[KeithMoonwannabe]

funny you say the people that posted bashing it never used it.

hmmm I guess that means I didn't use one for two years before I got my Focusrite Saffire Pro 10 i/o which was $400 new when I bought it and at the time the Firestudio was also $400.

The sound quality both for pres and conversion to my ears where a lot more pleasing on the Saffire.

The 26 i/o is on par with the newer Firestudio and is now cheaper because it's been replaced by the Saffire 40.

I mean really it's just funny to say stuff like that, generalizing and assuming what people have done. Now I can't speak for everyone who posted but I was a Presonus Firebox and Firepod user for years. I'm sure their newer stuff is nice I just prefer Focusrite, and for not much more money and a whole lot more functionality the yamaha N12 is my personal favorite for being realistic with a rig. Unless the new Saffire interface with liquid pres blows me away I'll likely be upgrading to an N12.

Presonus doesn't own the low end section of the market, that price range (around $600) is literally flooded with interfaces from Focusrite, MOTU, Lexicon, M-Audio, etc. They all have various pros and cons and ultimately you as a USER and CONSUMER will have to decide which meets your subjective wants (or needs).

Because it's so subjective and there are so many variables mileage will definitely vary. But I've used a lot of different setups, makes, and models of these units we discuss. I used to sell pro audio gear, a lot of which was computer based recording gear. So if I chime in my opinion it was based on experience with something. I will clearly state if I'm giving an opinion based off of what others have experienced.