Re: Low Lantecy Soundcard for Laptop Gig

[Mech <mech@m3ch.net>]

At 2:51 PM -0600 7/29/07, Krispen Hartung wrote:
>>Another CardBus option that looks good is the Digigram VX Pocket series
>>(V2 or V440, at around $400-500).
>
>I'll have to check these out. Thanks. I like the fact that it comes 
>with xlr connectors
>that plug into the card, so no wear and tear on the card itself.

No, no, & no.  And at the risk of cutting my own virtual throat here, 
let me explain.

I grabbed a V2 not too long ago, since it appears to be the *only* 
self-contained cardbus solution which incorporates S/PDIF.  (I 
figured if I've got a good Mic Preamp with digital I/O, why wouldn't 
I just keep everything in the digital domain at that point.)

First problem, drivers.  Rather than using CoreAudio, DigiGram did 
write drivers over on the Mac side.  Unfortunately, they only wrote 
them up as far as Panther, MacOSX 10.3 (current version is 10.4, with 
10.5 set to release in a couple of months).

Second problem, latency(!).  I've never been able to get less than 
15-20 ms (!!!) of latency out of it.

I talked to their tech support about both these issues.  To the 
driver issue, they replied that there would be no more forthcoming 
OSX driver updates, because they said the one for 10.3 was optimized 
about as much as they could do so.  For the latency problem, they 
reminded me that the VX Pocket series was released around 2000, and 
that the technology is a half-decade old.  Evidently those latencies 
are typical for the product.

I dunno if it performs any better on the PC side (hey, if anybody 
wants to try, I'll let you have mine merely for what I paid -- about 
$270).  Otherwise, I'd stay away from this one!

        --m.
-- 
_____
"I want to keep you alive so there is always the possibility of 
murder... later"