USB soundcard?

[served]

Hey!
I was wondering, is it cheaper to buy an USB soundcard or to build one.
I have seen some really good ones and want to have something like it.
Has any one tried to build it before?

[Transmogrifox]

I have not tried to build my own, although I have seen schematics on the net.  The downside is the quality for your run-of-the-mill PCM chip is not of comparable quality to good USB sound cards. 

The next idea is to try the kit thing:
http://www.analogmetric.com/store/goods.php?id=100
http://www.analogmetric.com/store/goods.php?id=98
This is not really hi-fi.  It's no better than your average on-board AC97 card.
A little google search may turn up some more similar products.

To make a high quality USB sound card will cost you as much as it does to buy one.  For example, I would consider using an Analog Devices Blackfin development board and spring off the uCLinux project code base.  This is actually a better question for an embedded Linux forum since the software side of things can be as challenging as the hardware.  If you were to plan to go to the extreme of laying out your own PCB and building from the ground up, you better have a rich uncle to fund you for the next year...then you better go sell 100,000 of them so you can pay him back.

[served]

Well, in that case, ill go and buy one.


But is it possible to build it from MP3 player. I have one lying around,and just wondering, some how it could be possible. In this case im not looking for performance, just fun.

[Transmogrifox]

Well if you're just looking for fun, then the kits I linked really are not a bad idea.  You could also click on the schematic and build your own board from that, also.  I was thinking in the framework of DIY stompboxing...maybe he wants to process guitarFX through his computer.  In that case one would want a really high end audio card.