"Bob Haas" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > I'm planning on purchasing either a Zoltrix Nightingale Pro 6 (CMI 8738 > chipset) or M-Audio Audiophile 2496 (Envy24 chipset) card. I'd like to > hear some of the experiences of people who have used these cards for some > time. From what I've read, it looks like support for the Audiophile 2496 > is relatively recent.
Okay, my experiences with the M-Audio Audiophile 2496 have been fair. It's definitely not as good as is often implied, but usable, especially if you stick to ALSA-based (i.e. not OSS) apps. Here are some of my experiences (with 0.9.0beta12 version, patched to fix lockup bug on SMP-enabled kernels): * A burst of noise is heard whenever the device is opened for output (although I think this happens for all ALSA drivers). * When patching the card's output through the "monitor mixer", the output level is too hot when you set the sliders at 0dB in the envy24control tool. * The OSS mixer emulation lacks important features, in particular the OSS mixer. I have a feeling this contributes to things like my not being able to get aRts working in KDE 2, (I must admit, I'm not /sure/ of the reason, but it seems like the most probable reason -- my CMI8738 whose OSS emulation works properly works like a charm). So at the very least, you can't make full use of apps like xmms, because its volume slider does nothing. * There are some features of the 2496 that can only be accessed using the envy24control tool (can't be accessed using "standard" ALSA tools like alsamixer). It's an ugly program, too. I've been doing a bit of poking about on the source, still trying to get my head around these problems, with an aim to helping to fix them. I don't know how well MIDI or S/PDIF works. My recommendation is to go for the Zoltrix Nightingale, especially if your requirements are relatively modest (I think they're much cheaper, too). I'm not sure how well supported the 6 speaker thing is, though. I think that currently, the ALSA drivers do not do justice to the 2496. I have both a 2496 and a CMI8738 installed and running at once, and I find the CMI8738 far easier for general use (playing MP3s, watching movies, outputting goofy sound effects in KDE 2), even though the 2496's sound quality specs are far better. As a result, I only use the 2496 for analogue recording, and for monitoring of those recordings. Andrew. ------------------------------------------------------- This sf.net email is sponsored by:ThinkGeek Caffeinated soap. No kidding. http://thinkgeek.com/sf _______________________________________________ Alsa-user mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/alsa-user
