On Wed, 2 Feb 2005 12:03:37 -0500 Fluxstringer wrote: >Hi Listers! > >Happy Ground Hog Day ! Hope someone has the sense to block his hole >so he can't get back in this time ! > >Anyway I would like your opinions about the best ( yet affordable >used ) Audio card for a PCI PowerMac. > >Who makes it,what model(s), approximate cost and a little bit about >why you like it and think it compares to other mocels. > >I am starting to get serious with audio and want a little more than >the stock system can produce. >
I'm afraid there isn't much of a choice of PCI soundcards for Macs as there are for Windows. Connecting the built-in sound output to a set of good speakers (like Harman Kardon or Bose) might give you the audio "boost" some people seek. I am thinking of connecting my Quadra 840AV's (sampling rate set to 48 KHz.) output to an old surviving AR Amplifier (Cambridge, Mass) and a set of AR4a speakers if I can find matching line transformers - to match the Mac's low impedance output to the amp's high impedance input. (You might consider the 840AV the best substitute for a soundcard). There are also important factors - the room's acoustic properties and the limitations of the human ear. After age 7 we gradually lose perception in the 10,000 - 20,000 Hz audio range (where there is not much verbal or audio content). Before we blame equipment have an audiogram to see if your ear's high frequency response is still adequate (not greater than 40 dB thresholds at 4000 - 8000 Hz). Which is why it is good practice to setup your sound system using a sound level meter like that sold by Radio Shack. But with all the ads for mind-blowing sound, speaker systems still come 2nd best to good set of earphones that do away with room acoustics and deliver the purest signals thru a very short pathway to the eardrums. Charlie ---- J. Carlos P. Reyes, M.D. Clinical Professor of Otolaryngology Otology & Neuro-Otology Faculty of Medicine & Surgery Otomed Center University of St. Thomas (Est. 1611) Ear, Vertigo, & Tinnitus Clinic Manila 1008 54 N. Domingo St. Philippines Horseshoe Village Phone: (632) 749-9724 Quezon City 1112 Metro Manila Philippines Phone (632) 724-4998, Fax: (632) 415-2996 eMail: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> -- PCI-PowerMacs is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com | Refurbished Drives | -- Sonnet & PowerLogix Upgrades - start at $169 | & CDRWs on Sale! | Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> PCI-PowerMacs list info: <http://lowendmac.com/lists/pci-powermacs.shtml> --> AOL users, remove "mailto:"; Send list messages to: <mailto:[email protected]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive:<http://www.mail-archive.com/pci-powermacs%40mail.maclaunch.com/> iPod Accessories for Less at 1-800-iPOD.COM Fast Delivery, Low Price, Good Deal www.1800ipod.com
