Echo Indigo IO Stereo 24/96 Laptop Cardbus

Supports true 24-bit, 96 kHz audio. 1/8 in. analog input & output. High quality headphone amp. Analog volume control knob for output.

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Echo Indigo IO Stereo 24/96 Laptop Cardbus reviews

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

 

11 People wrote reviews

Read all Echo Indigo IO Stereo 24/96 Laptop Cardbus reviews...
* * * * * * * * * * 9 out of 10 zZounds has verified that this customer bought this product from us.

"Good enough for acoustics research"

Feature:
Features are minimal, which is fine. Stereo in, stereo out, with the out capable of driving small headphones or earbuds, which we use to monitor the pavement noise we're recording. Small and simple is GOOD. I do wish it had an input level control, as it relies on Windows to control the recording gain.

Quality:
Solid, holds up to use in the field and getting tossed roughly in a bag between runs. Small protrusion from the laptop makes it less likely to catch on anything or do damage to the PMCIA port on the laptop if it does.

Value:
We use $9,000 sound meters, $10,000 sound intensity probes, and a $8,000 analyzer. Money is not an object, precision and accuracy are. This inexpensive device "hangs" with the other, incredibly expensive gear.

Desirability:
Simple, accurate, reliable, small, inexpensive. What's not to want?

Sound:
I'm a university scientist, do acoustics research for a living. I use this card to record tire noise in a moving vehicle, in order to design quieter roads. The Indigo is the last link between $50,000 of research quality recording gear (bolted to the vehicle wheel) and a laptop used for recording. What is required for this use is nothing more or less than complete accuracy - delivered reliably by the Echo Indigo. The 24 bit recording depth lets us concentrate on driving the vehicle and operating the analysis gear, without worrying about lost precision due to low recording levels. The quality of this device stands up to the $8,000 Larson Davis analyzer it's connected to.

Ease of Use:
Simple makes it easy. It interfaces seamlessly with Adobe Audition, which we use for recording software. As mentioned above, it would be nice if it had a level control for recording.

Support:
Someone else already said it: the best support is NONE NEEDED. This has that.

Overall:
Perfect device, only slight drawback is lack of an input level control. However, at this price point the necessary electronics to do that might compromise the accuracy, so it's understandable.

Submitted: 7/6/2006

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* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10 zZounds has verified that this customer bought this product from us.

"the raw deal from thynctank"

Feature:
The only things I wish this device had were a better array of inputs and outputs. I'm glad it came with an RCA/QTR adapter so I can plug in a portable sampler or keyboard without purchasing additional adapters myself, but it would've been nice to have a 1/4" headphone out or a set of 1/4" stereo outs. Given the size of the card (EXCELLENT!) I can't say my wants are very feasible. I wanted portability, not necessarily expandability.

Quality:
Again, a well built piece, but it does feel a bit delicate for my tastes. I lug my laptop around in a backpack which I swing all over the place. The bag's padded, sure, but I don't feel comfortable leaving the card inserted in the slot during transport. I've been carrying it in its original box for simplicity's sake. Gives me another storage spot to hold those RCA adapter cables anyway. If it were more sturdy I'd give it a 10, because the dial is just right and the jacks are right too.

Value:
I needed a portable solution to go along with my new monster laptop (a 17" screen bastard with 3 GHz proc and filled to the brim with my freeware soft synth favorites) I mostly sequence my music using an MPC1000 (which also fits in that nice backpack) but I needed a fast soundcard for playing softsynths in realtime and this is it people! Tiny, simple to use, and best of its class.

Desirability:
I had decided on buying it a while ago, but had held off because they are a bit expensive. Found one on eBay for a bit less and snatched it up! Loving myself and the indigo too, now! Before if I wanted to go portable and still record my MPC and sequence softsynths I needed to unrack and lug my MOTU 828mkII. That was a pain (mostly because of the unracking/racking process and the fact it didn't fit in my backpack) I no longer have to deal with.

Sound:
Crystal clear. When I first installed it I was disappointed with the level of static/noise when the dial is set to full volume. However, after resolving the ENE cardbus problem (with a utility from Echo, not advertised on their site!!!) the noise went completely away. This utility installs a replacement driver for ENE cardbus controllers such as the one in my HP zd7000 laptop. Other cardbus owners should not experience this problem. The utility must be run again after installing the new driver, and this time it will allow you to make settings. I can't recall the parameter names, there are two of them. For my laptop I unchecked both and performance has been perfect since.

Support:
Almost Perfect! I sent one email and made one phone call to tech support in regards to my issue. (garbled noise from the headphone out) I had found numerous posts on laptop forums all over the Net regarding problems with the ENE chipset, but found no links to the actual utility provided by Echo. (most disappointing was that Echo itself didn't have links on their site) Even during the duration of this call (during which I was not spoken down to and had a very good, brief conversation as soon as I got through, which was immediately) I received in my email a link to the utility, along with simple instructions. The tech was courteous, one of the best tech support calls I've had. The same tech also replied to my email (I had sent the email over the weekend and thought the phone path may prove quicker but I got replies through both channels) Again, Echo, put a link up to the damn utility!!!

Overall:
I'm set. F*** the rest for now, I'm set.

Submitted: 11/2/2004

Style of Music: Hip-hop/experimental electro, rock and alt rock

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About This Product!
Description
Docs
From Our Catalog
Notebook pro audio recording has never sounded so good, or been this convenient and affordable. Indigo IO offers one stereo 1/8 in. analog input and output on a Type II Cardbus card powered by your notebook computer. It combines this with 24-bit/96kHz converters for the quality you deserve. Also included is a 6 ft. audio cable for RCA or 1/4 in. connections.

A unique feature of the Indigo IO is the use of "virtual" outputs. Indigo IO appears to software as if it has eight separate outputs, which are digitally mixed down to the physical outputs using Indigo IO's "console" software and its on-board DSP. This makes Indigo IO compatible with all popular multi-track software. And, with Echo's "multi-client" drivers, more than one application (such as an editor and a software synth) can be playing back through Indigo IO at the same time.

Hardware Features
1 stereo 1/8 in. analog input

1 stereo 1/8 in. analog output

Supports full duplex 2 channel in, 2 channel out operation

High quality headphone amp

Analog volume control knob for output

Supports true 24 bit, 96 kHz audio

100 MHz 24 bit Motorola DSP

Powered by your notebook computer

Includes 6 foot adapter cable for RCA and 1/4 in. connections

Type II Cardbus slot required

Software Features
Software console for monitoring, metering, and setting levels

Built-in digital mixer provides near-zero latency monitoring

Supports Windows Me/2000/XP/Vista and Macintosh OS X

Supports pro audio software (WDM Kernel Streaming, ASIO, GSIF, and CoreAudio)

8 "Virtual Outputs" - run multiple applications at the same time
Low-latency drivers

Technical Info

Analog Input
1 stereo 1/8 in. connector
Frequency Response: 10Hz-20kHz, ?0.5dB
Dynamic Range: >109dB A-weighted
THD+n at -3dbfs, 1kHz sine wave: <0.0014% A-weighted
Crosstalk at -3dbfs, 1kHz sine wave: <0.0005% A-weighted
Nominal Input Level: -10dBV
Maximum Input level: +7.2 dBu
Input Impedance: 10KOhm

Analog Output
1 stereo 1/8 in. connector
Frequency Response: 10Hz-20kHz, ?0.5dB
Dynamic Range: >109dB A-weighted
THD+n at -3dbfs, 1kHz sine wave: <0.0013% A-weighted
Nominal Output Level: -10dBV
Maximum Output level: +6.3 dBu

General Converter Specs
128x Oversampling converters
24 bit data resolution maintained throughout signal path
Multiple sampling rates supported: 32k, 44.1k, 48k, 88.2k, 96k

General
On-board 24-bit Motorola DSP for mixing and monitoring
Headphone amp with volume control

Host Interface
Bus mastering CardBus host interface

System Requirements
PC:
Windows 2000, XP, Win x64, Vista

Mac:
Mac OS X
Record music right into your laptop with this portable audio interface. High quality 24-bit/96 kHz converters for pristine sound quality. Full duplex 2-channel I/O. Eight virtual outputs for multitracking. Onboard output volume control. Includes monitoring software. Type II Cardbus slot required. Mac/Windows compatible.

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