Behavior At 24 Bits/96 KHz
Increasing the sampling frequency to 96 kHz didn't really improve performance, and it even fell off very slightly. This type of card is not really optimized to operate at such high sampling frequencies (except for playback mode). Concerning frequency response, note that it doesn't extend any higher, with the same sudden cutoff at 20 kHz.
- Frequency response (20 Hz - 20 kHz) : +0.02, -0.47 dB
- Weighted signal-to-noise ratio : 95.4 dB(A)
- Distortion : 0.011 %
- Stereo separation : 91.8 dB
No change in this area, with the cutoff still at 20 kHz...
The results for noise were very much the same, but slightly better than at 48 kHz, which is logical.
The same phenomenon we observed for noise, with a slight slippage in performance.
Except for random variations, performance was identical.
Again the result was in line with what we might have expected - very similar to the results at 48 kHz.
As for the other measurements, there's a very slight deterioration - which will obviously be imperceptible - compared to 48 kHz.
Overall, the Fortissimo 4 offers good performance with no weak points, making it more than sufficient for multimedia and gaming use. Of course, its performance falls short of what certain high-end models-and obviously professional cards-can do, but for gamers and high-quality sound lovers, the difference surely won't be perceptible.
