Sound Devices USB Pre

"Le Chiffre" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:0cj6449oq3co8nd5bfh8kjgfhc7f7e3ii1@4ax.com...
> Has anyone used the Sound Devices USB Pre? What are your opinions?
> --
> "Freedom is the right to live in one's own homeland
> in accordance with the laws and traditions of one's
> ancestors." -Ernst Arndt

I haven't used it, but I have a lot of other Sound Devices stuff, from which
I can tell you a few things:

1. It's built to military quality. It can take a 6 foot drop to concrete.

2. Because is is powered off the USB port, it does not have the same level
of performance as provided by other, cheaper devices that have external
power supplies. There is a little noise problem, I think on monitoring only,
but the S/N ratio is not as high as comparably priced devices that use
external power.

Note: the above caveat apply ONLY to the USB Pre. All the other Sound
Devices products are top drawer in every respect.

If you're going into the jungle, this might be the thing to pair with a
Panasonic Toughbook. If you are a typical prosumer user, you'll get better
performance with something like an Echo Audiofire:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?ci=0&sb=ps&pn=1&sq=desc&InitialSearch=yes&O=jsp%2FRootPage.jsp&A=search&Q=*&bhs=t&shs=audiofire&sb=ps&pn=1&sq=desc&InitialSearch=yes&O=jsp%2FRootPage.jsp&A=search&Q=*&bhs=t

Bob Morein
(310) 237-6511

On Sun, 1 Jun 2008 18:56:50 -0400, "Soundhaspriority"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>
>"Le Chiffre" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:0cj6449oq3co8nd5bfh8kjgfhc7f7e3ii1@4ax.com...
>> Has anyone used the Sound Devices USB Pre? What are your opinions?
>> --
>> "Freedom is the right to live in one's own homeland
>> in accordance with the laws and traditions of one's
>> ancestors." -Ernst Arndt
>
>I haven't used it, but I have a lot of other Sound Devices stuff, from which
>I can tell you a few things:
>
>1. It's built to military quality. It can take a 6 foot drop to concrete.
>
>2. Because is is powered off the USB port, it does not have the same level
>of performance as provided by other, cheaper devices that have external
>power supplies. There is a little noise problem, I think on monitoring only,
>but the S/N ratio is not as high as comparably priced devices that use
>external power.
>
>Note: the above caveat apply ONLY to the USB Pre. All the other Sound
>Devices products are top drawer in every respect.
>
>If you're going into the jungle, this might be the thing to pair with a
>Panasonic Toughbook. If you are a typical prosumer user, you'll get better
>performance with something like an Echo Audiofire:
>
>http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?ci=0&sb=ps&pn=1&sq=desc&InitialSearch=yes&O=jsp%2FRootPage.jsp&A=search&Q=*&bhs=t&shs=audiofire&sb=ps&pn=1&sq=desc&InitialSearch=yes&O=jsp%2FRootPage.jsp&A=search&Q=*&bhs=t
>
>Bob Morein
>(310) 237-6511
>

I'm limited in my choices because I'd like a device I can use with the
little Asus EEC PCs and those will only take USB. There are a lot of
USB devices out there, but I don't want to be stuck with crap preamps,
and the Sound Devices is the only Windows-compatible one I've come
across that looks like it might have satisfatory preamps.

At first I was planning to get a plain stereo USB soundcard and a
small portable preamp like the RNP, but the SD USB Pre looks like it'd
be a lot more convenient if the performance is up to snuff.
--
"Freedom is the right to live in one's own homeland
in accordance with the laws and traditions of one's
ancestors." -Ernst Arndt

"Le Chiffre" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:v1l6441s1cu9kms0mqro22j8g37t5n4r2g@4ax.com...
> On Sun, 1 Jun 2008 18:56:50 -0400, "Soundhaspriority"
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>
>>"Le Chiffre" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>>news:0cj6449oq3co8nd5bfh8kjgfhc7f7e3ii1@4ax.com...
>>> Has anyone used the Sound Devices USB Pre? What are your opinions?
>>> --
>>> "Freedom is the right to live in one's own homeland
>>> in accordance with the laws and traditions of one's
>>> ancestors." -Ernst Arndt
>>
>>I haven't used it, but I have a lot of other Sound Devices stuff, from
>>which
>>I can tell you a few things:
>>
>>1. It's built to military quality. It can take a 6 foot drop to concrete.
>>
>>2. Because is is powered off the USB port, it does not have the same level
>>of performance as provided by other, cheaper devices that have external
>>power supplies. There is a little noise problem, I think on monitoring
>>only,
>>but the S/N ratio is not as high as comparably priced devices that use
>>external power.
>>
>>Note: the above caveat apply ONLY to the USB Pre. All the other Sound
>>Devices products are top drawer in every respect.
>>
>>If you're going into the jungle, this might be the thing to pair with a
>>Panasonic Toughbook. If you are a typical prosumer user, you'll get better
>>performance with something like an Echo Audiofire:
>>
>>http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?ci=0&sb=ps&pn=1&sq=desc&InitialSearch=yes&O=jsp%2FRootPage.jsp&A=search&Q=*&bhs=t&shs=audiofire&sb=ps&pn=1&sq=desc&InitialSearch=yes&O=jsp%2FRootPage.jsp&A=search&Q=*&bhs=t
>>
>>Bob Morein
>>(310) 237-6511
>>
>
> I'm limited in my choices because I'd like a device I can use with the
> little Asus EEC PCs and those will only take USB. There are a lot of
> USB devices out there, but I don't want to be stuck with crap preamps,
> and the Sound Devices is the only Windows-compatible one I've come
> across that looks like it might have satisfatory preamps.
>
> At first I was planning to get a plain stereo USB soundcard and a
> small portable preamp like the RNP, but the SD USB Pre looks like it'd
> be a lot more convenient if the performance is up to snuff.
> --
OK. This will be an EEC running XP, yes?

The problem is that, as good as their intentions are, the maximum power
available to the device is 2.5 watts. Consider: a Midiman DMP-3, which is a
utility stereo preamp box, draws 9 watts. A Focusrite Octopre draws 8 watts
per channel

Analog circuitry needs power. With a small power budget, the choice of
solid state devices shrinks, and it's necessary to rely more on tricky
biasing schemes. So you pay more and get less. Here's one company that has a
reputation of really caring about audio quality:
http://www.digit-life.com/articles2/proaudio/emu-0404-usb.html , and they
happen to have something in the USB category.

Bob Morein
(310) 237-6511

On Sun, 1 Jun 2008 20:38:31 -0400, "Soundhaspriority"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>OK. This will be an EEC running XP, yes?
>

Yup.

>The problem is that, as good as their intentions are, the maximum power
>available to the device is 2.5 watts. Consider: a Midiman DMP-3, which is a
>utility stereo preamp box, draws 9 watts. A Focusrite Octopre draws 8 watts
>per channel
>

So basically, an EEC PC wouldn't have enough juice to power most of
these devices is what you're saying.

I had thought that might be a problem, but hadn't gotten that far into
the planning yet.

> Analog circuitry needs power. With a small power budget, the choice of
>solid state devices shrinks, and it's necessary to rely more on tricky
>biasing schemes. So you pay more and get less. Here's one company that has a
>reputation of really caring about audio quality:
>http://www.digit-life.com/articles2/proaudio/emu-0404-usb.html , and they
>happen to have something in the USB category.

I didn't know Creative Labs had a reputation for really caring about
audio quality.

I'll check it out, though at first glance, it doesn't look that
different from the M-Audio gear, etc., and I'm not seeing anything
that suggests power consumption would be lower than on other devices
in this category.
--
"Freedom is the right to live in one's own homeland
in accordance with the laws and traditions of one's
ancestors." -Ernst Arndt

"Le Chiffre" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:ie074416ekebq3a8707tq7ohe2fc9au440@4ax.com...
> On Sun, 1 Jun 2008 20:38:31 -0400, "Soundhaspriority"
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>OK. This will be an EEC running XP, yes?
>>
>
> Yup.
>
>>The problem is that, as good as their intentions are, the maximum power
>>available to the device is 2.5 watts. Consider: a Midiman DMP-3, which is
>>a
>>utility stereo preamp box, draws 9 watts. A Focusrite Octopre draws 8
>>watts
>>per channel
>>
>
> So basically, an EEC PC wouldn't have enough juice to power most of
> these devices is what you're saying.

The power budget of the EEC PC is not the issue. The limitation is thatUSB
bus won't allow more than 0.5 amps at 5 volts. Of course, if it could, then
the power capacity of the EEC would be an issue.

>
> I had thought that might be a problem, but hadn't gotten that far into
> the planning yet.
>
>> Analog circuitry needs power. With a small power budget, the choice of
>>solid state devices shrinks, and it's necessary to rely more on tricky
>>biasing schemes. So you pay more and get less. Here's one company that has
>>a
>>reputation of really caring about audio quality:
>>http://www.digit-life.com/articles2/proaudio/emu-0404-usb.html , and they
>>happen to have something in the USB category.
>
> I didn't know Creative Labs had a reputation for really caring about
> audio quality.
>
> I'll check it out, though at first glance, it doesn't look that
> different from the M-Audio gear, etc., and I'm not seeing anything
> that suggests power consumption would be lower than on other devices
> in this category.
> --
That's not the point. The EMU is powered by AC, or, if you wish, a
standalone battery pack. There is no current draw from the EEC. Standalone
power allows the EMU to consume more, which means that parts can be selected
for better sound quality.


Bob Morein
(310) 237-6511