Great posts and info. I caught on a little late. I can tell you that I have both an Audiophile 2496 ( internal , non USB ) and a USB Quattro, both made by Midiman, supposedly using the same chipset, and the Quattro's output is never quite as good as the 2496 on the same files.

I'm going with firewire next time too. Here is another thing. Every USB cable I have seems to pickup noise and RF. I notice this mainly on the Yamaha Motif ES6. When I midi it to the comp using traditional midi cables, almost no noise floor. When I midi to the comp using USB cables, I pick up noise, and a significant amount at that
( -65 to -70 db ).

I love this computer based stuff, but I also realize that their are weaknesses simply because most apps and Windows based protocols are not setup with high end audio in mind. I'm soooo tempted to go with a Mac for my next comp, but I'd have to sacrifice a few of my favorite apps if I do.

AJ

[This message has been edited by Bluezplayer (edited 06-01-2005).]