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Since this seems to be an open-ended thread about Audio Interfaces, I'll put my two cents in here about usage and upgrades. First of all I am a fan of using old USB Audio Interfaces as DAC's because they are typically discarded or sold for very cheap as professionals who need their extended functionality often need to upgrade to newer units for increased features or usability on newer PC's, etc. Currently, I am using a Presonus Audiobox USB, the original version rather than the 96. I only use it for 2-channel audio at my PC. I output my Audiobox to a Schiit Magni 3 headphone amplifier feeding Sony MDR-V700's. This combination is beautiful. I actually, purchased the Schiit stack, consisting of the Magni 3 being fed by the Modi 2 Uber DAC. But the Presonus unit ended up sounding better behind the Magni, and I mean noticeably better. Thankfully, Presonus is one of the few companies that opts to use through-hole capacitors in their signal paths so I replaced the four electrolytic radials, two between the DAC and output OpAmp and two between the output OpAmp and output jacks, with WIMA metallized polyester film capacitors. This was not one of those differences you had to try and hear, this was literal NIGHT and DAY difference in sound quality. The soundstage/imaging is HUGE, and I had to listen to my entire music library all over again because where I thought I was done hearing new instruments with the addition of the Audiobox in stock form, I now was hearing even more new sounds, and previous sounds such as string instruments, guitars, what-have-you suddenly had texture (think the rattle of guitar strings that are not depressed quite hard enough or cello strings and that thick sounds they emit). I've been looking into trying many units from other manufacturers including Lexicon, M-Audio, etc. but I haven't found any other manufacturers that go ahead and use through-hole caps in their signal paths. Everyone jumps on the SMD train, and I don't mess with that stuff. Another great thing is how you can listen in as much as you can crank the volume very high, to the point you think it would hurt your ears, but magically, it does not because the harsh, distortiony highs that would have normally caused you to scream and throw the headphones off your head in terror are simply not there. And it allows much of your musical program to bloom because many people are accustomed to listening too quietly, while boosting lows and highs rather than what I would consider the appropriate way of listening, which is to flatline your settings and turn up the volume. Obviously, not all recordings are created equal, and there may be tracks, which need boosting or even decreasing in some area to make it more musical. It does happen. Anyway, I've always wanted to find someone who uses the same unit as myself in a pro setting so they can see how the increased fidelity affects their production efforts. 
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Jan 2, 2021 07:14
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| # ¿ May 17, 2024 15:12 |
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