What are your thoughts on live drive panels?

[jblondi]

I want to upgrade my system to be a little more multimedia friendly. I was thinking of getting a live drive panel for the front to reroute the speaker jacks. I was also thinking a digital EQ. Anyone have any good recommendations, or any sites that I could take a look at for these items. Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[dcdomain]

Well, if you are going to be plugging and unplugging jacks a lot, I say go for it. But the main reason I got it was for the optical out, and the ability to attach and unattach headphones on the front...

But overall, I don't think it was worth it... I should have just gotten the Hoontech add on card for the optical out. Perhaps when I start using the remote control (will someone please hack it so I can use it for the rest of the system) it will be of some use...

 

[RagingGuardian]

I'm with dcdomain. It does look kinda cool though.

 

[Platypussssssss]

I love it!
It's great to have digital in/out, a second line in/microphone in, MIDI in/out plus headphone out on the front of the computer. I personly use line in and midi in/out to connect my Line6 POD for direct recording to Cubasic (that was bundled with the card).
Now I've grown used to it so I could never buy another soundcard without some sort of external panel.

 

[Modeps]

jblondi,
the livedrive dosent have any spots for speaker jacks at all. its for in/out puts in different formats:
midi, optical, rca etc...

 

[Noriaki]

I'd much sooner get an optical digital I/O 2 card.
It has the SPDIF In/Out (Coax/RCA and Optical/TOSLINK) it has Midi I/O, it has a Mini-DIN and it has an extra lineout. And it is all in the back where it's out of the way.

But if you are plugging and unplugging alot then a live drive might be useful.

 

[Horsepower]

I just installed mine last week. I am not sure how much I'll use it BUT that was the only thing I could get in the bottom slot of my Addtronics 6890A case. I was disappointed to add another ribbon cable to the other air blockers.

 

[Eug]

It doesn't have an optical out in the North American version. For that you have to get the Live DriveI I or the optical I/O card.

The main benefit for me is that gives the correct SPDIF voltage out the SPDIF out on the Live Drive. The voltage out of my card (CT4760) is too high, and screws up my computer home theatre system. Works perfectly with the Live Drive's SPDIF. (Note that both outputs work in my main home theatre system, but I've been told using the sound card's output is potentially dangerous, since they are not meant to work with those types of voltages like desktop speaker systems are.)

The other benefit is that has a SPDIF in. I plug my CD-ROM SPDIF into it. (My card's SPDIF in is used by my DVD-ROM's SPDIF.)

 

[dcdomain]

I'm not sure if the Live!Drive I has optical out either... I know for sure that the Live!Drive II and Live!Drive IR do...