Customer Reviews

Echo Indigo IOx Audio I/O ExpressCard for Notebook Computers

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As of February 2, 2011, you can disregard the two bad reviews about the Indigo IOx not functioning on Windows 7 64-bit. If you have this version of Windows, make sure it is completely up to date, and it will work. Windows 7 Service Pack 1, due to be released to the public any day now, may contain further updates that even further improve the performance of this card. Follow the instructions that come with the card to install it correctly:

1. Download the most recent driver online for Win 7 x64. Execute the setup file.
2. Shut down your computer.
3. Connect the Indigo
4. Turn on your computer, and wait for Windows to automatically set up the drivers.
5. Make sure the Indigo is the default sound device in Control Panel.
6. Listen to amazing sound.

The clarity and quality of this card FARRRR exceed onboard laptop sound. With quality headphones, highs are CRYSTAL clear, imaging is perfect, and lows are smooth and warm. There is no hiss at all (unless the source is the files you're using), and the sound feels truly authentic.

From what I've read, Echo is a very well-respected company despite lack of notoriety. The now-discontinued Indigo IO, from what I've read, noticeably exceeds Sound Blaster PCMCIA cards in quality. I'm willing to bet this express card is better than Sound Blaster's, too.

Only major con is that the card sits rather loosely in the express port, so if you're not careful plugging in and unplugging devices, it will wiggle and and come loose, requiring you to restart your computer before it will work again. Also, it takes up a decent load of computer resources. No problem for high-end computers.

I ordered this with a pair of M-Audio AV40's. After A/B ing with my laptop's built-in sound card (Realtek trash), I will not be looking back. The AV40's were bumped up a notch in sound quality and they sounded pretty good without the Indigo. It even makes my cheap Logitech 2.1 speakers sound better. Not great at loud volumes but cleaner.

There were no problems with driver installation. I'm still on XP Pro but there are drivers for Vista and 7 at the time of this writing. The Indigo software is straight forward enough; a simple mixer UI with some sound quality options.

My only gripe (and the reason this is not a five star review); there is no cabling included for the recording part of the card. Yes, it is a full on recording sound card, but I haven't got the right connections to get two 1/4" phono plugs down to a stereo mini plug. I'm sure a small hardware mixer and a trip to RS would help. But, for the money, they should have included a snake with multiple inputs.

The only competition for the Indigo would be the cheaper SoundBlaster express cards. I haven't heard these but I'll bet there is a difference in sound quality between them and the Indigo. You get what you pay for in most cases. My money is on the Indigo.

Don't buy this card if you have Window 7 64 bit, I'm sure this works great in XP or Vista, but the drivers currently available form ECHO aren't ready for prime-time, of course this isn't anyone's fault but Microsoft, as every-time they come out with a new OS, they keep changing the audio-stack, and making it even more difficult for audio-sound-card-vendors to provide decent hardware acceleration (WHY? who knows) so until Microsoft comes out with better audio-controller drivers, your not gonna get much-hardware acceleration outta this card as well as any other(s) in this price-range, like Creative Sound Blaster, they seem to be plagued with this problem as well, perhaps maybe when Windows 7 /32 or 64 bit service pack 1 comes out this will all be FIXED, at least we can only hope, this happened in Vista, if anyone cares to remember, for the price of this express 34/54 sound card around $177 to $299 range, I expected a WHOLE LOT MORE, but sadly, that's not what I got, this thing doesn't sound any better than my RealTek HD On-board notebook sound, kinda a shame that you have to turn up the volume control all the way up to 100, and you still don't have any hardware acceleration, and without that, this card falls SHORT, a Big disappointment and a waste of money, this card will go (back into it's box) on the shelve along with the other FAILED sound cards I bought that don't seem to work with Windows 7 64 bit

I bought this item to use in a new laptop running Windows 7 64-bit. The driver didn't work, so I emailed Echo. I got a response next day (good so far...) telling me to try a couple of things I had already tried. I responded and then didn't hear anything back. A couple of days later I emailed them again. No response. Two days later, I emailed them again. They responded that my problem had been referred to the head programmer and "hopefully" I would get an answer in a day or two. Two weeks later, I still haven't received a response. I'm sending it back.

It's a shame. I really like the idea of this product.