[LAU] How much does my new SB Extigy suck and why?

[Bearcat M. Sandor]

Arnold,

Strange that they'd use one set of drivers for the front and rear. Huh.  I try 
to keep my volume down at those levels too and it does seem to make a 
difference.  

Can you explain why we seem to have 2 "Master" sliders and 2 "Line-In" 
sliders?

Strangely enough, i was so distressed by the sound yesterday that i took it 
out of the system and re-introduced my Nvidia chip-set ("Hi, Nvidia meet my 
Carver amp. Again."),  When i listened to it carefully it only sounded a 
little better, but more to the point the smoke damage was showing again with 
channel drop-outs.

So i re-reintroduced the SB ("Hey SB meet my Carver amp. Again." Carver: "Will 
you quit talking to me?! I'm just trying to sit here an hum by myself"). I 
recompiled my kernel and alsa-libs and fired it up.  It actually sounded OK. 
Then i played a track through mplayer with a switch of -srate 48000 and it 
sounded better still.

I donno why i sounds better this time, but hearing is *so* based on 
expectations.  It's not great, but it will do till i can afford something 
better.  I wonder how much better the M-Audo Audiophile sounds?

As far as your Tascam goes i might consider that. How much do you want for it 
and how much higher is the sound quality? All i need is stereo out + line-in 
for mythtv.

Thanks,

Bearcat

On Thursday 06 September 2007 in an email titled "Re: [LAU] How much does my 
new SB Extigy suck and why?" Arnold Krille wrote:
>Am Mittwoch, 5. September 2007 schrieb Bearcat M. Sandor:
>> If you're hearing the same thing i am, then it can't just be the bit rate
>> conversions. I'm thinking there is an exceptionally poor D/A converter in
>> there in the first place.
>
>I think it has to do with the converters (maybe both DA and resampling) but
> it only seem to happen at higher volumes. So I am turning the volume down
> to 80% on master and 80% on PCM and leave it there.
>
>And on the sblive the converters for rear are better then the front ones,
>because front (and line-in and mic-in connected at the board) are feed
>through a ac97 while the rear-channels and all the external plugs on the
>livedrive are through the emu10k1.
>
>> Also, if you're hearing what i am, how can you stand it?
>
>I don't use the full volume scale. And for professional use I do have two
>external devices :-) (Tascam US-122 (anyone interested in buying it?) and a
>Presonus FirePod)
>
>> I'm asking all of these questions, not just because i am an audiophile
>> snob, but because i want to learn as much as i can about this stuff.
>
>Hey, if you are an audiophile snob, maybe I can sell you some
>extra-super-duper extremely high quality cables(*)?
>
>Sorry, was temporarily trapped in irony-mode for the last paragraph. :-)
>
>Arnold
>
>(*) Of course they are unshielded. Shielding on these class of cables costs
>extra...