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Subject: Maxi Sound v Terratec EWS64XL

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Original Message 1/16 20-Jun-98 @ 01:15 PM - Maxi Sound v Terratec EWS64XL

horace

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Greetings, what is the A/D converters like on the Maxi, I know the Terratec is 18-bit but why does it cost so much more? Does the Maxi have an on board sampler? What is the s-n ratio?

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Message 2/16 22-Jun-98 @ 01:08 PM - RE: Maxi Sound v Terratec EWS64XL

stephenb

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check out the new Terratec EWS64 S. Similar features of the XL with a slightly poorer s-n but at only �149.
It's been recieving some cool reviews.

www.terratec.co.uk

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Message 3/16 24-Jun-98 @ 11:36 AM - RE: Maxi Sound v Terratec EWS64XL

rich

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Maxi card can only be politely described as f***ing noisey.noise floor averages -60db at best, usually more like -50db !!! which is terrible. Terratec on the other hand do make some reasonably quiet cards. I used the Maxi sound for a while and it does have the advantage of having on board power to enable extra tracks, but it's not significant.

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Message 4/16 24-Jun-98 @ 12:28 PM - RE: Maxi Sound v Terratec EWS64XL

Clemens.Kurtz

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Ups........ hey rich, do you really have such trouble with your Maxi-card?

Noisy?

I have one too, but no such problems.

Ciao

Clemens

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Message 5/16 25-Jun-98 @ 03:34 PM - RE: Maxi Sound v Terratec EWS64XL

Noomehtninam

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I guess you guys have got different cards. I think there are at least three different ones in the Maxi range + some older versions.

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Message 6/16 26-Jun-98 @ 10:28 AM - rich

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yeah, that would appear to be the case. Mine is very noisy but it is also rather old. It sort of boils down to a trust thing. I've been bitten by Maxisound cards and now I don't like them. They promised me it would be a quiet card, and I beleived them !!1 I don't doubt, however, that the newer ones are probably a lot better !!!
I bought a GINA instead.....
cheers
rich

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Message 7/16 26-Jun-98 @ 11:04 AM - RE: Maxi Sound v Terratec EWS64XL

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The Maxi sound and I think the Terratec cards too, have useless S/PDIFs! For some strange reason, instead of just outputing whetever's playing, the cards apply some compression to the signal. So you play a signal at 0db, and instead it compresses it to -3db!!! That's totally unacceptable by itself, but imagine what will happen to the signal when transfering back and forth to a DAT! So much for the "professional" part of these sound cards.
I just hope Creative Labs finally releases their Live sound card...

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Message 8/16 30-Jun-98 @ 08:35 AM - RE: Maxi Sound v Terratec EWS64XL

Noomehtninam

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As for the Terratec card, I think the compression was meant to avoid clipping, but it couldn't be turned off in the first software versions.

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Message 9/16 01-Jul-98 @ 11:35 PM - RE: Maxi Sound v Terratec EWS64XL

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I call this little piece "buyer beware"

First I bought a creamware mmport. Running a dell 266 pII, it wouldn't work. Was online w/ creamware and dell and they coulnd't help for shit, wouldn't take any irq's, conflicts galore, etc etc...returned it and bought a terratec 64XL, looked cool, had some cool features, good specs...whatever! Although it installed like a breeze, the sound quality is far from professional. 1/8 inputs, what the fuck is that! Going in sp/dif from dat, my sounds lost their brilliance? arggggghh!!! all i want is a pro card that is not "demo" quality. Returned that one and purchased a gina w/ a midiman external d/a converter. For the love of God I hopeI finally get a great sounding card!
I hope someone shares my pain

Oh, my brother has the maxisound card, it really is a great card for the money if your into messing around with audio for fun and like multimedia games, certainly not a pro card by any means but hey, for 200 beans, not a bad choice for an all around card, peace out

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Message 10/16 25-Jul-98 @ 05:02 PM - Maxi Sound Home Studio Pro 64 and fake S/PDiF

jmp

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I have one question to Clemens who I see is an expert in Maxi. Recently I bought one and I must say there is one thing I am very disappointed- S/PDiF. I do here a lot of clicks when I am receiving data from my portable SONY TCD-D8. It is not because of DAT. EVERY recording made using S/PDiF connection is bad. I have read that's because this card doesn't allow to switch in a slave mode, that's why these problems with synchro. Maybe somebody would like to say something about that? And what about another card by Hanmesoft Sound Track PCI 97 which is quite similar to Terratec except of price (195$ plus 95$for digi i/o board) and this one is a PCI card. Has anybody heard about it?

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Message 11/16 25-Jul-98 @ 05:05 PM - Once again me about S/PDiF

jmp

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My name is Maciej.

Bye!

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Message 12/16 25-Jul-98 @ 09:37 PM - RE: Maxi Sound v Terratec EWS64XL

Clemens

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Hi!

Do you use the Maxi-Sound volume mixer running at the
desktop during recording? (see file C:\QAMMS64\sndvol64.exe). Did you switch to adapterboard IN within the sndvol64 mixer?

I have no such problems except the -3dB "trouble".

Ciao

Clemens

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Message 13/16 26-Jul-98 @ 10:05 AM - Maxi's S/PDiF

jmp

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Thank you Clemens for your advice. I have disabled the volume control on the desktop, I am using sndvol64.exe switched to Digital in, but the problem remains. It depends a lot on a recording you try to put into a card's IN, which suggests that it is a synchro problem. I mean every DAT recorder which was used during recording has a slightly different sampling frequency than ideal 44100 Hz or 48000 Hz etc., these discrepancies are the cause why there must be only one "master" during transfer from one digital device to another - and that is the elementt of a S/PDiF standard (IEC958). DAT recorders do it automatically: when you push a record button - they go into a "slave" mode, when you push play, they are in "master". At first, when I didn't find any such switch on my Maxi I thought the Guillemot engineers are ingenious and they solved it also "automatically" unlike any other pro- card that normally you must switch into digi- or internal- clock (I don't think it's a feature you must specially pay for, since it's rather inconvenient and you must remember about it each time you record or play). I found in the net a very interesting review (http://perso.club-internet.fr/tpuisseg/machines/hsp64.htm). The author quotes Guillemot engineers: "We have chosen a FIXED 44100Hz technology for our S/PDIF interface. If the inputing unit is not EXACTLY at 44100Hz, a few samples may be left over due to reclocking problems. These MAY induce some sound artefacts in no way audible by a human ear." Unfortunately these "artefacts" are VERY audible in a vast majority of recordings. And this "FIXED 44100 Hz technology" suggests it is 100% exact what it virtually impossible in any electronical device.

By the way, this discussion beginns to be very interesing!

Bye,

Maciej

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Message 14/16 26-Jul-98 @ 03:46 PM - RE: Maxi Sound v Terratec EWS64XL

kilo

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well i think generally, you cant buy a card expecting pro-work, that also is designed to work with games !!...... i got a DAL Dig Only Card D..... it is the nutz !!...

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Message 15/16 01-Sep-98 @ 12:14 AM - RE: Maxi Sound v Terratec EWS64XL

rvogel33

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Anyone want to buy a Maxi Sound home studio pro 64 package? Cheap! Write to me.

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Message 16/16 01-Sep-98 @ 10:45 AM - RE: Maxi Sound v Terratec EWS64XL

Clemens

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How much?

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