OT: AOpen Tube Sound Card

[Castellen]

@BlackMonk:
I completely agree.  It's the biggest load of crap I've read in a
while, what do they honestly hope to achieve?
If they really wanted a "softer" sound, you can very easily do it by
running your audio through an algorithm on the computer, or you can do
it using a DSP on the sound card itself.

The picture shows them using one valve in the whole card.  Presumably
they're using a pentode in the dual power output stage, meaning the
amplification from the D to A converter is obviously still done with
ICs/transistors.

The reason some guitar amplifiers use valves is due to their efficient
size to power output capacity.  Also the valves in these amplifiers
are sometimes biased to give special distortion characteristics.

So that sound card is just some weird gimmick to warrent them trying
to sell a sound card containing a $20 pentode for $200 more than what
you'd normally pay for an equivalent sound card.

Go figure...

[Castellen]

I forgot to mention, what would be cool is a whole sound card made
entirely from valves
Other than being totally pointless and a huge waste of space, time and
money, it would be amazing to see something like it in action.

Admittedly it would take up more area than your house, but
theortically it would work so long as you could get the D to A
converter running fast enough.

Well old things like flared trousers are coming back into fashion, why
not computers