Lynx Aurora 16

[steveschizoid]

So here I am awaiting my new Aurora 16 with some anticipation , (tempered with the understanding that the RME AES PCIe card wont be out for a month) it's 3:40 and I can't sleep for some reason , and I've suddenly realized that I am going to have to buy at least 6 DSub cables. Some (like Mytek's) are very expensive, some (Hosa) are nowhere near as expensive, and some are midway.



any helpful thoughts, opinions, recommendations?


No jokes about sleeping medication please!

[jho]

Originally Posted by steveschizoid

So here I am awaiting my new Aurora 16 with some anticipation , (tempered with the understanding that the RME AES PCIe card wont be out for a month) it's 3:40 and I can't sleep for some reason , and I've suddenly realized that I am going to have to buy at least 6 DSub cables. Some (like Mytek's) are very expensive, some (Hosa) are nowhere near as expensive, and some are midway.



any helpful thoughts, opinions, recommendations?


No jokes about sleeping medication please!

Redco Audio

Ask for Chris Stubbs

[Cabbage]

Originally Posted by steveschizoid

So here I am awaiting my new Aurora 16 with some anticipation , (tempered with the understanding that the RME AES PCIe card wont be out for a month) it's 3:40 and I can't sleep for some reason , and I've suddenly realized that I am going to have to buy at least 6 DSub cables. Some (like Mytek's) are very expensive, some (Hosa) are nowhere near as expensive, and some are midway.



any helpful thoughts, opinions, recommendations?


No jokes about sleeping medication please!

I have mine connected to a TRS patch bay, so the cables will not be touched. I figured HOSA was good enough for this even though they are not very durable. Some believe there is a difference in sound of different cables, I don't.

Petter

[Shaman]

I recently had the aurora 16 at my place and compared it with my 192s clocked by big ben and the converter in my 1073 dpd.

My test setup was:

dpa 4006-tl into three way mic splitter into gml 8304 directly into the 3 different converters digitally into PT to different tracks.
Comparing small sections of level matched signals in SOLO through the same Grace m906 DAC.

The difference was VERY, VERY small to my ears and the ears of the other two engineers present and absolutely redundand.
Having said this I´m impressed with what you get for the money from lynx in comparison to what 3 192s cost.

Night & day difference...simply not for me.

The aurora sounded 1% brighter at 12k.
The neve sounded 1% softer.
The 192 sounded 1% more neutral...oh well...

All that ADC debate has reached a point where it gets ridiculous IMO.
I´m getting all the colour from mic choice/placement/mic pre/ outboard choice but with 192s, aurora or whatever similar I´m able to get everywhere I want.

Converters in this range nowadays have reached such a high level that everyone can be happy IMO.
Especially at the price point of the aurora.

[francois]

Originally Posted by Shaman

I recently had the aurora 16 at my place and compared it with my 192s clocked by big ben and the converter in my 1073 dpd.

My test setup was:

dpa 4006-tl into three way mic splitter into gml 8304 directly into the 3 different converters digitally into PT to different tracks.
Comparing small sections of level matched signals in SOLO through the same Grace m906 DAC.

The difference was VERY, VERY small to my ears and the ears of the other two engineers present and absolutely redundand.
Having said this I´m impressed with what you get for the money from lynx in comparison to what 3 192s cost.

Night & day difference...simply not for me.

The aurora sounded 1% brighter at 12k.
The neve sounded 1% softer.
The 192 sounded 1% more neutral...oh well...

All that ADC debate has reached a point where it gets ridiculous IMO.
I´m getting all the colour from mic choice/placement/mic pre/ outboard choice but with 192s, aurora or whatever similar I´m able to get everywhere I want.

Converters in this range nowadays have reached such a high level that everyone can be happy IMO.
Especially at the price point of the aurora.

You just did the A/d test from what I read, something that I did not do and that's good to know that the aurora is a good deal for A/Ds.
Know do the same test with the D/A of your aurora and compare it to your Grace D/A(I never tried the Grace but it should do it) and you might see my point about the D/A of the aurora
Francois

[CoteRotie]

Originally Posted by jho

Redco Audio

Ask for Chris Stubbs

+1

I wouldn't use the Hosa stuff, though if you have them hooked to a patch bay and never touch them they might be OK. The first time that you spend 2 hours trying to track down which cable is causing your hum, noise, pops, etc, you'll wish you spent a little more for quality cables.

The Redco stuff is good, and not super expensive.

Regards,

John

[ImJohn]

Originally Posted by jho

Redco Audio

Ask for Chris Stubbs

+1! I'd go with Redco.

I ordered a 5 foot db25 to xlr AES breakout cable for my RME AES32 card from Redco using their online cable builder tool here Redco Audio

Mogami digital cable, metal hooded db25 connecctor and black/gold Nuetrik XLR connectors. Only $98 plus shipping.

I ordered it on a Sunday night and they shipped it on Monday!

doesn't get better than that! thumbsup

[Squawk]

I have an aurora 16 and plan on getting another one soon.

They sound good and are an excellent value.

They do run hot, and I went through two defective (new) units in a row before the third one was working properly, so I'm not sure what the deal is with Lynx, either I was just unlucky or their QC has been sub par in the past.

If you can, I would test it in the store, or get the dealer to quickly test it before it ships if you are ordering it to make sure all channels work etc.

Apart from that, yes, I would recommend these units.

[fooman]

They run hot, but realize they can be turned off (or put into sleep mode if you want to get specific).

My rack get a bit heated in longer sessions, but keep space b/w the Lynx and other units and you should be ok. I've heard of malfunctioning units tho, so the guy above me isn't alone.

[raal]

fingers crossed but the unit has worked fine here. no issues.

[barryjohns]

Originally Posted by Squawk

I have an aurora 16 and plan on getting another one soon.

They sound good and are an excellent value.

They do run hot, and I went through two defective (new) units in a row before the third one was working properly, so I'm not sure what the deal is with Lynx, either I was just unlucky or their QC has been sub par in the past.

If you can, I would test it in the store, or get the dealer to quickly test it before it ships if you are ordering it to make sure all channels work etc.

Apart from that, yes, I would recommend these units.

I think it was just some bad luck or something. I've owned both an Aurora 8 and a 16 and both were flawless. Not that really means anything, but what I can add is that when I did all my homework prior to purchasing my first Lynx Aurora (keep in mind, I do extensive homework), I've never read about any quality or manufacturing issues on those units.

I am a huge fan; simply because of the quality for price ratio blows so many other great converters out of the water. Where else can you get 16 channels of awesome I/O that works via FW, AES, Adat, and integrates perfectly in to Protools HD for 2600.00 new, plus the cost of the I/O card that you need?

If they can make a PCIe AES card that has the same performance as Apogee's Symphony Card that will be amazing. I know they are already overdue on their PCIe version, but it will be very interesting to see what kind of latency specs it ends up at.

Apogee makes really great stuff, but IMHO, Apogee is going to have to lower their prices on the Rosetta Line and come out with a 16 I/O unit that compares to the Aurora 16 with the same I/O options, especially Protools HD and AES and in a much closer price point than an AD16 and a DA16. The AD/DA are great conversion, but very pricey. If they can lower the price of the Rosetta line and make a Rosetta 1600 that would do it. For me at least.

[kellyd]

Been hammering on 2 Aurora 16s for the last 6 months. Flawless.

[sfere recording]

+10 on the Lynx

aes-16> aurora 16 here...

coming from a Rosetta 800 AND a Prism ada-8

got the 16 on a try and buy from my local GC Pro for a week.

A/b'd the 3 to death....

conclusion?

Prism AND the Rosetta Ebay'ed...LMAO

put it this way...

The 16 ALMOST has the depth, top end clarity and spatial detail of a Prism ADA-8
while ALMOST retaining that low mid bump that I loved off of the Rosetta 800 but being a little more true to the source. Hence being an incredible and totally underrated solution of spending the 2.5k and 10k for the prism and rosetta.

Honestly you can't go wrong...I'm still amazed that I didn't dig the prism and got rid of it.

To quote a close friend of mine to which i asked after hearing the Prism in my studio...

Yo..KC when is better not better?

Friend: "When you're not happy!"

that was the end all be all for me LOL!

btw same thing happenned to me re: PT HD2 and Nuendo 4.....PT HD2 tried..found it a bit unintuitive compared to my usage of N4 and it was ebay'ed LMAO! I wasn't happy! hahahahaha!

laters
df

[crypticglobe]

Originally Posted by francois

How many people in this thread are selling the Aurora for a living ?
How many actually A/B the aurora D/A with the 192 ?
Can somebody who owns both unit upload A/B audio files of both A/D converters ?

As for the D/A converter part:
dfegadaurora D/A
Sorry I could not resist finally using the monkey ,I was on a quest for great D/A converters in the last 3 month and got to A/B a few.
The aurora's D/A were at the bottom of the barrel, the 192 D/A scored better in my book.
Once again I did not try the A/D side of the Aurora ,they have to be the greatest for people to rave about them so much , the price is right for 16 inputs,is it?

I am not selling them for a living, could have had anything when I went to put 48 channels of converters in my studio, and think you must have been on some serious drug when you picked the 192 over the aurora (though I mean that in the friendliest way possible).

Anyway... Auroras won for me in a blind shootout over everything but the UA2192's. Well... and I guess that was the ONE thing I could not afford 48 channels of.

jmtc..

[sfere recording]

Originally Posted by crypticglobe

........ think you must have been on some serious drug when you picked the 192 over the aurora (though I mean that in the friendliest way possible)...

Ya know....you just totally said what i was thinking when I saw that post. I was like HUH? Had to be something wrong there. Clock? Clock source...something was definitely wrong.
But as Fletcher says YMMV and we all know...some peeps like oranges but I myself like mangoes..so there ya go! LOL

[Squawk]

Originally Posted by barryjohns

I think it was just some bad luck or something. I've owned both an Aurora 8 and a 16 and both were flawless. Not that really means anything, but what I can add is that when I did all my homework prior to purchasing my first Lynx Aurora (keep in mind, I do extensive homework), I've never read about any quality or manufacturing issues on those units.

I am a huge fan; simply because of the quality for price ratio blows so many other great converters out of the water. Where else can you get 16 channels of awesome I/O that works via FW, AES, Adat, and integrates perfectly in to Protools HD for 2600.00 new, plus the cost of the I/O card that you need?

If they can make a PCIe AES card that has the same performance as Apogee's Symphony Card that will be amazing. I know they are already overdue on their PCIe version, but it will be very interesting to see what kind of latency specs it ends up at.

Apogee makes really great stuff, but IMHO, Apogee is going to have to lower their prices on the Rosetta Line and come out with a 16 I/O unit that compares to the Aurora 16 with the same I/O options, especially Protools HD and AES and in a much closer price point than an AD16 and a DA16. The AD/DA are great conversion, but very pricey. If they can lower the price of the Rosetta line and make a Rosetta 1600 that would do it. For me at least.

Yup, might have just been bad luck. Anyway, I can't wait to get a second one. Nothing comes close for the price.

[thedommer]

price point of these seems awesome. anyone compared them to lavry blue or gold?..mytek?

[NoizyNinja]

Very subtle difference between the Lavry Blue's and The Aurora 16 IMO. Slightly more high end on the Lavry and the Aurora seems 'softer'. Both are awesome. I think the Aurora is an incredible deal. I'm selling my Rosetta 800 not because the Aurora blew it away sound wise but for the amount of ins/outs you get for the money.

I think the Aurora vs. Apogee discussion is moot at this point. There is a difference and it's a taste thing. I can work with either but the value of the Aurora is excellent. If the prices were flipped I'd be using Apogee.

The only issue I'm having is occasional latency problems which work themselves out after I restart the unit. I am using the Firewire card. Paul at Lynx suggested having the Aurora as the only thing on the FW bus which has helped but din't fix the issue 100%. There seems to be some weirdness with Logic and the FW card in the Aurora. It is quirky sometimes but a restart fixes it.

[thedommer]

Originally Posted by NoizyNinja

Very subtle difference between the Lavry Blue's and The Aurora 16 IMO. Slightly more high end on the Lavry and the Aurora seems 'softer'. Both are awesome. I think the Aurora is an incredible deal. I'm selling my Rosetta 800 not because the Aurora blew it away sound wise but for the amount of ins/outs you get for the money.

I think the Aurora vs. Apogee discussion is moot at this point. There is a difference and it's a taste thing. I can work with either but the value of the Aurora is excellent. If the prices were flipped I'd be using Apogee.

The only issue I'm having is occasional latency problems which work themselves out after I restart the unit. I am using the Firewire card. Paul at Lynx suggested having the Aurora as the only thing on the FW bus which has helped but din't fix the issue 100%. There seems to be some weirdness with Logic and the FW card in the Aurora. It is quirky sometimes but a restart fixes it.

interesting. Ill have to give them a listen. I rarely record more then 4 tracks at once although sometimes I do need more. So I was looking at the blues as a next converter because I can just buy a few and if I need more eventually pick them up. Id rather go for a few converters that are higher quality then lots that are lower. but if the difference really is that minimal then Ill ldefinately look into the aurora.

[mixerguy]

Originally Posted by thedommer

price point of these seems awesome. anyone compared them to lavry...... gold?

Would you expect a Honda to perform as well as a Ferrari?

just an analogy.... but hopefully you'll get my drift.....

Why should cheaper hardware perform as well as very expensive, top end hardware?

[sfere recording]

this analogy holds no weight!!! I had a prism ada-8 which i gave up for an aurora 16!!!! 5x the money...5x the pleasure? LOL NOPE!

To each their own...but you cannot judge a product by it's price point...rather by it's usability in situations that are common to your work practice and genre. The Lynx showed me this in a big way. Not to be offensive but that's a bit of an ignorant statement especially since this is gearslutz. tutt

I considered other "top/high end" products as price was no object for my tools....but they did nothing for me and the sound I was looking for. Only the 16 made sense as a bit of a compromise in the things i was looking for.

[NoizyNinja]

Originally Posted by mixerguy

Would you expect a Honda to perform as well as a Ferrari?

just an analogy.... but hopefully you'll get my drift.....

Why should cheaper hardware perform as well as very expensive, top end hardware?

A Honda performs better in terms of mpg thumbsup

[barryjohns]

Originally Posted by NoizyNinja

A Honda performs better in terms of mpg thumbsup

I've got a buddy who's got a '74 Chevy Pickup truck that has been the most solid vehicle built and will most likely out live us all. I've been to China, the same guy making your name brand clothes are in the same plant with the same materials, making the stuff you've never heard of selling for a fraction of the price. But at the end of the day, the cheap stuff is just as good if not the same as he expensive "name brand stuff". This is not always true, but around here, I find it true a lot.

[Empire Prod]

Originally Posted by NoizyNinja

A Honda performs better in terms of mpg thumbsup

Thanks Man! I actually Laughed Out Loud!

Sooooooo true!

[lee52813]

Originally Posted by tool

hello,

Anybody using a combination of aurora 16 and 8 on protools HD?
Does this work/is this possible?

greets

i use aurora 16 and 96 i/o (used as Solid FX Send Rtn interface),working very smoothly.
they r in the same port linking in Core Card My PT3(PCIe).aurora 16 conecting direct to
my neve 8816.

[mixerguy]

Originally Posted by sfere recording

this analogy holds no weight!!! I had a prism ada-8 which i gave up for an aurora 16!!!! 5x the money...5x the pleasure? LOL NOPE!

To each their own...but you cannot judge a product by it's price point...rather by it's usability in situations that are common to your work practice and genre. The Lynx showed me this in a big way. Not to be offensive but that's a bit of an ignorant statement especially since this is gearslutz. tutt

I considered other "top/high end" products as price was no object for my tools....but they did nothing for me and the sound I was looking for. Only the 16 made sense as a bit of a compromise in the things i was looking for.

Well, we’ll have to agree to disagree then.

I also never said that Ferrari that costs 10x a Honda performs 10x better…

I merely said that generally speaking, a Ferrari performed better than a Honda. When I said “performed” I was speaking about things like braking, acceleration, cornering ability… all the usual car tests. (sorry if I wasn’t clear) It may well be a small improvement… but yes, better performance (in a car magazine perspective, such as Road and Track), in my opinion.

I also think that the analogy DOES hold weight. In most other industries, it is generally accepted that the more expensive tool of the trade do perform, in some ways, better than the cheap tools. It may be a SMALL increase in performance relative to the price you pay… and yes… many or most people may not notice the difference… but for the top pros it tends to be a ‘game of inches’

Example - the Canon “L” series of camera lenses. They cost a bunch more, and you could argue that most people won’t notice the difference.… however they perform MEASURABLY better in subtle ways…. sharpness, freedom from flare, low resolution details, etc etc. When a pro photographer takes an awesome picture, and it is on the cover of National Geographic… and you see the amazing (sharp, clear) photo (that has lots of detail) the “L” series lens has helped the photographer get that top result. A game of inches, as I said.

So it is not about “judging a product by it’s price point” … quite the opposite - rather the question: why should a cheaper piece of equipment (hardware, gear, converter, camera lens) perform as well as a more expensive product? Well.… when it comes to gear, in some situations… it shouldn’t!

Now don’t get me wrong - I’m the first to admit that a $100 SM 57 is often the right microphone for the job - rather than any more costly mic. Mics are a wonderful exception to this whole debate. I think my camera lens analogy is much better at showing what I’m speaking of…. (as it relates well to the whole discussion of analog to digital converters ...and digital to analog converters: qualifiable and measurable performance differences)

Originally Posted by barryjohns

…..I've been to China, the same guy making your name brand clothes are in the same plant with the same materials, making the stuff you've never heard of selling for a fraction of the price. But at the end of the day, the cheap stuff is just as good if not the same as he expensive "name brand stuff". This is not always true, but around here, I find it true a lot.

Ahhhhhhh ….. are Hondas and Ferraris made by the same guy, at the same plant from the same materials?

Similarly - are Lavry Gold converters and Lynx Aurora converters made by the same guy, at the same plant from the same materials?

And Barry - I’m curious - can you give me a couple of examples of some cheap audio hardware that is “just as good if not the same as the expensive stuff”? I’d love to buy some cheap audio hardware and save some of my hard earned $ …. by not buying the expensive, handmade, boutique audio hardware that I tend to buy.

[wirerecording]

i sold my 192's for a pair of aurora 16's, built 2 more harnesses and now have 32x32 instead of 24x24 with no additional outlay of cash. (running PT HD 3 accel 7.3)) Not having compared the 192 and the aurora side by side i can only say that to my ears i lost no sound quality. While the auroras do run very hot, their smaller size lets more ac flow around inside the iso box keeping the temp lower than when i had the 192s. My only problems are the time it takes for the auroras to lock in when i do sample rate changes, and the auroras can only do 20 channels of 192. These small problems don't dampen my enthusiasm for the auroras...I am very glad to have made the change

stuart

[NoizyNinja]

Originally Posted by wirerecording

My only problems are the time it takes for the auroras to lock in when i do sample rate changes, and the auroras can only do 20 channels of 192. These small problems don't dampen my enthusiasm for the auroras...I am very glad to have made the change

stuart

Sample rate changes also throw my native system off sometimes. They seem to be aware of that at Lynx although they seem to put the blame on the Mac OS.

[thedommer]

obviously I know that it probably cant stack up to the gold! Just curious how far it is. although I am very curious about how it stacks up to the blue. is that still honda vs ferrari?

[robbiemacman]

I am just on the verge of buying an Aurora 16 with the firewire card for my studio which runs on an 8 core MacPro with Logic 8. The reason is that I am getting a Neve 8816 summing mixer (with digital card) & want to send 16 analogue outs from Logic 8 as well as needing an additional 3 stereo AES/EBU
outs to drive my Dynaudio Air 6 surround system. My question is when running the Aurora in the 32 channel mode (needed for running 16 analogue & 16 digital simultaneously) has anyone had experiance with how stable this setup is likely to be? I can afford to spare a pci-e slot for a dedicated firewire card like the SIIG 2 port firewire card. I mostly work at 24bit/44.1 but sometimes need to run at 96. On paper it all seems possible but I am a little nervous after a mixed history of using firewire interfaces from various companies. Cheers