.

Are you running this to an external processor/crossover via analog or digital?

For the time being it's analog, running from the soundcard straight into 3 amps...one for the tweets, a 4ch one for midbas and midrange, and one for the sub.

So what if I use just a simple stereo out from the NX...will I be able to use time aligntment? Or must I run the sub from the subwoofer ouput, the midbas from the front output, mids from the rear output and tweets from the side outputs?

Yes, as long as you use every analog output and run the card in 7.1 CMSS stereo mode, then you can use the time alignment feature (THX console IIRC) for each channel, otherwise in 2 channel mode you can only correct for the L and R channesl as a whole.

Are you using the filters/crossovers built into the amps to split the frequency bands then? Do your amps have bandpass/high pass/low pass options?

Yes, I'm using the active crossovers on the amps...

Here's the setup:

Helix DB4 running Focal Polyglas midbas and DLS Iridium Midrange
Helix DB2 running DLS Iridium tweets
Phase Linear RS1 amp running a 15" Phase Thiller Pro15


So, you think it's a better ideea using the 7.1 that the plain stereo? I'm asking because, first off all the sound stage in my car could do for much improvement, and second because I'm afraid that in 7.1 the NX would cut the frequency to the "satelite" speakers too high...or is this adjustable via software?