ASUS Xonar Essence ST 24-bit 192KHz PCI Interface Audio Card
Jun 21, 2017
The Best That There Is - WOW! - Noise Level is About Zero
What should I say? The only words that come to mind is that this sound card is the absolute best sound card out there. I have never seen anything better from any company. If you're looking for a gaming sound card this is not for you, it certainly can amplify the music enough, but this baby's beauty comes from its crystal clear reproduction of audio -- even up to 192kHz by 24-bit. That is the quality that major news outlets use. You are working with prime equipment here. Truly this is THE BEST! Are there other boards that are also 192x24? Well their internal noise level is way higher than this. PURE GOLD! A+++
USRobotics 56K USB Faxmodem 5633B( Retail boxed version, factory sealed)
May 12, 2020
*Needs* XP, Not 7/8/10. Works well with a bit of tinkering. Good for hobby use
This modem works really well. However, you will need to install it on Windows XP as the drivers for this modem are not available for Windows 7, 8, or 10. What I did was installed Windows XP Professional into a VMware virtual machine instance. From there I copied over the driver that I downloaded from US Robotics and it ran well. ZOC is my terminal of choice for accessing bulletin board systems over a POTS line. If you're looking for a modem that will work on a modern system I would suggest a USR 56k External Serial Line Modem, as those run on any computer, be it Windows, Mac, or Linux with the use of a UGREEN RS-232 (serial 9-pin) to USB 2.0 connection. They can be bought for around $12 USD. Again, this thing does work, but you need Windows XP for it to run it. I have tested it out by connecting to a local bulletin board system and everything looks good. I would say that if this is being used for giggles and nostalgia it would be cool, but unless you have an old 32-bit operating system that you want to put XP on to its not the best of ideas. The product arrived brand new in its original packaging and there were no problems with it. If you think its broken because the lights aren't flickering its because the lights only work after the proper driver has been installed. Then everything is smooth. Get the Serial line external modem instead if you're planning on doing up a professional bulletin board system. For everyone else, if they want to install XP, it is a bargain.
Cheers!
-spookbooks
73 Amateur Radio Magazine * 1960 TO Â 2003 * PDF * DVD * Ham Radio * KE3GK