@vagabond:
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Does this mean that the MOTU Ultralite will perform as well as the fireface 400 w.r.t. A/D/A ?
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Doubtful, though I have not carried out direct A/B tests myself. A large body of opinion suggests that the Fireface units sound much better than the MOTU firewire units (Ultralite, Traveler and 828mk2). The reasons for this are threefold: 1. Much higher quality analog stages (all input circuitry prior to the actual converter). The improvements include but are not limited to the mic pres of the unit. 2. Wordclock generator. RME units have the steadyclock function which massively improves wordclock accuracy; inaccuracies of the wordclock lead to sonic smudging and lack of detail. 3. Internal resolution of the supporting architecture on the digital side. The design of the RME allows for a significant amount of digital makeup gain to be applied to the inputs with no loss of signal precision. This and all other operations in the digital domain happen at a higher precision than the sample bitdepth resulting in a very 'true' signal that's finally passed to/from the host. To further corroborate the above, note that Black Lion Audio will upgrade the MOTU products' analog and wordclock stages which reportedly improve the sonic performance of those units substantially.
I would suggest if you were going to make this kind of upgrade you would be better off replacing the Presonus Firebox with one of these units. When I made this decision, sound quality was paramount; for me in the end the RME was the clear winner in terms of sound quality, at its price point. It also had an impressive and flexible feature-set and has so far been rock stable in operation. Although (as you say) the Presonus units represent great value for money, I am confident that you will notice a significant leap in sonic performance with the RME, as well as gaining the extra I/O you need.
The separate DAC option will address your output issues (to whatever quality determined by the quality of DAC you buy) but it will not benefit the quality of your recordings. It is probably least appealing in cost/benefit terms.
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I have not heard the Ultralite nor the Fireface 400. Are they really worth the money? I think the Firebox is a great performer for the price ($299).
Does the Ultralite sound about 2x as good as Firebox (as the price suggests)?
For that matter, does the Fireface 400 sound 3x better? I am mainly digitizing my vinyl at 24-bit/44.1KHz.
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These questions are more subjective. In my opinion, as an engineer and as someone with (again imo!) a very good pair of ears, the RME gear stacks up sonically very well against equipment costing 2-3 times the price. By that measurement, they represent excellent value for money. Also, their features, flexibility and drivers are pretty excellent - that makes them really usable in all kinds of situations - stand alone, portable (laptop) recording, studio monitoring, studio recording/monitoring etc. etc..
The Ultralite has certain benefits. It has a nicer interface, has a slightly higher quality construction and has an analog control for the main monitor outs. The RME's digital control(s) scared me in the beginning but having used them with no nasties at all I can happily say I'm now comfortable to hook up my £2,000 powered monitors straight to the unit. I know the 828mk2 unit quite well having used them in various recording and monitoring situations - the Ultralite and Traveler are based on the same design and component costings as the 828 so I imagine those units will sound similar. Sadly, I was not impressed with their sound for the money - what you are getting for your buck is more I/O, solid drivers and good quality construction, rather than the best sound you can get for your money. I expect that the MOTU will sound better than the Presonus but not significantly; the RME on the other hand will really impress you. Is that 2x, 3x better? who knows - Each product is different and based around a different set of priorities and philosophies.
I will also say that in A/B simple listening tests the RME 400 (with different monitoring configurations but of approximately similar cost) seems to stack up very well against the Metric Halo ULN2, a 2x2 analog channel unit (with pres) costing a good $400 more than the (8x8) FF 400. These comparisons have not been at all scientific but I'm not really hearing the kind of difference I would expect with the cost and I/O differences between these units.
To sum up, I don't think any of this kit represents "bad" value really. It depends on your priorities. But I can highly recommend the RME Fireface 400 and if you sell your Presonus you will take a big step up. You'll also put around $200 towards the RME.
Happy New Year - z.
Tip. Whatever you choose, find a store who'll supply it on approval - I did. If you're really not happy after a week or so, send it back.