Really in need of a new sound card. RCA outs and headphone jack, and USB connectivity a must. I have predominately preferred Creative Labs products but anything new does not have rca out. What would y'all recommend? Thanks
External sound card
- Thread starter sonm10
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I saw your post earlier but never got around to responding. In any case, I too have been using Creative Labs sound cards for many years. The Audigy line with the I/O breakout panel that fit into a 5" external bay was among my favorites. I finally upgraded a year or so ago with another Creative Labs sound card and while it has an external, desktop headphone/mic extension pad with a volume control, I was left without the RCA and optical inputs. I never really used the optical so that wasn't a big deal. I ended up using a separate USB mixer when the RCA jacks are needed. My guess is that it's only we guys that keep our older equipment around that still use the RCA connections.
The RCA is more of a preference
Can you put that in an external case? is that PCI?
As I recall, the soundcard was PCI and the breakout panel that fit in a 5.25" bay was connected to it internally via a ribbon cable. I imagine one could fab up an external case and find a way to connect it to the card but the mail problem was that I could never get it to run reliably on Windows 7. Every once in a while the sound would go crazy and lock up the computer. I didn't have any hopes at all with it running on Windows 10.
BarbaraRichards
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I've also been using Creative Labs sound cards and am pretty satisfied with them
If all you can find is balanced inputs/outputs on XLR or 1/4" TRS, you can buy or make cables that either use the balanced +/- to RCA or they short - to ground and use the + to RCA. In a professional setting this can bring in a little noise but for home use it works fine and most balanced equipment is designed to work in this mode.
Although the OP hasn't mention it specifically, I'm guessing that older equipment with RCA connections are still in play. Unfortunately, the manufacturers don't keep us folks who haven't yet converted all of our 8-tracks over to cassettes in mind and as such have omitted anything but 1/8" and 1/4" TRS connectors. That's why I mentioned the mixer route as mixers accommodate most any type of connection. While I've made up many connector/converter solutions as prcguy suggests, I'm comfortable with audio mixers.
I will keep in mind the XLR to RCA cables. Thanks for the suggestion. Might have to look into audio interfaces.
XLR to RCA adapters are available for sale I've used them and have made up my own. As pcrguy mentioned, they're not as quiet as a straight balanced circuit but are manageable to be sure. If you spend a good deal of time and effort connecting external audio devices to your computer, The USB mixer is really a good way to go. I've taken a shine to Mackie USB mixers of late and they do a great job and provide a lot of options for input (XLR, 1/4" and 1/8" TRS and RCA) as well as USB input back from the computer. Various mixer sizes (number of inputs) are available. The one thing I wished they'd change is switching from a global 48V phantom power to a per channel phantom power on the XLR inputs. It's not an insurmountable issue, just a personal preference.
BTW, it looks like we have a new member, Barbara Richards. Welcome to the group, Barbara.
BTW, it looks like we have a new member, Barbara Richards. Welcome to the group, Barbara.
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