Members TonyCrazyMan Posted July 30, 2005 Members Share Posted July 30, 2005 One thing that I've been constantly questioning since i got my RME Fireface 800 firewire audio interface is the real quality of the AD converter. It's the one thing that I'm most worried about is causing certain limitations on the things I record compared with what I'd like to achieve in terms of sound quality. My setup is really simple, it's because I really want the most out of what I've got when it comes to the sound. I really don't know how big the difference is between the RME Fireface 800 and a more expensive converter like for instance the Apogees. My understanding so far of the RME Fireface 800 is that it is quiet, I would say it is about as quiet as the top quality converters because I don't hear any "less" noise/hum on professionally made material . But when it comes to the actual sound I really don't know how much better it could sound with a better converter. With a PAS analyzer I learned that it is by nature pretty dark sounding, it had pretty much low frequencies and from about 1000 - 2000 Hz the frequency curve is diminishing all the way towards 18 Khz about 20-30 degrees even though the eq is reset on all devices in the chain. So to get brightness I need to equalize. I'm afraid though that by doing this EQ change I'm already facing a worse sound quality result than with a converter producing a brighter sound by nature. I have later also started thinking that bad AD conversion quality is best noticed at the lower end where it starts sounding like the sound would be inside a plastic box, which causes a somewhat more narrow stereo image and a rather blurry sound. Have any of you guys with more experiences than me tried out the RME Fireface 800 and compared its sound with the more expensive converters? Would you say it would be worth an upgrade due to what is added in terms of pristiness? I'm really interested in doing it if I know it would be worth it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members TonyCrazyMan Posted July 30, 2005 Author Members Share Posted July 30, 2005 BTW, I read that RME has got nominated for the "Best Digital Converter" at this year's Technical Excellence & Creativity Awards, 2005 TEC Nominee http://www.mixfoundation.org/tec/05nominees.html The RME Fireface 800 should at least be among the better converters out there. Will be interesting to see if the Rosetta 200 wins... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members TonyCrazyMan Posted July 30, 2005 Author Members Share Posted July 30, 2005 What I like about RME is their support with driver updates and manual update. For instance I just found out I can patch the interface with all these updates (which is really nice): - Includes an improved timing, which fixes two problems:: Single sample clicks on one channel, and errors during the flash process.- No BSOD anymore in case audio system stops due to external overload- Tooltip no longer sticky when 'Always On Top' is off- Systray context menu improved, new entry 'Matrix'- Matrix window titlebar shows current preset- Error in ASIO fixed (Reason 3)- Loss of data packets is displayed in the Settings dialog as >Errors- Automatic re-synchronization of the sample position after loss of data packet- Limiter in Instrument input can be switched off- Additional ASIO offset information- Performance improved when Matrix window is open- Tooltip is turned off when window is closed via ESC- Tooltip is turned off when mouse is moved quickly across the window border- Limiter in Instrument input can be switched off (firmware 2.03)- 2 sample offset on the ADAT ports in Double Speed mode removed- Firmware 1.98 fixes single sample clicks and flash update problems- Additional ASIO offset information (firmware 1.99)- Hardware revision displayed on About page in the Settings dialog- The current settings of the Settings dialog are stored in the registry (Win64) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members TonyCrazyMan Posted July 30, 2005 Author Members Share Posted July 30, 2005 I found some interesting comments on the web about how these two converters compare: "I have been working the with the rosetta 200, and it is waaaaaay better than the fireface. I have them both right here to compare, much better clock and especially the a/d is way better.I still think the fireface with a good clock is a good box." "the ad/da on the rosetta 800 are awesome. very liquid and warm.. the only difference between the units is the fireface is a little cold and brittle not much though. the fireface is best set of converters in its price range peach" "The Apogee will seem smoother (less jitter) and you will be able to hear what is in your mix better." "So then I stepped up to an Apogee Rosetta 200 AD/DA and was astonished by the improvement it made to tracking on the front end, mixing via a vastly superior DA, and even diy mastering utilizing the UV22HR and the Aptomizer functions." "The clock on the rosetta 200 also does wonders for the 002 converters. It was quite an obvious difference." I think my sensitive ears have given me the true information about RME Fireface 800, the AD is "only good", not great. I need an ad converter in another price range. The above comments also supports my intuition. I think I will upgrade to a Rosetta 200 soon, partly because I've realised 2 inputs is really enough for me it seems like in practise. It's all these small differences that makes the biggest impact on the final quality, so paying attention to details is a rather important thing to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members TB-AV Posted July 30, 2005 Members Share Posted July 30, 2005 Have you check out the Mytek line? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Funkwave Posted July 30, 2005 Members Share Posted July 30, 2005 Originally posted by TonyCrazyMan "I have been working the with the rosetta 200, and it is waaaaaay better than the fireface. I have them both right here to compare, much better clock and especially the a/d is way better.I still think the fireface with a good clock is a good box."" Tony, what about the difference between an interface and a actual stand alone converter?? It was my understanding that converters are used in conjunction with the interface before the sound hits the hard drive. IOW, signal- interface- converters- print ????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Funkwave Posted July 30, 2005 Members Share Posted July 30, 2005 Ok I think I can answer my own question. The Rosetta can plug directly into an Hd sysytem?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members TonyCrazyMan Posted July 30, 2005 Author Members Share Posted July 30, 2005 Have you check out the Mytek line? Yes I have, a little. I have downloaded the sound samples and compared the quality. I didn't have decent speakers at hands then though so I didn't hear any difference. I have a feeling though that the Rosetta 200 is better, the Rosetta 200 might really be one of the best sounding converters made so far and cheap enough due to only two inputs/outputs! But have you heard that they might be even sweeter sounding than the Rosetta 200?! Tony, what about the difference between an interface and a actual stand alone converter??It was my understanding that converters are used in conjunction with the interface before the sound hits the hard drive. IOW, signal- interface- converters- print ?????Ok I think I can answer my own question. The Rosetta can plug directly into an Hd sysytem?? Yes, that's right. You can use it either way. You can of course use it together with the RME Fireface 800 audio interface like this: Input Signal -> Rosetta 200 AD conversion -> RME Fireface 800 -> Sequencer -> Hard Drive -> Sequencer -> RME Fireface 800 -> Rosetta 200 DA conversion -> Output Signal But also like this: Input Signal -> Rosetta 200 AC conversion -> (X-firewire card) -> Sequencer -> Hard Drive -> Sequencer -> (X-firewire card) -> Rosetta 200 DA conversion -> Output Signal For me the first alternative would be cheaper. If I'm still not satisifed I could buy the X-firewire card and run completely through the Apogee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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