🚀 go-pugleaf

Insect <insect81@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>1.  What soundcard is recommended?  One alternative is the Soundblaster Live
>Value or Soundblaster Live - what is the quality for my purpose?  Do I need
>to step up to something like a Gina card?  What other cards would be good?
>Is it true that the SB Live samples at 48KHz, and I need 44KHz to record to
>CD, and will therefore get a sound degradation?

I'd suggest getting an outboard converter if you have the money, but 
check out the pcavtech reviews if you really must have an inboard sound
card.  If your money is limited, you will gain more by spending it on
a better turntable than a better soundcard.

>2.  What minimum spec do I need for the A/D converters?  Does anyone know
>the specs on the A/D converters on the SB Live? (e.g. 16 bit, 18 bit, etc)?

Basically, the specs don't matter, what matters is how they sound.  Very
few converters that are advertised as having n bits are actually linear
across all the range.

>3.  What software is recommended?

There is a lot out there.  Since you're just reading and dumping, you
really don't need much more than the bundled stuff.

>4.  What turntable/cartridge is recommended?

How much money do you have and what kind of preamp are you using?  I'll
say that digging up a used belt-driven Thorens and trying the Shure V-15
cartridge is a good start for under $500 total.  For more money, you can
get a substantially better tonearm (and that translates to lower noise
since the arm rings less), and a better cartridge, but when you start
getting into good cartridges you are mostly in moving coil land where
you start requiring a special preamp.  The Audio-Technica OC-9 is a hell
of a deal, and I use one myself at homme.

In general, more money spent on a turntable will buy you an audible 
improvement, and there is no limit to what you can spend.

Stay away from rim and direct drive turntables.  If you absolutely have
to get a cheap cartridge, consider the Grado DJ-100.  It's a spherical
stylus so it won't track as well as an elliptical or van den Hul, but
it sounds good for the price unless you have worn records.

And get a record cleaning machine.  The Nitty Gritty manual machine can
be found used for a good price.  You will be shocked at what this does to your
noise floor.,
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra.  C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."