Hi, I'm new to these boards. I've been recording on a low budget system for around three years now. The interface I am using is a Tascam US122l. Up until now I've been satisfied with it for my needs, but I've just built a new PC specifically for recording. It's got 16 gigs of RAM and an AMD Zambezi 8 core processor. Needless to say, an interface upgrade Is well overdue.

I'd like to keep my setup as minimalist as possible. I was thinking of buying a tube preamp, ART $200 range, and the HDSPe RayDat so I can take advantage of my Pci-e slot. So if I buy these two components, will I have to also buy a ad/da converter? I'm trying to get a very clear and present sound with little tone coloration. Does the RayDat have decent converters built in?