emu 1616 or 1616m

[bckid]

do you think its worth the 100 bucks more to get these mastering grade converters and better snr?

the guys at gc told me that there are rumours that these are digidesign converters.

you think the difference is audible?

i want to record my mpc and synthrack and guitar/bass. sometimes vocals.

[doncaparker]

I can't compare the 1616 to the 1616m, but I own the 1212m, which is the same soundcard as the 1616m only without the breakout box. I'm very happy with it. Everything I read before buying made me think that the "m" provided better converter chips. The price difference is not that big; you might as well buy up and not have to wonder if you made the right choice.

[Pistolpete]

I have the 1820M and it is an excellent piece of gear, same convertors as the one your inquiring about. Everything I have read about these convertors puts them even over top names like lynx.

Here is some info that might help
Working with the Emu 1820M and Emulator X

heres some quotes from : E-MU 1820 Digital Audio System

"One can be shocked to learn that 1212M and 1820M use hi-quality converters and high passport parameters of inputs and outputs, that exceed even the measured characteristics of Lynx L22/Lynx Two soundcards. The models have the same ADCs as Lynx, but their DACs are newer (4398 vs 4396). Although certainly, much also depends on the quality of the quartz, operational amplifiers, and the layout.

A few words about the prices now. The fact that LynxStudio products cost times more than others is caused by the company's orientation to a strictly professional market where quality is the main focus and where all the rivals, such as RME, Digidesign, etc., are strictly professional too. The moderate price for E-MU products results from the company's orientation to the mass user and E-MU is rivaled by such companies as M-Audio, ESI, and Terratec. But it's really puzzling why other competitors within this price category don't offer us converters of a similarly high quality. The only product I can remember in this respect is ESI Waveterminal 192X with an AKM AK5394 ADC."


I've always had great luck with this piece of equipment...I ran a convertor test to check distortion with smaart live and there was absolutely none.

[JPhil]

I had an 1820m and then i gave it to my dad, and he bought me a 1616m...they are very very very good...super clean converters...i mean super clean...my mic sounds sooooooo much better going through both my 1820 and 1616 than it did going through my m-audio delta...get the emu "m" its really top notch

[willsing]

In other words....heck yeah! Go for it man. You don't want to be lying in bed at night thinkin' about not having the "m" on the end of that 1616!!
I have had an 1820m for, I guess four years now. Love it. Hard to top for a home studio guy like me. Though I have put in an order for one of those new Black Lion ADC's these days. Can't wait to get it. It's always a continual quest for perfection, isn't it!?

I would if I were you.

[bckid]

so i think i´ll go for that m.
i hate the feeling of "what if..."
just found one on ebay in my town.
things seem to come together.

thx for your advice.
atb.

brian.

[willsing]

Right on. Those happy coincidences are always cool. Sounds like you were getting help on that one.

[michalp]

I also have a 1616m and I have to say that it was a dissapointment.
Yes it is an upgrade when compared to my previous m-audio card, but the dac sounds really harsh, unpleasant and unclear.
I am currently only running my audio through the mlan16e card in the motif es. This sounds ten times better as a dac.

Does anyone know if there are any mods available for the 1616m?

[Kimakaz]

I was confronted to same question 2 years ago: 1820 or 1820m?

After a bit of research, reading reviews, and finally being able to A/B test the converters at my local shop, the extra 100 (euros in my case), was def worth it.

I don't understand why E-mu stopped the production of the 1820/1820m.
At the time it was the best price/quality on the market.

Oh and no rumors, they are the same converters as the ProTools HD 192 I/O Interface

[vcovco]

If you're going Emu, definitely go with the 1616m over the 1616. I owned a 1616m for a period of time...sounded great, but wasn't for me...

[Reggmail]

Originally Posted by bckid

do you think its worth the 100 bucks more to get these mastering grade converters and better snr?

the guys at gc told me that there are rumours that these are digidesign converters.

you think the difference is audible?

i want to record my mpc and synthrack and guitar/bass. sometimes vocals.

I have both the 1616M and the 1820 non M, and in my oppinion I can hear or see no difference in sound quality comparing the 1616M with a non M 1820.

http://ixbtlabs.com/articles2/creative-emu-1820/index.html Tec info reviued.

Peace & blessings.

[Jay Dee]

Originally Posted by Kimakaz

I don't understand why E-mu stopped the production of the 1820/1820m.

I have heard that it had to do with the use of lead in that earlier design (1820/1820m) and when regulations in EU phased out lead, etc. they had to re-design with the result being an improved version which was the 1616/1616m.

[Mutex]

Hello first time here, so exuse if I sound a little d*mb.

I just bought the 1280 (without the M). Is it possible (for latter) to buy just the Audiodock of the 1280m, replace the 1280 Dock with it and have the benefit of those better converters? Or will it not work at all?

[tampa]

Originally Posted by Kimakaz

I was confronted to same question 2 years ago: 1820 or 1820m?

After a bit of research, reading reviews, and finally being able to A/B test the converters at my local shop, the extra 100 (euros in my case), was def worth it.

I don't understand why E-mu stopped the production of the 1820/1820m.
At the time it was the best price/quality on the market.

Oh and no rumors, they are the same converters as the ProTools HD 192 I/O Interface

They stopped making the 1820M because there were boat loads of complaints about them breaking down from what I understand. Mine has been good 5 years and still going strong. As for the ops question, get the M

[Snatchman]

There's basically two caps that goes out of the 1820m docks that causes all the not working problem.. I had them to go out on mine. replaced them and it's been working fine since. They are good sounding converters that reveals what you source pretty good..If you can find a 1212M, you can add the 1820M dock to it but can't use the 1212M PCI input card at the same time..