Hey now ...
i'm sure folks have seen this. Its a PCMCIA soundcard with analog only I/O. 24/96 A/D/A converters...and retails for about $185.
Hmm......
I wonder if you had yourself a nice analog front end and then used one of these cards on a laptop if it would yeild decent results. I"m always looking for a rock solid i/o solution for the ol' lappy, and this might be my last ditch effort.
I'm thinking c414 > line transformers > indigo I/O card could make some nice sounding 24bit recordings w/o breaking the bank. the clean gain of line transformers coupled with nice mics can make for some fatty recording. Just ask any m148 user! I think that is just some Jenson line transformers and deadicated 48v phantom (achived by a bunch of small SLA's in series to make 48v). Those Jenson transformers are almost $200 per. The Hosa transformers are about $50 for a pair.
I wonder if I could build me a cheap mans 148......
I smell a project.
I personally would not be too keen on my AD conversion going on inside an electrically noisy computer via a card that is also being powered off the computer. Well, here are the specs I pulled off the website. Dynamic range looks surprisingly good at >109dB a-weighted but that 10Hz-20KHz response blows, what is the point of running at 96KHz if there is no info >20KHz anyway? Better be careful with that max input level of just +7.2 dBu also, it looks like it could be very easy to clip this thing analog in. For a solid laptop solution why not the UA5 (other than the fact that everyone and their brother has one) or the USBPre? My USBPre is a tank and very flexible as far as different types of inputs.
Just thinking out loud,
Ben
Analog Input
1 stereo 1/8" 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