Digital Audio Labs CardDeluxe Sound Card

The CardDeluxe is a small printed circuit board that plugs into one of a PC's PCI-bus slots. Unlike regular soundcards, it does not offer a MIDI port or FM synthesis. What it does offer are two channels of balanced I/O using TRS (tip-ring-sleeve) ¼ phone jacks, and two channels of S/PDIF digital I/O using RCA jacks. It also offers 24-bit word depth, a sample rate of 96kHz, an optional AES/EBU digital interface adapter ($50), and an extension port to word-sync it with other CardDeluxes so that an inexpensive PC can be used as a high-resolution multi-track digital recorder. Its specifications offer virtually state-of-the-art A/D and D/A conversion, using delta-sigma converter chips from AKM. The fact that the CardDeluxe retails for less than $600 can be explained by the fact that its manufacturer doesn't have to sell you the two most expensive parts of an audio component: the power supply and the chassis.