Good ADC and PC Sound Card

I have both the Lavry AD11 (Lavry 10 with mic preamps) and the Mytek ADC96, The main difference is features. The Lavry AD10/11 have the virtue of much better metering and 12Db more gain into the TRS inputs of the XLR/TRS combo jacks.

This is important for unbalanced and low level signals found in home/non pro gear. But the Lavry uses a confusing set of switches for setup. The Mytek is a bit cheaper (for the 96 model). The set up is eaiser but Mytek won't have enough gain to approach "Digital 0" for certain setups.

The Mytek is available in either the 96 or 192 model. Since the 192 is newer (certain parts to sample @ 192) you may be able to hear a quality difference but only on certain material and certain monitor systems.

You can convert the SPDIF to optical with a cheap converter for both Mytek and Lavry (the Mytek optical is only 44.1/48). Then, with an optical adapter cable record directly to most MacBooks.

The next step up is either the Larry Gold Mk III or Weiss ADC2 for close to $10K. The Weiss has mic preamps, 192Khz sampling and a FireWire option so you can record directly to any FW computer. I own the Weiss and can't say enough good about it.

I've only heard positive things about it, but no comparisons with other mainstream pro/semi-pro adc's...

For a soundcard, my eMU 1616m does double duty...

From the Mytek and Lavry ranges have their respective DAC's - which are just as highly regarded as the ADC's (perhaps more so, as they are better known among audiophiles...)

On my office PC I picked up a used eMU 1212m - PCI card based, which runs into a headphone amp... results have been excellent. (chalk and cheese from the previous M-Audio 2496, the onboard soundcard, etc...)

My partner uses one of the Asus Xonar soundcards on her PC - which she likes a lot - but I have not done a comparison.

bye for now

David

What about the RADC-2? Then, I would still require a sound card for my PC. Just curious. I appreciate the feedback thus far!

I second the vote for Mytek ADC...

Depending on budget get the Stereo192 or Stereo96...

Another choice and the main competitor for Mytek, is Lavry with the AD10 and AD11.

Due to cost constraints, I went for the much more economical (like $250) eMu 1616m - which was a very substantial upgrade over my previous M-Audio Audiophile 2496.

I have also found, that the most transparent sounding resolution tends to be 24/96 and NOT 24/192 - I feel that 24/192 appears to push the gear to the limit of its capabilities, whereas 24/96 is right in the "sweet zone" - I have no more technically rigorous explanations.

My measurements with RMAA, also appear to show reduced distortion and improved linearity at the 24/96 resolution (although the differences are very small, so may not be reflecting the audible variation...)

The eMU 1616m and 1820m are now discontinued - but you can still find stock of them or used units out there. (they require a PCI slot in your PC, so not an option for a laptop)
They are very well regarded in the Semi-Pro or Home-Studio field.
The Mytek & Lavry ADC's are a notch higher, and are used by quite a number of studios and other pro environments. (you don't hear about them much in audiophile circles)

The nearest audiophile equivalent to the Mytek and Lavry is the Benchmark ADC - which also competes with them in the pro space.

bye for now

David

Research new Mytek 192 products for ADC. You may also go with their DAC and use it as sound card depending on your budget. I mainly oriented budget towards your integrated so both components stay around $2500 with latest digital technologies. You can purchase them at vintage king audio.