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Is it a ADC? Analog to digital converter? Everyone's got a DAC, but what about the other way around?
I'd like to make high quality digital copies of my records and tapes. You never find a device with which to do that. Supposedly you can plug the output of your preamp or even just your turntable to some 1/8 input jack on your PC, but my computer doesn't seem to have such a jack [for input].
Even if it did, that seems like a low quality way to go. I'd like to digitally capture all of the superb quality of my records. So, I'd like to get 24/196 or better, not MP3 recording. Or, is red book the best you can get right now?
So mysterious. So confusing. Anyway, bottom line, how do I record from my audio system in a super high quality way?
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The most common options if you want 192/24 are, in order of price, the Tascam DA-3000, the Benchmark ADC1 and the Ayre. The Benchmark is often forgotten. One poster on Audiogon recently compared the Tascam and the Benchmark and definitely preferred the Benchmark.
The Tascam uses a SD card to store the files and you move that to your PC. Benchmark and Ayre connect via usb, so you have to have a computer connected to record.
I use a Korg MR-2000 which has been discontinued but is still available from Japan and occasionally used. I record at 192/24, although there is not much difference between 96 and 192. Either is noticeably better than 44/16.
DSD is all the rage, but understand that you cannot do any corrections to a DSD file - no hum, hiss, click removal - unless you convert to PCM.
For software, definitely look at Vinyl Studio. It has a very good workflow and does hum, hiss, pop and click removal, etc. It also does online searches for album and track metadata, including track lengths, which is a real time saver. Typing in track names and finding track breaks without any timing information is a slow process. The main lookup uses discogs, which is a databse of albums that people have recorded. When you look at CD listings you often get extra tracks added, so discogs is the way to go. Vinyl Studio is $29 and has a free trial. Don't be misled by the price. It is the real deal. Charlie Hanson from Ayre recommends it. It does up to 192/24 PCM and DSD128 (2xDSD). It will also convert DSD to PCM.
Agree on the Vinyl Studio. I have ripped over 2,000 lps at 192/24 and everything dtc refers to is quite true. Also, support is excellent, quick and free.
For the A to D part I use a RME Hammerfall 9632 PCI card with breakout cables I bought on EBay. Cost effective if bought used (a card just sold for $130 and the cables are another $35 or so) and their latest driver set supports up to and through WIN10.
I have the earlier version of this DAC/ADC/Phonostage/Headphone amp, which only does 24/96. But the newer version does 24/192.
I've used it with both an outboard Jolida phonostage and with its own internal stage.
For software I went cheap and used Audacity.
Jeff
"Decaf is for cowards."
Jack Kevorkian
A buddy at CES met with Sony and was impressed with it. Pretty sure he's going to start carrying it at his shop to complement his other ES products.
Every computer has a sound card whether embedded into the motherboard or not. Most all also utilize an 1/8th inch stereo mini plug.You'd need a good shielded cable from your preamps tape out to the computer. No "box" is needed. There is software that allows all kinds of tweaking to the recording you capture.
Then you need the piece of software to manage the capture/recording. There is a lot out there. Much of it is free and some costs.
You can expand the timeline and manually delete out loud clicks/pops which IMO sounds better than using the feature some have to remove noise from a whole track at once.
You can do other things like EQ, adjust volume and so on. The less fiddling often is better.
Don't be intimidated, it gets easier pretty quickly.
ET
Edits: 01/09/16
Maybe the link below is of use
The Well Tempered Computer
Depends on your budget but this device seems to tick all of the boxes:
I checked the manual, it does not mention at all that it will record in DSD.
It records in 24/192 only. Maybe I missed.
For $1000, you can't beat the TASCAM DA-3000 DSD recorder . It records PCM up to 24/192 as well as DSD64 and DSD128 onto either a CF card of SDHC card that can be removed for transferring files to your computer for mastering. It also can be used as an external DAC that sounds as good or better than any DAC I've heard to date. It accepts USB flash drives for direct playback of digital files including DSD files. I've owned the TASCAM DA-3000 for just over a year and I'm extremely impressed with its capabilities and its sound quality.
OP wants to record at 24/192. He says 196 but that is obviously a typo. OK he does say " or better" but he does not specify DSD (if one considers DSD " better" than PCM 24/192 -an arguable point). That could mean higher rates of PCM such as DXD which are also not catered for in this unit. But how easy it appears makes the whole process having inbuilt phono stage etc and it deals with his connectivity question.
The OP asked for high quality digital copies in the first place. DSD fits the bill too. He seems only to use 24/192 as an example.
Yes, agreed, it does fit the bill which I acknowledged along with other formats such as DXD.
However my response was to your subject line which said that the device doesn't record on DSD AT ALL ( my caps for emphasis). That phrase would ony make sense if DSD was the sole or primary request. In fact that specifiction didn't feature anywhere in the OP's request except by the reader inferring it.
It also raises the question as to whether or not the OP has a DAC to decode DSD, of which there is no indication. Unfortunately he does not post his system in his profile. Nevertheless he only refers directly to PCM formats.
That's what I heard.
:-)
Depending on your budget, Ayre makes a really nice ADC. Going into the analog input on your PC won't give you good results, unless you have a high end sound card. If not, better to buy a standalone ADC. I use a HRT LineStreamer+ which I get really good results, but it only does a max of 24/96. It sells for around $300.
The Ayre does 24/192 and I believe DSD.
I used the HRT LineStreamer+ to digitize a few dozen records at 24/96. Debatable but IMHO a record isn't going to have the dynamic range to benefit from much beyond 24/96. It's not like you're digitizing off a pristine master tape or something.I used the FREE Audacity software, recorded entire album sides, broke up each side into files representing each track, then manually cleaned up any significant clicks or pops and left the rest alone.
I also had the $1800 PS Audio NuWave Phono Converter on loan but for $300 I thought the HRT LineStreamer+ was more than adequate and produced great results for me.
Edits: 01/10/16 01/10/16
Do you still need a phono stage somewhere in the chain? Or is TT + HRT + computer all you need?
Thanks!
JB
You really need a phonostage in the chain for a couple reasons. 1) You need sufficient "line level" output signal to drive the HRT "Linestreamer"+. The output from a MM or MC cartridge alone is not sufficient. 2) You need RIAA equalization for the vinyl record before the HRT Linestreamer+. The phonostage will provide sufficient output signal and RIAA equalization.If the phonostage has adjustable and sufficient output level then that might be all you will need.
Otherwise, you can use the phonostage to drive your linestage then take the output of the linestage to drive the HRT Linestreamer+. You should have some way to adjust the signal level going into the HRT Linestreamer+, either using your linestage or a phonostage with variable output.
In my case, I took the signal directly off the phonostage as the output level from my PS Audio GCPH is adjustable.
Edits: 01/13/16 01/13/16 01/13/16
Vinyl software, like Vinyl Studio, often has RIAA equalization built it as an option, so you do not need to rely on a phonostage for that. It also has RIAA for early recordings, which can differ from latter standards. You still need to amplify the cartridge signal, but if you do that without RIAA you can apply it in the software. Some think doing it is software is more precise.
nt
I saw a demo of their A/D recorder DAC.
Fantastic. You sample in the clicks and pops, set a range, - and it eliminates the surface noise. It was/is truly remarkable.
If I would've had any vinyl to speak of, - I would've bought it in a second.
"Asylums with doors open wide,
Where people had paid to see inside,
For entertainment they watch his body twist
Behind his eyes he says, 'I still exist.'"
There are a lot of options if you want to record into your computer. Just Google "USB audio interface", "computer audio interface". and so on. If you're recording, it's technically an ADC. It's a DAC if you're playing back.The runaway favorite for computer recording seems to be the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2, which is an ADC/DAC, but it doesn't support the sampling rate you want. You'll just have to look around until you find something that interests you.
----------------------------
"Use adjectives instead of numbers, and you'll never be wrong again." ~ The Wizard of Audio Oz
Audiophile [n.]: someone very impressed with the word "involving".
Edits: 01/07/16
I've been recording LPs since I was 12-years old. I started with an open reel tape recorder by placing the microphone in front of the speaker. When I bought my first stereo system in 1971, I patched my Revox A77 reel-to-reel into the tape loop of my Revox integrated amplifier. I switched to digital audio tape (DAT) in 1991 and I've been making high-quality digital recordings of vinyl ever since. There are plenty of high-quality digital recorders on the market.
In 2003 I bought an Alesis Masterlink for high-resolution recording at 24/96. Just over a year ago I replace my Masterlink with a TASCAM DA-3000 DSD recorder . It will copy vinyl at 24/192 as well as DSD64 and DSD128. It's not very expensive, either, and it plugs into the balanced tape loop of my Pass Labs X1 control preamplifier. The TASCAM is an exceptional digital recorder and it doubles as one of the best sounding DACs I've ever heard. Furthermore, it will playback DSD files from a USB flash drive directly. Check it out at the link below.
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