need firewire... wondering what to buy

[UlricT]

ok... heres the thing. A friend of mine got a Sony Handycam with iLink support. AFAIK this is the same as firewire, IEEE1394a etc. I borrow it occasionally, but i can't link it up to my computer. I need a firewire port for that, obviously, which my ECS K7S5A doesnt have. I know that there are cards out there that can give me what i need. Coincidentally, i've noticed that my onboard soundcard ain't up to much.

I was looking at the Audigy OEM. What i wanted to know was whether anyone has tried the Audigy SB1394a port, and whether it is going to have any conflicts. Also, whether the audigy is worth the price for the free firewire port. I have Creative Inspire 2.1 speakers, which I can't upgrade for some time.

I know the question is convoluted, but if any of you guys can make any sense of what i need, advise would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[Bovinicus]

All you need is a firewire controller card. I went to www.pricewatch.com and noticed that there is a very large selection of these cards for under $50. Some were as low as $20. I can't recommend one to you unfortunately. I know nothing about firewire controllers. Good luck though.

 

[UlricT]

Well, do you guys think i will notice a difference if I switch to the audigy on my creative inspire 2.1 speakers? I'm sort of trying to kill two birds with a card here. And will the difference be worth it? Also, does creative driver support really suck that bad????

 

[xpr8]

My roommate has Creative Audigy and says it is great. I'd say go for it, if you've got the money to spend.

 

[UlricT]

What kinda speakers does he use? I dont have a surround setup in my room, and it doesnt seem to be in my near future either. How does it sound on 2.1's compared to the integrated AC97 2-channel codec of my ECS mobo?

 

[UlricT]

bump...

anyone using the audigy's SB1394 port?

 

[Pariah]

The port works fine with cameras, it complies with the IEEE 1394a spec. Yes you should notice a difference between an Audigy and onboard audio, though how much depends on your own ears as much as anything.

 

[thorin]

UlricT
I posed this exact question a few weeks ago to the AT community. A number of people here have used the 1394 port on the Audigy OEM for iLink connectivity with no problems.

I'm also considering this ECS K7S5A + Audigy setup for my brother.

You could also consider these:
ATI DV Wonder 3 Firewire port PCI Card
Adaptec FireConnect 4300 PCI 1394 FireWire Card
Adaptec DuoConnect USB2 / Firewire Card
D-Link DFW-500 3 Port Firewire Card
(All of which go for about $70-90 CDN [about $45-60 USD])

Thorin

 

[UlricT]

thanks for that all that Thorin. Guess i'll go in for the Audigy setup, as about 60-70$ will gimme all what i need....

 

[akiraxtc]

I believe you can get a TI-chipset based firewire card on Newegg for about $25. So far TI-chipset on fw card offer much less headache on compatibility and such.

 

[rb56]

I use the firewire connection on my Audigy with my Sony camcorder all the time and it works great. I have never had a problem.

rb56

 

[billyjak]

I also have the Audigy Platinum with Firewire and use on my Sony TRV17 Camcorder, works very good.