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19th September 2009
| #1 |
| Lives for gear Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 1,026
Thread Starter | What is the best AD converter you worked with?
Hi, I almost never plugged my headphones into the Andromeda A6, and it was always connected to my MOTU ultralite interface. For a while, I was complaining the FX on the A6 SUCKS, and that the Reverb / Delay / ... sounded weak through my KRK RP-8s Then 2 days ago, I plugged my Sony MDR-7506 headphones straight into the A6, and boy let me tell you, the sounds were SOAKED in reverb. I mean what a difference!! I cant even put it on to full volume, its too loud! Even on my MOTU when I turn the pre-amp up to 0db, it still doesnt sound anywhere near as good as it does straight from the A6. Same thing with my Roland TR-909. When I plug it straight to my monitors, the kick drum just destroys everything, I mean it pumps like crazy, but when I run it through my MOTU the quality gets decreased by a lot. So...I came to this conclusion: the AD converters on the MOTU are CRAP!!! I mean there is no point to buy expensive equipment and get crap converters, because you won't get what you paid for. Now I guess it will never sound the same as going pure analog with no conversion (for example, headphones straight to the unit) as when running through an AD converter, but I guess the better the converter, the closer it will sound to pure analog? What were the best AD converters you ever used?? Thanks!  |
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19th September 2009
| #2 |
| Lives for gear Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 2,243
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In before space2012 floods the thread  |
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19th September 2009
| #3 |
| Lives for gear  Joined: May 2005 Location: Hollyweird
Posts: 7,624
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Prism ADA 8XR For similair quality at earth prices, try the Prism Orpheus. Then Apogee 16x get my next vote. -Andrews  |
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19th September 2009
| #4 | |
| 3 + infractions, forum membership suspended. Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 1,978
| Quote:
the better the converter & clock the similar to analog. ... Is not only the AD, also the DA, and the software, the clock, the digital cables, & the AC power quality. Logic is 100% transparent also Sonar 8Pe with 64-bit engine activated. ... UA 2192 the best DA ive heard, transparent AD, but... Burl B2 great AD Manley Slam! Digital with clean signal path is great AD, Pacific Microsonics Crane Song HEDD-192 Lynx Aurora benchmark adc-1 Lucid 88192 Apogee AD-16X iz radar focusrite liquid channel / 4pre digi 888/24 Roland Vs2480cd / MMP-2 mytek 8x192 weiss etc... Lynx Aurora is warm, an with a good ext.clock is verry dynamic AD, only 16-T can be calibrated. Apogee AD-16X not as dynamic, but comes with a Big Ben C777 clock included, and analog gains can be calibrated. behringer ultramatch src 2496 is a verry nice Bang for the $$. Found: Lavry Gold AD122-96MKIII vs. Apogee AD-16x Found: Apogee Rosetta800 A/D vs. Burl Audio B2 ADC A-D Conversion Test & Redux Found: Digital Cable Differences RME 9632 Vs. Motu 828 Audio Mytek converter v.s. Digi 002 converter:A/B Test here! Found: Fireface 400 vs Konnekt 48 converter loop test w/example YouTube: WordClock Drift Test Jitter!!! please let me listen some!!! Black Lion Sparrow vs. Lynx Aurora Apogee VS Universal Audio A/D conversion Original Audio vs Single through Profire Converters Apogee VS Universal Audio A/D conversion Converters: Black Lion Sparrow vs. Behringer Ultramatch Pro Lynx Aurora clocked with INT AND EXT with Ishochrone. Found: Rosetta 200 vs. Aurora 16 vs. M-Audio - The "test" SSL Alpha Link AX vs. Apogee Rosetta 800 vs. Lucid ADA8824 Apogee VS Universal Audio A/D conversion test A/D D/A - without personal bias & without ears! Steinberg MR816 vs. others... M-Audio Profire 2626 vs. Amek + Digi 192 IO peeder's Completely Obnoxious Converter Shootout e-mu planet phat -->imp2-->john hardy m-1 vs. Original E-mu Phat Soundfont.sf2 "DRY" Motu 896 vs Mackie Onyx 800R vs Digidesign 003 mic pre shoot out look no more! Apogee Rosetta 800 vs. Digimax/003 6 audio interfaces--an unscientific shootout of sorts Preamp & Converter test Liquid Channel Replica Shootout Pt.10 Black Lion mod for M-Audio FW1814 Converter test | |
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19th September 2009
| #5 |
| Lives for gear  Joined: Nov 2005 Location: S.F bay area
Posts: 2,302
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These are the best I have used: For two channel tracking and stereo mixdown, Pacific Microsonics. For 24 channel D/A when mixing DAW projects on an analog desk, Euphonix 24 channel D/A converters. |
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19th September 2009
| #6 |
| Gear maniac  Joined: Dec 2007 Location: Victoria B.C.
Posts: 262
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Not an orpheus by any means...but side by side, my Konnekt 48 definitely sounded better than an ultralite.
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19th September 2009
| #7 | |
| Lives for gear  | Quote:
For me in my limited experience the best I've heard is AD16X. .
__________________ "It's like a throbbing jellyfish of low end" Joseph Micolo New remixes out now Erik Tronik & Secret Groovers - Test Model (Michael Lovatt Remix) Ricky Sinz - Oh You (Michael Lovatt's More Wood Remix) Latest releases here & here | |
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19th September 2009
| #8 |
| Lives for gear  Joined: Jan 2008 Location: London
Posts: 839
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Well at least space2012 is consistent we'll give him that. He's a man on a crusade that's for sure. Such passion.  Actually read the digital cable link he posted, yesterday - and Dan Lavry was telling him it takes a badly designed D/A (or whatever) to be susceptible enough to cable jitter to make a difference. Oh well, guess as a consumer we don't know which ones are badly designed or not. To be honest I can't tell the difference between the original source and the recorded version on my MR816X - but maybe it's just me (my monitors are only mid-range/room not great, so who knows). Anyway I've had a few beers and there is some top electronica playing at the moment on Internet radio (if you can get over the quality) so I'll stop posting cr*p on here (maybe).... |
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25th December 2011
| #10 |
| Lives for gear  Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 2,024
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So Far over last 15 years i used many converters  and here is list by how much i like them!!1. Iz Radar ( ADA converters) 2. Ensoniq Paris DAW converters 3. Crane song hedd 4. PrismSOUND Orpheus 5. Apogee 16x 6. Lynx 7. Apogee 800 8. SSL Alphalink at 96K 9. ALESIS HD24XR 10. ADAT XT .. yeah .. I heard recordings made on Burl B80 but I still wanna try it in person! also I heard ... PT 192, Motu HD192, MOTU - all of their converters, Multiface, tascams, akais, mackie , yamaha... converters make huge difference did some AB tests with Junos , 909 and Moogs in mackie, yamaha and other converters... never liked what came out after AD DA so ... Ill use Iz Corp ADA now for some time .. 
__________________ www.syntheticarts.com Brain is CV controlled device!!!!!! so we all are analog sequenced machines!!!! " ROBOTS " |
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25th December 2011
| #11 |
| Lives for gear Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 690
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that's why i upgraded my converters! welcome to the reference audio addiction... you'll never going to get out of it though. but you'll have to change speakers before the interface... that's the main problem now and roginator we need some demos of your new converters and the modularss e  !oops
__________________ Last edited by Resonance5; 25th December 2011 at 10:51 PM.. Reason: 2009... |
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28th December 2011
| #12 |
| Gear maniac Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 179
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I have a question here .. where do the more affordable pro units like RME F400/800, babyface and duet rate in comparison to these? I mean I can understand that Sting and Björk and the superstar studios alike or high end studios recording classical scores (where capturing every nuance is at-most important), will only go with top of the line kit, like this ... But for elektronic dance music ... is it worth it.. and by that I mean is there going to be a very minor difference in audio quality? or very noticeable difference? or is it actually night and day scenario? |
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28th December 2011
| #13 |
| Gear maniac  Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 281
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A/B ing a string synth for example (with ensemble on - good reference as very complex evolving waveforms) into a desk to your monitors vs into the desk to soundcard/daw and to your monitors was very revealing for me...quite depressing really! My body just didn't react in the same positive way to the sound once it had been through the conversion. Made me go out and get a better soundcard very quickly...pleased to say things are a lot better now...but not perfect. I wonder if it ever can be...I know these debates go on and on - I actually think not everyone can tell...I'm really sensitive to emfs for example and cant even use my laptop now without my body going haywire and starting to hurt--people think I'm mad when I mention it... Guess hearing/feeling sound might be just as different between people. |
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28th December 2011
| #14 |
| Lives for gear  | |
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28th December 2011
| #15 |
| Gear maniac Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 205
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Whats your budget? for under $2000 i would go either for Metric Halo 2882 or Apogee Ensemble, you get 8 analog i/o in both cases
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28th December 2011
| #16 |
| Gear maniac Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 281
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+1 metric halo
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28th December 2011
| #17 |
| Gear maniac Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 179
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I can stretch the budget as long as I´m not paying for a placebo effect.. but I defiantly know where: ´´you can feel it ´´is coming from ... I have a 808 and there are invisible overtones /harmonics that you can´t hear but you can feel ... this is very provable when you say take the best 808 vst emulator (which in some online videos sounds the same as a real 808 when A/B) and add distortion, I´ve done this comparison in the studio and when you add harmonic distortion it really brings out all this invisibility/feel and the 808 sounds larger than life while the vst sounds meh .. but again this might not be the case if I had a high end convertors ...hence the curiosity I assume one can compare the specs mensurable freq range ect .. but then again that behiringer thread is quite the high end party stopper.. to be honest I´m leaning towards RME at the moment .. |
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28th December 2011
| #18 | |
| Gear maniac Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 281
| Quote:
RME def feature packed - I did loads of research as have prob you...can end up going round in circles very easily All I can say re. metric halo uln2 is that I don't get that depressing feeling anyore...the conversion on it reproduces 'happy' sound | |
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28th December 2011
| #19 |
| Gear maniac Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 179
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Hey Cpie... thanx for the excellent recommendation!! I think you saved me a few cycles  ...
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28th December 2011
| #20 | |
| Lives for gear  Joined: Oct 2008 Location: fear and loathing across the country, listening to my 8-track
Posts: 2,561
| Quote:
if you ever get the opportunity. I've got the Red here now for testing, been using it the last 2 days... and now I absolutely must compare it to a White. Using Wordclock with proper termination and a Hammer DSP PCIe card, so no firewire... | |
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28th December 2011
| #21 | |
| Gear maniac Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 281
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28th December 2011
| #22 | |
| Gear addict Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 445
| Quote:
Its just the way you describe the obvious drop in quality makes me think something could be wrong. You should struggle to hear any difference. Even if you had a superbly treated room and equally superb speakers the difference shouldn't be like Wow! that's so obvious.
__________________ http://www.youtube.com/user/harrymer...ature=mhee#p/f | |
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29th December 2011
| #23 | |
| Lives for gear Joined: Oct 2008 Location: fear and loathing across the country, listening to my 8-track
Posts: 2,561
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29th December 2011
| #24 |
| Gear maniac Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 172
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Burl Sssshhh I didn't say that |
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