Emu 1820M 24-Bit/192kHz Interface with 2 Preamps (Windows)

Mastering-grade 24-bit, 192kHz converters. Flexible connectivity. 2 premium TFPro mic preamps. E-DSP 32-bit Multi-effects Processor.

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Emu 1616M PCI Digital Audio System

    • New $449.95
    • List: $599.99
      • SAVE: 25%
  • Installment Plan:4 payments of $112.48
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    • Only 3 left!
    • 30 people rate: 8 out of 10

E-MU's new 1616M PCI Digital Audio System delivers everything you need to produce audio on a PC with professional results -- 24-bit/192kHz converters (the same A/D converters used in Digidesign's ProTools HD 192 I/O interface), hardware-accelerated effects and mixing, comprehensive sync options and seamless compatibility with your favorite PC audio/sequencer software. The MicroDock M breakout box offers a total of 16 inputs and 16 outputs plus 32 channels of MIDI I/O, including two E-MU XTC Class-A ultra-low noise mic/line/hi-Z preamps with 48V phantom power and analog soft limiting circuit for clip protection. Learn More...

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customer reviews

Rate and Review This Product:

109 People rated this product : * * * * * * * * * * 8 out of 10

14 People wrote reviews

* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10

"500 bucks for this is a DEAL !!!!"

Feature:
Has alot of features although the higher rate you use the amount of features drops. Once you go over 24bit 48khz then you lose all the DSP effects. Not a big deal though if you are looking for a broadcast quality. The effects are mid-range quality but they do sound good.

Quality:
So far so good but I just got it Spet 8, 2006

Value:
I have never owned somthing so pro like this though although I researched for over a month looking for comparable units and nothing even close in this price range.

Desirability:
I own it NOTE: Emu is coming out with a PCI version of the 1616m and rumor has it they will stop making the 1820m so if you want this quailty and more ins and outs better grab an 1820m before it is too late.

Sound:
This thing sounds amazing. I did a test with a CAD vocal mic at 24bit 48khz and then at 24bit 192khz and the vocal was definatley richer at the higher setting although both sounded great. I recorded my first full song on this thing at 88.2 and it is the best recording I have ever done... by FAR... and the easiest, didn't have to spend hours upon hours doing EQ tweeks to get all fitting into the mix like on lesser cards. If I was an Evil person I would tell you to go buy something else cause this thing sounds so good I would wanna keep it out of as many hands as possible.

Ease of Use:
There is a learning curve on the DSP (patch mix) but be patient and read or call support, you'll get it fast. It is NOT plug and play but if you have mixer experience and or read up at Emu it becomes natural.

Support:
They are really great so far... had a few calls into them prior to buying this unit and a couple after.

Overall:
As long as this unit holds out in the long run, normal wear and tear. I will be using it for a long time to come.

Submitted: 9/19/2006

Style of Music: Rock to EZ listening

* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10

"For the price, nothing can touch it."

Feature:
Plenty of extras. A barrage of software: lite versions of Cubase, Sonar, and Live, Proteus vsti, etc. Enough to easily record with professional results with just the purchase of this sound card. The digital mixer that comes with this package takes a bit of getting used to though. You need to open a completely new mixer session if you change sample rates. And the DSP effects which come with the card are only good up to 48khz sampling rates. One the plus side, the ASIO driver works very well. And there's an RCA jack with a ground screw allowing you to plug a phonograph directly into your sound card. I know of no other sound card with this feature. Also, it has two midi I/Os.

Quality:
The build looks very solid. The audio dock has a metal casing. I just wish the DSP effects chips, which only go to 48khz sampling, supported the sampling rate of the card itself which is full range 192khz.

Value:
For the price, you're not going to find anything even close to it. To get 120dB noise ratio and 192khz sampling, your next lowest is MOTUs $1799.95 HD192.

Desirability:
The converters, oh those converters.

Sound:
Superior A/D D/A conversion. I checked the websites for AKM and Crystal Sound for the respective converters and found that Emu was using the flagship, absolute best converters from both companies. Sound quality is incredibly clean. Even the little hiss that is there is warm and consitent, with no clicking at all.

Support:
I did have to contact customer support due to clips in my recording. I reached a live representative very quickly who told me that I was dealing with sound drop outs and gave several suggestions, including pointing me out to a website that had numerous tips on DAW optimization. Indeed, when I zoomed in on the clips, they were all a case of the wave file dropping suddenly and momentarily to the base line. I ended up switching out my motherboard to a newer one I happened to recently purchase but had not yet installed, and the clips went away, so I can't really fault Emu for the problem. On another note, Emu is one of the few sound card makers with 64 bit drivers available for download.

Overall:
I almost went for Mackie's firewire interface because it has a 64 bit DSP chip in it. But drat it, they chose lower quality converters. Emu at least has 64 drivers so if I do upgrade to 64 bit, I don't really see myself needing another card for a long, long time.

Submitted: 1/15/2006

Style of Music: Psychedelic Trance

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About This Product!
Description
Docs, Multimedia
The E-MU� 1820M is the flagship of E-MU's line of Digital Audio Systems. It delivers everything you need to produce audio on a PC with professional results- 24-bit/192kHz converters (the same A/D converters used in Digidesign�'s ProTools� HD 192 I/O interface), hardware-accelerated effects and mixing, comprehensive sync options and seamless compatibility with your favorite PC audio/sequencer software. No other audio solution available offers the performance, flexibility and value of the E-MU 1820M.

Features

Mastering-grade 24-bit, 192kHz converters - the same A/D converters used in Digidesign�'s flagship ProTools� HD I/O Interface

Flexible connectivity with 18 audio inputs and 20 outputs, 32 channels of MIDI I/O, Word Clock, SMPTE and MTC sync, plus a FireWire� port for seamless integration with your entire studio

Two premium TFPro mic preamps with Mic/Line/Hi-Z inputs with 40db of gain/attenuation and 48V phantom power - plug guitars, keyboards and microphones straight into your system

E-DSP 32-bit Multi-effects Processor offers you over 16 simultaneous hardware-accelerated studio-grade effects with no CPU overhead - plug-in architecture allows you to add new effects as needed

32 Channels of zero latency Hardware Mixing/ Monitoring with super-flexible virtual patchbay - no external mixer needed

Full compatibility with most popular audio/sequencer applications with ultra-low latency WDM, DirectSound� and ASIO 2.0 Drivers

Powerful software studio package

I/O Configuration

Two TFPro Mic/Line/Hi-Z preamps (w/48V phantom power)

Six 1/4 in. Balanced Inputs

Eight 1/4 in. Balanced Outputs

Turntable input (w/ground lug and hardware RIAA preamp)

24-bit/192kHz ADAT In/Out (switchable to S/PDIF)

24-bit/96kHz coaxial S/PDIF In/Out (switchable to AES/EBU)

24-bit/96kHz optical S/PDIF Out (switchable to AES/EBU)

Two sets of MIDI In/Out

Four stereo 1/8 in. Speaker Outputs (configurable from stereo to 7.1)

Stereo Headphone Output

Firewire� Interface

E-MU's new Digital Audio Systems deliver everything you need to produce audio on a PC with professional results - 24-bit/192kHz converters, hardware-accelerated effects and mixing, comprehensive sync options and seamless compatibility with your favorite PC audio/sequencer software. E-MU Systems has teamed up with the Creative Advanced Technology Center, a world leader in ASIC and algorithm development for PC audio, to develop the new line of Creative Professional hardware interfaces that stand toe-to-toe with the most advanced and expensive audio systems in the world.

All three Digital Audio Systems ship with a PCI card that features ADAT, S/PDIF and FireWire� interfaces, as well as connectivity to a family of internal and external I/O and sync options. Whether you are recording full-blown productions or running virtual instruments on a dedicated computer, E-MU's Digital Audio Systems deliver everything needed to create professional-quality music on your PC at a price that will change your expectations of desktop recording forever.

Technical Info

Specifications

General Sample Rates: 44.1, 48, 96, 192kHz from internal crystal or externally supplied clock (no sample rate conversion)

Bit Depth: 16 or 24 bits

PCI Bus-Mastering DMA subsystem reduces CPU usage

Zero-latency direct hardware monitoring w/effects

Analog Line Inputs (6) Type: Servo-balanced, DC-coupled, low-noise input circuitry

Level (software selectable):
-Professional: +4dBu nominal, 20dBu maximum (balanced)
-Consumer: -10dBV nominal, 6dBV maximum (unbalanced)

Frequency Response: +/- .05dB, 20Hz - 20kHz

THD+N (1kHz at -1dBFS): -110dB (.0003%)

SNR (A-weighted): 120dB

Dynamic Range (1kHz, A-weighted): 120dB

Stereo Crosstalk (1kHz at -1dBFS): < -115dB

Common-Mode Rejection (60Hz): > 40dB

Analog Line Outputs (8) Type: Balanced, low-noise, 3-pole low-pass differential filter

Level (software selectable):
-Professional: +4dBu nominal, 20dBu maximum (balanced)
-Consumer: -10dBV nominal, 6dBV maximum (unbalanced)

Frequency Response: 0.0/-.35dB, 20Hz - 20kHz

THD+N (1kHz at -1dBFS): -105dB (.0006%)

SNR (A-weighted): 120dB

Dynamic Range (1kHz, A-weighted): 120dB

Stereo Crosstalk (1kHz at -1dBFS): < -115dB

Combo Microphone Preamplifier/Line Inputs (2) Type: TFPro combination microphone preamp and line input

Frequency Response: +0.8/-0.1dB, 20Hz - 20kHz

Stereo Crosstalk (1kHz min gain, -1dBFS): < -120dB

Line Input:
-Gain Range: -12 to +28dB
-Max Level: +17dBV (19.2dBu)
-THD+N (1kHz at -1dBFS, min gain): -94dB (.002%)
-Dynamic Range (A-weighted, 1kHz min gain): 100dB
-SNR (A-weighted, min gain): 100dB
-Input Impedance: 10K ohm
-Common-mode Rejection Ratio (60Hz): > 40dB

Microphone Preamplifier:
-Gain Range: +10 to +50dB
-Max Level: -12dBV (-9.8dBu)
-THD+N (1kHz at -1dBFS, min gain): -95dB (.0018%)
-SNR (A-weighted, min gain): 100dB
-Input Impedance: 330 ohms
-Common-mode Rejection Ratio (60Hz): > 80dB

Headphones (stereo) Type: Linear power amplifier

Frequency Response: +0.0/-0.35dB, 20Hz - 20kHz

THD+N (1kHz, max gain):
-33 ohm load: -70dB (0.032%)
-600 ohm load: -85dB (0.006%)

SNR (A-weighted): 112dB

Dynamic Range (A-weighted): 117dB

Stereo Crosstalk (1kHz at -1dBFS, 600 ohm load):< -100dB

Maximum Output Power: 500mW

Output Impedance: 22 ohms

Gain Range: 85dB

Phono Input (stereo) Type: RIAA equalized phono input

Frequency Response: +/-0.5dB, 50Hz - 20kHz

THD+N (1kHz, 10mV RMS unbal input): -76dB (.015%)

SNR (10mV RMS unbal input, A-weighted): 90dB

Stereo Crosstalk (1kHz at -1dBFS): < -80dB

Maximum Level:
-Professional: 80mV RMS
-Consumer: 20mV RMS

Input Capacitance: 220 pF

Input Impedance: 47K ohm

Digital I/O S/PDIF:
-2 in/2 out coaxial (transformer coupled)
-2 in/3 out optical (software switched with ADAT)
-AES/EBU or S/PDIF format, switchable under software control

ADAT:
-8 channels, 24-bit @ 44.1/48kHz
-4 channels, 24-bit @ 96kHz (S-MUX compatible)
-2 channels, 24-bit @ 192kHz

Firewire:
-400 Mbps 1394a port (6-pin)
-Compatible with DV cameras, storage peripherals, etc.

MIDI: 2 in, 2 out

Synchronization

Internal Crystal Sync at 44.1, 48, 96, 192kHz

External Sample Rate Sync:
-ADAT
-S/PDIF (opt. or coax)
-Word clock (75 ohm termination, switchable)

Minimum System Requirements

Genuine Intel� Pentium� III or AMD� K6� class processor or higher operating at 500MHz or faster

Intel�, AMD� or 100% compatible motherboard & chipset

128MB System RAM

500MB of free hard disk space for full installation

Windows� 2000 SP 4, Windows� XP SP 1 or greater

PCI 2.1 compliant slot for E-MU� 1010 PCI card

Adjacent PCI slot for Sync daughter card

CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive required for software installation

XVGA Video (1024 X 768)

In the Box...

E-MU� 1010 PCI card

E-MU AudioDock M

E-MU Sync daughter card

EDI (E-MU Digital Interface) cable (3 meters)

Sync cable

Mini-DIN MIDI adapter cable

Headphone splitter cable

PC power cable

Quick Start guide

Operation Manual on CD-ROM

Creative Professional Software CD-ROM:
-Windows 2000 and XP Drivers
-E-MU PatchMix DSP
-E-MU E-DSP FX Library

Audio software package on CD-ROM

Audio Samples

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"After reading the reviews of zZounds and their Low Price Guarantee I got a brand new, excellent PA in just 4 days and I couldn't be happier!" - customer on August 12, 2008

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