Emu 0202 USB 2.0 Interface User Reviews at zZounds

"E-mu 0202, the "secret weapon" interface!" submitted January 21, 2007

By a customer from rpa.net

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Musical Background: electronic designer- couldn't hold a tune in a bucket

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Sound: Evaluating this for transfering analog recordings, it's close to flawless. No artifacts, no sound of it's own. Feature: The level/clipping indicators are handy and accurate. Controls are simple and easy to use. Ease of Use: Installation was trivial. No problems co-existing with other sound cards and drivers on my computer. The input connector scheme is a bit peculiar, but once you understand how and why they did it that way, it makes sense. Very flexible input scheme for single ended or balanced, but the manual could be clearer as to the actual signal routing. A stereo line and mic input connector would be nice, but certainly isn't essential. Quality: Excellent fit and finish, a beautiful little unit. Very well made at its price point, but I'd avoid stepping on it or yanking on the connectors. The combination DIN/1/4" phone jack is plastic. On the road, you might want a backup. In the studio, no problem. Value: I'm not aware of any other interface that offers this level of performance at this price. Manufacturer Support: No problems yet. The Wow Factor: Nice styling. Overall: The perfect interface in terms of sound quality. I'd certainly buy it again. The only thing that would steer me to something else would be the need for more inputs or channels.

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"Good unit for the money." submitted February 19, 2008

By a customer from gmail.com

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Musical Background: Hobbyist

Music Style: Pop

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Sound: Ok, these things are rated at 115~ SNR on both input/output. That's no slouch, that's close to the Emu 1212, and the same as it's bigger brother the 0404. DAC and ADC is good IMO. I just got this unit in the mail, I set it up and tried to record some talking voices, sounds good to me. I had the Audigy 4 Pro before this (which is another good unit for casual recording, not a whole lot of input/output, and it is unbalanced, but the DAC and ADC is pretty dam good). This one actually sounded a little cleaner IMO, but that's probably because I'm bias toward new gear. Feature: This unit basically has 2 mono input. Input 2 is your regular 1/4" jack, Input 1 is interesting, it's a 3 in 1 combo, a 1/8" jack + 1/4" jack + XLR, it's got a built in preamp for the XLR but no phantom power, so only dynamic mic will work. Not a problem for me, I have seperate pre amp feeding the mic. It's got 2 output, and here's where I liked the way it's design, 1 output is a stereo (2 seperate mono Left + Right 1/4" jack), this is good for monitors because that's basically what they uses. The other output is a 1/8" jack that you usually see in computer speakers, this makes it super easier to A/B your mix, frankly speaking, w/e you mix on the monitor will not likely be play through a set of monitors, it'll be play through regular speakers, this makes it easier to see what it sound like with regular speakers. The front has a headphone jack + amp. for tracking purpose, I find this pretty useful. Other wise it came with a bunch of software (experimental version), like cubase + melodyne + a bunch of other stuff, I tried out the cubase, it's alright, although it only let me uses 2 VST effect per track, not very useful IMO, and I guess it'll be the same for the other stuff it's bundle with. Ease of Use: I'm computer savy, I know for a fact that if I had previously install another sound card, and I try to install this, it'll be a real problem. So I grab my spare computer, format it, and install this in as the primary sound card. And the installation was rough, the software is not very responsive and takes a long time to load. Took me about 1-2 hours to figure out what to install and how to set the thing to work properly, I suspect if someone isn't very good with the computer, there's a huge chance they'll return it before finishing the installation. I know for a fact it's a software problem, I installed this on an E6600 duo core + 4GB of ram, freshly format, there's no way the computer is at fault for speed. Quality: It feels nice, plastic but solid none the less. I don't think I'll have any problem keeping it as 1 piece from my light usage. Value: It's a really good value if you're only doing 2 tracks. It's got alot of features for the price, and it's good where it counts (ADC + DAC + features). If you're looking for something that can handle more input, this is not the unit. Manufacturer Support: I dunno, just got the unit. The Wow Factor: sex appeal? not really, it's not very flashy to begin with haha. Overall: I think this is my final stops. All I really need is 2 input, and 2 output to have different monitors. The DAC and ADC of this thing is close to the much more expensive Emu 1616 (like 400 bucks and I believe it's SNR is 120+). And with my untreated room + untrain ears, I doubt I can hear the difference, this is more of fun project than proffesional studio. I think I'll keep it for along time.

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"One strange phenomenon" submitted November 17, 2008

By a customer from zonnet.nl

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Musical Background: active musician / recording engineer

Music Style: mostly classical / pop / jazz

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Sound: Sound is very good. Feature: It has everything I need. Ease of Use: I use it with Sound Forge under XP. It took me some time to figure out some strange level problems, until I found out that the playback volume control also influences the recording level. If it is set to full, everything works ok and input levels are consistent with levels of recorded sounds. Still this is strange... Quality: It is well made. Value: Really good value for it's money. (99,- euros in Netherlands) Manufacturer Support: No experiences. The Wow Factor: Simple but well made with a nice look and feel.

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"Boring but reliable." submitted July 10, 2008

By a customer from spamex.com

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Musical Background: Hobbyist

Music Style: Rock / Alternative

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Sound: I've so far been pleased with sound quality. I've plugged in a bass and electric guitar, as well as a couple of dynamic mics...it goes in clean and comes out clean. Feature: There are not a lot of features on this unit, but that's not a bad thing. There are basically 4 knobs for controlling the volume of the inputs, monitor and headphone jack. But it's simplicity is what makes it so appealing. With that said, it has the 1/4, Hi-Z, XLR, and 1/8 connections most people need for recording. The only thing missing is phantom power. A big selling point for this box is that it is a true USB 2.0 unit. When comparing competing units in this price range, look closely at the specs...you'll find many of them SUPPORT USB 2.0, but are actually USB 1.1 units--meaning significantly less throughput. Ease of Use: I initially experienced a snag getting this to work, as I was uninstalling a PCI sound card first (the old card's software had a poor uninstall routine). But once I got this unit going, using it was a snap with Adobe Audition. My only nit is that the unit's control panel software reverts the sample rate to 44.1Khz each time I reboot. Quality: It's a light plastic through and through. Certainly not a road warrior, but I think it's sturdy enough for regular home use. Value: For a true USB 2.0 interface that offers clean sound and most connection s a home studio user would need, I think the price can't be beat. Manufacturer Support: I have not contacted their support, but the documentation is very well written. The Wow Factor: There's nothing sexy about it...just a solid offering. Overall: I see no need to turn to something else soon unless I need to record more than two tracks at a time.

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"Exceptional bang for the buck" submitted June 21, 2007

By a customer from alltel.net

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Musical Background: serious amateur

Music Style: Jazz, some pop

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Sound: Coming straight from a consumer soundcard (an old SB Live), I found this box to be simply amazing. There is no comparison between recording at 16/48 and 24/96. Feature: Has all the features anyone should need in a 2-in 2-out interface. It would have been nice if both inputs were combo XLR/TRS jacks rather than just one them. Ease of Use: Plug it in, load the driver, restart. Change the default record and playback devices in Control Panel to the emu and you are done. Quality: It's plastic which doesn't bother me all that much as I don't intend to ever carry it around. However if you are looking for a mobile solution for use with a laptop, your mileage may vary. Also, the combo XLR/TRS jack is a bit cheesy and doesn't look as though it will stand up to too many repeated plug/unplug cycles. The direct monitor volume control spins all the way around, which I found a little strange. Value: This is the main reason to consider this product over other usb interfaces. Check the specs and then look at the price. The emu's specs are comparable to units costing nearly twice as much. Manufacturer Support: Haven't needed it on this product but past experience with Creative on other products tells me that it is about average for the industry. (In other words, not that great.) The Wow Factor: It's a 6"x4"x2" plastic box. How sexy can that possibly be? Overall: Great sound, great value. Only thing that keeps it from getting a "10" is the quality of the jacks and knobs.

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"Not Windows 7 friendly." submitted December 11, 2009

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Sound: When I finally got this working for a bit, it sounded great. Unfortunately, it didnt last long. I had to install the software several times in order to get it to work. Then, I was unable to see the second channel in Ableton. I went to the website to get updated drivers, and the latest driver is from Feb 08. Thats pretty damn old considering Im on Windows 7. Ease of Use: Couldnt use it. Quality: Seemed sturdy enough. Manufacturer Support: I didnt bother. These things should be plug and play with maybe a simple driver. I spent 3 hours on it, then packed it back in the box to ship back. Overall: Im done with EMU. Im going with M- Audio for these types of things from now on.

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"Hope it doesn't break because you will be up the creek." submitted February 27, 2010

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Manufacturer Support: Tried. EMU is email only and if you complain they give you a phone number and you talk to India

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Emu 0202 USB 2.0 Audio Interface

User Ratings

"E-mu 0202, the "secret weapon" interface!" submitted January 21, 2007

"Good unit for the money." submitted February 19, 2008

"One strange phenomenon" submitted November 17, 2008

"Boring but reliable." submitted July 10, 2008

"Exceptional bang for the buck" submitted June 21, 2007

"Not Windows 7 friendly." submitted December 11, 2009

"Hope it doesn't break because you will be up the creek." submitted February 27, 2010