John, No direct experience with the Masterlink, although it sure does look nice. The HDSP 9652 does not have AES/EBU XLR connectors or anything close to that. It does have two s/pdif connectors, which are digital audio also, and would presumably talk to the HDSP 9652 nicely. However, if that's the only thing you want to interface, the RME seems like an overkill. You should be able to use a lower end card with just s/pdif and audio on it, like an RME Hammerfall Light or an AP2496 or something in that range, and be able to attach just fine. I have been using the HDSP 9652 for about a month now. Full support in Linux is not there, but more users means more support. (Assuming griping gets us anywhere!) ;-) It's a great card, but the mixer in the card is currently disabled completely. If you need what the card offers (3 ADAT, s/pdif, 2 MIDI, Word Clock) I don't think anything comes close for the price. If you have more questions, just ask here or drop me a note. I use all three of these cards and think highly of them for what they all are. Cheers, Mark