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.
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.
Desirability:
sex appeal? not really, it's not very flashy to begin with haha.
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.
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.
Support:
I dunno, just got the unit.
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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