EMU 0404 vs Auzen X-Meridian

[Jinto]

Thinking of going OSX totally. Anyway the X-Meridian or any CMI8788 for that matter does not work on OSX due to lack of drivers. After looking around a bit the EMU 0404 seems to be the best bet. I am only interested in stereo analog output as I mostly use headphones. How does the EMU 0404 compare with the X-Meridian (mine is LM4562 modded as well)? Thanks.

 

[Mr. B]

What headphones are you using? The E-MU headphone amp is decent but it's not going to drive demanding phones like the Senn HD-600s. If you're only interested in stereo I would go with the 0404 USB over pretty much any internal card.

 

[Jinto]

AudioTechnica ATH-AD700 and A900. They are very easy to drive.

 

[obobski]

the 0404 will have no problems with the AT's (unless you're a whiney audiophile)

as far as "how does it compare", the X-Meridian has more features, processing power, etc geared towards multimedia usage, while the 0404 is designed for project studio type work

for just listening to music, they'll be equals in capability, for other features, really depends on what you want, as to which one has more oomph

although, given that we're talking OS X, you don't have much of an option (E-MU, M-Audio, or higher end pro equipment (MOTU, Apogee, Digidesign, etc))