hulika

Author Topic: Emu 0204 usb 2 audio interface / preamp - review in progress  (Read 1609 times)

Offline 3650guy

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Emu 0204 usb 2 audio interface / preamp - review in progress
« on: April 15, 2011, 11:01:12 AM »
i got this recently as in yesterday.  it is similar to the 0202 model (added a separate output capability) and their Tracker Pre model. they all have the same footprint and almost the same panel layout. you can use it as a preamp/mixer when plugged into a usb port even without installing the device drivers. the plastic black box is about the same as a linksys router - cosmeticwise.

installed the xp drivers. did not even reboot, disabled my xfi card and started to listen to a couple of wav and flac files through my trusty 500 peso philips headphones. my pc soundcard history is yamaha ISA > YAMAHA 724e pci > sb live > audigy 2zs > creative xfi OEM and finally this external box with great specs. all i can say is that additional details came into light when listening to my wave files. maybe because it has a dedicated headphone output or because of those "Premium 24-bit/192kHz A/D and D/A converters * (A/D: 113dB SNR, D/A: 113dB SNR)". i dunno.

Why did i choose this model? first i tried out a SB xfi external usb surround and found out there were no ASIO drivers although it gamely worked with Asio-for-all with about 10ms of latency, i just couldnt configure the input/output settings. there was even a ploytec usb asio driver but it could not install at all. so the next product in line for me was also a creative xfi usb HD audiophile external with asio but its a good thing i went for this model instead.

additional testing to follow.

http://www.emu.com/products/product.asp?category=610&subcategory=611&product=20347







"And then one day you find ten years have got behind you, No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun" DSOTM

Offline KitC

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Re: Emu 0204 usb 2 audio interface / preamp - review in progress
« Reply #1 on: April 15, 2011, 11:14:40 AM »
Another convert to the Emu sound!

Here's a hint... listen very well to the reverb tails and tell me what you hear. Best if you have another soundcard to compare with.
Sonar 4.04PE/5.2PE/7.02PE/8.31 PE, Project 5 v2.5.1, EmulatorX 1.5, Cubase SL2, Ableton Live 7.14,  Intel Q6600 MSI P43 Neo 4Gb Crucial Ballistix Tracer DDR2-800, Emu 1820m, Yamaha DSP Factory, Terratec DMX 6fire

Offline nolit

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Re: Emu 0204 usb 2 audio interface / preamp - review in progress
« Reply #2 on: April 15, 2011, 07:11:40 PM »
Nice! Is this using patchmix as well? I really love the flexibility of patchmix and all those variety of choices you can work on without having to buy a new hardware.