Hello, all. First post here so if this doesn't belong in this sub-forum, please, don’t hammer me too hard…
I’ve been wanting to build an electronics measurement setup for some time now. I used to test loudspeaker drivers (some of you may have frequented my now-defunct website: medleysmusings.com). My foray in to electronics testing up until now had been stifled by hardware complexity, resolution and/or cost. And, to an extent, it still is. However, I recently decided the time is right and have put myself in the direction of going with an external USB soundcard based setup.
I have purchased the Pete Millet soundcard interface. Now, I’m down to the brass tacks of picking both the USB soundcard and the software to get me going.
As for what I’m wanting to measure, well, that’s anything from DSP, DACs, car audio headunits, to amplifiers. I’m looking to quantify what I can with at least the bare minimum set of data being frequency response, noise, and THD characteristics. However, I will not be measuring headphone outputs. (as an aside, at some point I would like to supplement the hardware testing with ABX testing)
Soundcard:
I have a Behringer UMC202HD for my in-room loudspeaker measurements but from what I’ve read here and elsewhere this thing isn’t necessarily ideal for electronics testing. In somewhat-recent tests here the RME ADI DAC looks like the best solution but I just can’t afford that. Is there an RME ADI-2 DAC alternative for measurement purposes only? Seems like I’d be paying for additional features (such as a fancy display and EQ) that I wouldn’t necessarily need. I was looking more in to the <$200 range (new or used). I could bump that up a little if there was a worthwhile option. I continually see Focusrite’s 2i2 mentioned as a good budget-friendly solution. Most of the modern soundcards would probably give me enough information to be dangerous but I’d also like to ‘future proof’ myself.
Software questions:
AudioTester and aRTA seem to be the “go to”. I’ll be using my laptop with Windows 10.
Some of the additional things I’d like to have the capability to do, if I can find software that permits it:
Stimulus applied via various sources such as the USB soundcard but also, namely for car audio (yes, yes, I know.. car audio is silly), CD to USB (external HDD and iPhone); can a stimulus be recorded and played back?
Overlaying of results (especially for power (voltage is fine) vs THD
Provide baseline (loopback) in same plate OR use the loopback to deduct any contributions from the measurement (I believe I read aRTA has this capability?)
Again, I’m trying to do my best to understand what I’m getting in to. I’ve read through this forum and diya a lot the past week but I can’t make up my mind on the soundcard and software so I was hoping for some suggestions here if you all don’t mind helping me out.
Thanks,
Erin
I’ve been wanting to build an electronics measurement setup for some time now. I used to test loudspeaker drivers (some of you may have frequented my now-defunct website: medleysmusings.com). My foray in to electronics testing up until now had been stifled by hardware complexity, resolution and/or cost. And, to an extent, it still is. However, I recently decided the time is right and have put myself in the direction of going with an external USB soundcard based setup.
I have purchased the Pete Millet soundcard interface. Now, I’m down to the brass tacks of picking both the USB soundcard and the software to get me going.
As for what I’m wanting to measure, well, that’s anything from DSP, DACs, car audio headunits, to amplifiers. I’m looking to quantify what I can with at least the bare minimum set of data being frequency response, noise, and THD characteristics. However, I will not be measuring headphone outputs. (as an aside, at some point I would like to supplement the hardware testing with ABX testing)
Soundcard:
I have a Behringer UMC202HD for my in-room loudspeaker measurements but from what I’ve read here and elsewhere this thing isn’t necessarily ideal for electronics testing. In somewhat-recent tests here the RME ADI DAC looks like the best solution but I just can’t afford that. Is there an RME ADI-2 DAC alternative for measurement purposes only? Seems like I’d be paying for additional features (such as a fancy display and EQ) that I wouldn’t necessarily need. I was looking more in to the <$200 range (new or used). I could bump that up a little if there was a worthwhile option. I continually see Focusrite’s 2i2 mentioned as a good budget-friendly solution. Most of the modern soundcards would probably give me enough information to be dangerous but I’d also like to ‘future proof’ myself.
Software questions:
AudioTester and aRTA seem to be the “go to”. I’ll be using my laptop with Windows 10.
Some of the additional things I’d like to have the capability to do, if I can find software that permits it:
Stimulus applied via various sources such as the USB soundcard but also, namely for car audio (yes, yes, I know.. car audio is silly), CD to USB (external HDD and iPhone); can a stimulus be recorded and played back?
Overlaying of results (especially for power (voltage is fine) vs THD
Provide baseline (loopback) in same plate OR use the loopback to deduct any contributions from the measurement (I believe I read aRTA has this capability?)
Again, I’m trying to do my best to understand what I’m getting in to. I’ve read through this forum and diya a lot the past week but I can’t make up my mind on the soundcard and software so I was hoping for some suggestions here if you all don’t mind helping me out.
Thanks,
Erin