need some general advice/answers on converters please

[coreman]

I've been surfing around for some time now but decided it was time to post for more info. Great board here!

I'm currently wanting to upgrade both my A/D and D/A converters. Right now I'm using a MOTU 24i for both conversions. I've decided that for now I'm only interested in mixing in the box.

What I've narrowed it down to so far is the Apogee AD-16X to cover my A/D. For D/A I've narrowed it down to the Benchmark DAC-1. I also have heard great things about the Lavry A/D converters but they're much most costly compared to the Apogee stuff. Would there really be that much of a difference between the two? Any advice here would be really appreciated.

I've been searching around and haven't found much on what exactly I'd need as far as a clock goes. This is a newbie question but does the Apogee come with a clock or do I need to buy a separate clock? Does a clock come as hardware or is it a card? All I know is that I'm sync'd up to my computer right now just fine with my MOTU and I know it's got it's own built in clock.

One final question. How would I connect mic inputs to the Apogee AD-16X? My MOTU has 1/4 inch inputs on the back of it so it's easy to connect inputs. I noticed that the Apogee has none. How do I connect to it? I'd be running 1/4 inch direct outs from my mixer? How do I convert these outs to being able to connect to the Apogee?

If you guys happen to know of any good links explaining these newbie questions please let me know. Thanks!

[Slogun]

The AD16x comes with the best clock I've ever "heard" (most probably one of the best on the market today). It's the same clock as their Big Ben.

I own the Rosetta 200 myself and I'm very satisfied :-)

[Heterodox]

The input of the Apogee unit (and many pro audio units) is a DSUB 25 / DB25 / DA88 (all three names are seperately correct).

The matching cable has a 25 pin connector on one side (it looks similar to a computer monitor's cable ends), and splits into 8 outputs of your choice (xlr, 1/4", another db25, etc). The cables themselves are also refered to as "snakes." They save alot of clutter and confusion when working with large amounts of I/O.

I'd suggest grabbing a couple of Mogami DB25 to (insert your mixer's output type here).

[coreman]

Thanks for the info Slogun and Heterodox. I guess there's really no way to answer for sure which is better between converters? That seems to be the consensus.

I just find it hard to believe that there's not much difference considering you can get 16 channels of A/D conversion from Apogee for $3200 but have to pay over $8000 to get the same number of channels from Lavry. Shouldn't there be a huge difference there??

It's the same thing with D/A conversions. I only NEED two channels of D/A converters. Would something like a Lavry really be that much better than the Benchmark DAC-1?

[SpaceChild]

Originally posted by coreman
Would something like a Lavry really be that much better than the Benchmark DAC-1?

Definitely not 600% better as the price might indicate.


Spacey

[maskedman72]

Originally posted by SpaceChild
Definitely not 600% better as the price might indicate.


Spacey

i agree.

[coreman]

Originally posted by SpaceChild
Definitely not 600% better as the price might indicate.
Spacey

So what, is it 10% better? Is it 100% better? I know. It's completely subjective.

I was really looking for opinions on the two I listed if possible. I need 16 channels of A/D conversion. If money is no concern then what would some of you guys pick between the Apogee 16-X and 2 of the 8 channel Lavry Blue A/D converters? I have it narrowed to these two and just need a little feedback on them.

Also, I only need 2 channels of D/A conversion. What's the best 2 channel D/A converter out there at the moment BESIDES the Prism and Lavry Gold? Thanks.

[SpaceChild]

Originally posted by coreman
So what, is it 10% better? Is it 100% better? I know. It's completely subjective.

True. It is completely subjective and audio quality percentages are a bit tricky to measure anyway.

I was really looking for opinions on the two I listed if possible. I need 16 channels of A/D conversion. If money is no concern then what would some of you guys pick between the Apogee 16-X and 2 of the 8 channel Lavry Blue A/D converters? I have it narrowed to these two and just need a little feedback on them.

I haven't A/B'd those units, but I would pick the Lavry because of the chassis color. I think it's as good criteria as any other at that level.

Also, I only need 2 channels of D/A conversion. What's the best 2 channel D/A converter out there at the moment BESIDES the Prism and Lavry Gold? Thanks.

For you, the best D/A would be whatever you choose as your A/D. Always use the same brand and range both ways.

Good luck with it.


Spacey

[Jack Luminous]

Originally posted by SpaceChild

For you, the best D/A would be whatever you choose as your A/D. Always use the same brand and range both ways.

Why so ?? Does it really matter ??

[SpaceChild]

I would liken it to using the same brand and range of strings on your guitar and not having 3 Elixirs and 3 DRs (yeah, I know, not a good analogy). You might get good results by mixing differenet ranges, but that would be more because of luck rather than design.

Manufacturers design both directions of a range to work together, to work as a team. Everyone has their slight differences in approaching things. If you mix in an alien converter, it might of course work just fine, or it might not. Given that the sonic differences at the top levels are rather small, and the price of purhase can be significant, you'd be better off using them with the stuff they are designed to work with and not compromise your sound my mixing in different brands.


Spacey

[MIKEHARRIS]

I believe you will acheive improvement monitoring through a DAC-1....no matter which AtoD came before it