Lynx L22 vs the world

gyrodec · 1st April 2008

I want an AD/DA to archive my record collection to my PC. The Lynx card seemed to offer a neat way to do this at a fair price and with very good performance. I also read the Head-Fi site and there many people claim that you can't possibly get good AD peformance froma card due tot he noisy PC environment. I think they are wrong (probably only used cheap cards and not a Lynx), but I don't have direct experience.So: Are the Lynx cards all that? Would I really get better performance from a Mytek AD96/Lynx Arorra/Apogee Rosetta 200/etc? Even if the external boxes are better, are they worth the extra $1000?Any thoughts would be welcome.

Doc Mixwell · 1st April 2008

The L22 is worth every penny spent,

Its a very full response converter, and I have never experienced noise problems with any Lynx PCI card.

However, your thinking is correct, something with a proprietary power supply and higher quality analog circuitry will yield "better" conversion. What the L22 offers is certainly not bad conversion by any means, but I will suggest conversion quality does get better with units like the Lynx Aurora and the Rosetta 200.

The choice will really depend on what your needs are, 2-channel, or multi-channel. Multi-channel converters allow more possibilities for studio-guy agility, for instance; multiple cue sends, mixing stems in analog land and than printing the mix back through 2-channels of ADC onto a stereo track in your DAW.

The Lynx Aurora 8 is an amazing converter that offers unbeatable conversion quality at its price point. It sounds excellent [for any style of music] and is definitely a step up form the PCI card series. I would say if you are at all in need of multi-channel [which most of us are] you'll take a long look at the Aurora.

Personally, I own a Rosetta 200, and I thinks its an amazing mastering class converter for the work I do. I could get flamed for calling it a "mastering converter", but its designed with mastering in mind and sending the Rosetta's DAC into my Manley ELOP, ain't too shabby!

living sounds · 3rd April 2008

Have a look at Black Lion's Sparrow. Best price/performance ration for a 2-channel application by far IMHO.

Monkey Mouse · 6th April 2008

Converters are an important detail in the chain from the vinyl to your hard drive, no one is going to doubt that...

But the most important part of archiving vinyl is your TT and preamp. If you are going to use an 1200 with a DJ cartridge and a mixer, you are wasting the quality of the Lynx. If you have a good TT, cartridge, record cleaning machine, phono preamp, and wiring, the signal will be much more detailed and realistic.

1st April 2008	#1
gyrodec Gear interested Joined: Apr 2008 Posts: 1 Thread Starter	Lynx L22 vs the world I want an AD/DA to archive my record collection to my PC. The Lynx card seemed to offer a neat way to do this at a fair price and with very good performance. I also read the Head-Fi site and there many people claim that you can't possibly get good AD peformance froma card due tot he noisy PC environment. I think they are wrong (probably only used cheap cards and not a Lynx), but I don't have direct experience.So: Are the Lynx cards all that? Would I really get better performance from a Mytek AD96/Lynx Arorra/Apogee Rosetta 200/etc? Even if the external boxes are better, are they worth the extra $1000?Any thoughts would be welcome.

1st April 2008	#2
Doc Mixwell 70% coffee & 30% beer Joined: Dec 2006 Location: Quincy, MA Posts: 7,728	The L22 is worth every penny spent, Its a very full response converter, and I have never experienced noise problems with any Lynx PCI card. However, your thinking is correct, something with a proprietary power supply and higher quality analog circuitry will yield "better" conversion. What the L22 offers is certainly not bad conversion by any means, but I will suggest conversion quality does get better with units like the Lynx Aurora and the Rosetta 200. The choice will really depend on what your needs are, 2-channel, or multi-channel. Multi-channel converters allow more possibilities for studio-guy agility, for instance; multiple cue sends, mixing stems in analog land and than printing the mix back through 2-channels of ADC onto a stereo track in your DAW. The Lynx Aurora 8 is an amazing converter that offers unbeatable conversion quality at its price point. It sounds excellent [for any style of music] and is definitely a step up form the PCI card series. I would say if you are at all in need of multi-channel [which most of us are] you'll take a long look at the Aurora. Personally, I own a Rosetta 200, and I thinks its an amazing mastering class converter for the work I do. I could get flamed for calling it a "mastering converter", but its designed with mastering in mind and sending the Rosetta's DAC into my Manley ELOP, ain't too shabby! __________________ Adam Brass adam@dspdoctor.com DSPdoctor "Pro Audio Gear And Advice for the Modern Recording Studio" ________________ "Any opinions above are worth exactly what you paid for them." Anonymous "If I find 10,000 ways something won't work, I haven't failed. I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward. Thomas Edison RTFM

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3rd April 2008	#3
living sounds Lives for gear Joined: Aug 2004 Location: Germany Posts: 2,934	Have a look at Black Lion's Sparrow. Best price/performance ration for a 2-channel application by far IMHO.

6th April 2008	#4
Monkey Mouse Gear nut Joined: Mar 2006 Posts: 115	Converters are an important detail in the chain from the vinyl to your hard drive, no one is going to doubt that... But the most important part of archiving vinyl is your TT and preamp. If you are going to use an 1200 with a DJ cartridge and a mixer, you are wasting the quality of the Lynx. If you have a good TT, cartridge, record cleaning machine, phono preamp, and wiring, the signal will be much more detailed and realistic.