"Heinz Kiosk" wrote in message

"Arny Krueger" wrote in message
...
"Heinz Kiosk" wrote in
message

So... is this (surprising result to me) what the experts out there
would expect, and how much better are the more expensive PC cards eg
RME 968pad, lynxone, lynxtwo? In a permanent setup I would buy one
of the more expensive cards if they are audibly superior to the
m-audio 2496. Or would I be better off taking a digital output from
the 2496 card and using a separates DAC?

Welcome to the world of diminishing returns.

Yes, the AP2496 is a credible performer, particularly for consumers.
However, the conclusion that 10 times better technical performance
(LynxTWO) would sound better at all, is unwarranted by the relevant
facts about human perception.

Thank you Arny, I couldn't see the AP2496 on your PCAVTech comparison
sheet so I wasn't sure where it would fit in your measurements.

Delta 66 or Delta 1010LT.

I think that you mean that it wouldn't be worth me buying a better PC
card as my ears will not up to hearing the difference when played
through my consumer (or any?) equipment...

Your ears, my ears, everybody's ears.

This feels like something
I'd love to test aurally but I think I am unlikely to be lent a
variety of cards to audition.... It goes against the grain of my past
experiences with consumer hi-fi that such a cheap DAC cannot be
meaningfully bettered for CD sourced data playback purposes. Anyone
want to lend me a Lynxxxx?

The LynxOne is about midway between the AP2496 and the LynxTWO in terms of
measured perforamnce. Sonically, they can all get most normal record and
playback jobs done just fine. If you want to optimize your system further,
look elsewhere.