SpectraPLUS - Hardware Recommendations

Hardware Recommendations

Any of the items below can now be purchased with SpectraPLUS.

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Sound Cards

There are a large selection of sound cards on the market. It is not practical for us to test the performance of each and every model but test results for some recommended sound cards that are well suited for portable operations are shown below:

Manufacturer: E-MU Systems
Model: 0202 USB

Advantages:

Up to 24bit/192kHz Stereo
Balanced I/O
Ground Loop Switches
Excellent audio performance
Small package
Fully USB Bus powered (no external power supply needed)

Disadvantages (see E-MU 0404 below):

XLR/phone combo jack on left channel only (1/4 phone jack on right)
No phantom power

For electrical signal measurements this box does it all.

Test Results (loop back self test):

THD:
0.007 % (16 bit)
0.0005% (24 bit)
Frequency Response:
20Hz - 20kHz (0.00/-0.01dB)
7Hz - 85kHz (0.00/-1.00dB)

Click here to download a test report (PDF)

E-MU 0404

The E-MU model 0404 provides the same excellent performance as the 0202 but adds phantom power, two XLR/phone combo jacks, optical/coaxial S/PDIF or AES/EBU. It requires an external power supply (provided).

Manufacturer: CEntrance
Model: MicPort Pro MicPortPro

Advantages:

Direct connection to mic (Female XLR)
Microphone Preamp
48V Phantom Power
VERY Compact and portable
Headphone Monitor output
Fully USB Bus powered (no external power supply needed)

Disadvantages:

Single channel only

This device gives you a single XLR microphone input with preamp and 48V phantom power with a USB connector on the backside. No need for an external power supply or external preamp. If you are making acoustic measurements and using a phantom powered condenser microphone and require portable operation this device is an ideal solution!

Test Results: