M-Audio FireWire 410 4-In / 10-Out FireWire Mobile Recording Interface Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I bought this soundcard and have been wrestling with the drivers non-stop for two months... nothing seems to work. Crackles and a high level of whitenoise in the background.
Tech Support responds very courteously and quickly, however, their advice is to reinstall the drivers... Gee who would have thought of that. I've only done that about 100 times... Sometimes the meters on the driver interface are dancing wildly when no sound is going through it... Sometimes when I reinstall the meters behave normally. That's the only thing "fixed" by reinstalling - however the fix is always temporary...
I get the impression that the tech support knows that there are some problems with the driver and with the unit. Hot swapping has blown a lot of firewire boards - including mine (replaced it and now I never hotswap).
I have had nothing but problems - my ipod's system software is trashed if ever I plug it into the firewire port beside the 410. It took me three times to realize that the problem was the 410 not the iPod. This was just salt in the wound... Solution from Tech support - "don't plug an Ipod OR ANYTHING ELSE into the firewire port if the 410 is plugged in also. But, whatever you do, don't hot swap the 410 or it could blow your board!" Thanks a lot. So I have to shutdown. Unplug the 410, plug in the iPod and restart just to sync my iPod... so much for the convenience of firewire.
Tested the 410 in my powerbook in an attempt to isolate the problem... bad idea. Now my once rock solid powerbook doesn't recognize the firewire card and the wireless PC card would not talk to the airport base station. Solution: reset basestation, clean reinstall system software to reinstall drivers for the PC cards (native to OS 10.3). Thanks alot.
I have read reports of people having problems with this unit. It only seemed like a fraction. I hoped I wouldn't be one. I am.
If I had a G5 that was dedicated to music, I bet I could get this soundcard to work great. But, unfortunately, I have a G4 (maxed out with RAM and the hottest processor I can put in it). And I use it for writing, photos, video, games AND music.
For any mac user who is not making a dedicated music work station, I would highly recommend that you steer well clear of the 410 and of M-audio products just to be safe. There are other options out there that don't have the same problems.

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StarTech USB to Stereo Audio Adapter Converter Sound Cards ICUSBAUDIO Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I bought this item after reading the reviews, hoping that the sound output would be better than those chinese $4 devices you can find anywhere with shipping included. my suspicion now is that this item is in fact that same device in a different plastic case (which by the way is not a quality case either).
the output sound quality is horrendous, lacking definition and response in the high end of the spectrum. no amount of fiddling with software or external EQs can rescue the sound to an acceptable quality level. also, when wave and mixer volumes are maxed out (the default setting) the device saturates horribly.
I'm not an audiophile but I have good hearing and pay attention to detail. the device delivers unacceptable performance for music playback (including movie viewing IMHO) but could be used for voice or game sound effects. or for any use if you have a dirt-cheap speaker system.
I haven't tested the input.
also note that I got this item in black, not white as shown.


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The StarTech ICUSBAUDIO USB 2.0 to Audio Adapter turns a USB port to audio jacks and lets you to add headsets and microphones to your computer without needing to unplug other devices. The adapter is USB 2.0 and USB 1.1 compliant and supports the USB audio device specification 1.0. Installation is as simple as plugging it in and the sound quality it outstanding.
The StarTech ICUSBAUDIO USB 2.0 to Audio Adapter works with Windows 98SE and up, and Mac OS 9.x and later. It is backed by a 1-year warranty.

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Dell Zino HD iZHD-2609NBK Desktop PC (Piano Black) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)In an attempt to void myself of HP products (not such an easy task), and save space in my small office I decided to give the little "Zino" a try. For me it has been a "Why didn't I do this earlier" result. The initial setup ritual was so pleasant with Dell I decided to accelerate my plans and purchased a Dell Inspiron Laptop. That too has been a pleasant experience. I have used HP products for years, and Dell is now (in my view) what HP once was. Thanks Dell for being there when we need you.

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Dell Zino HD: Highly Compact, Entertainment Ready Measuring just 5 x 3.5 inches, the Dell Zino HD desktop PC is conveniently sized to fit anywhere in your home--on your desk, in your entertainment center, or in the kitchen. Featuring a sleek, contemporary Piano Black finish, the Zino HD offers a 640 GB hard drive for storing all of your music and HD movies and TV shows as well as an HDMI port for single-cable output of high-def video and surround sound audio to your HDTV.
Watch your favorite DVD movies or create your own movies or music playlist and burn them to disc via the double-layer DVD drive. Quickly transfer your digital photos and music from your digital camera with the optional 4-in-1 media card reader. You can also connect to a plethora of digital devices with the four USB ports, two of which are located in the front for convenient access. And with an additional two eSATA ports, you'll enjoy ultra-fast connectivity to other peripherals such as external hard drives for even more storage space.

The Zino HD is at home on your desk...

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