This is a superb "upper end" "sound card" for PC audio enthusiasts. It produces great sound and works well with other applications. It does, however, have a few unloveable quirks about it.
The card itself fits into a normal PCI slot in your computer but there is no way to fit all of its outputs onto the back of a PC card. For that reason, this card has a dedicated cable which leads to a rack mounted breakout box where all other connections are made. The bundled software includes an electronic patch bay which makes cabling simpler than it could otherwise be. Once installed, it works well. Getting the thing installed is more difficult. It pays to read the directions.
The driver has to be installed before the card is put in. If it is not, the diagnostics will show everything fine but you will get no sound. Also, if you should have to do a major re-install of the operating system, you need to make sure the card is out. Otherwise the driver will install and work but then disappear after a reboot.
The documentation assumes a fair level of technical competence. If you are working at learning about digital audio, the docs are likely to be above your head. The are easily understandable now but that was not the case when I started.
It's a good box.
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