Quality of Mackie's AD/DA conversion

MarkH · 7th December 2004

Mackie has a new Onyx 400F rackmount firewire interface (24/192) coming out next soon with a retail price of $899. I'm wondering if they AD/DA will be decent or if it will be crud. Does anyone know how the current Onyx firewire holds up? That would probably a decent indication of what to expect.

Thanks,
Mark

dizziness · 7th December 2004

I too am curious; looking for a replacement for my aging Lyala 2496.

Chris

MarkH · 7th December 2004

Quote:

Originally posted by dizziness
I too am curious; looking for a replacement for my aging Lyala 2496.

Chris

Out of all the interfaces available, the up and coming Mackie 400F looks like it's the perfect fit. 1U Rack Mount, 24/192, 8 analog I/O, SPDIF, 4 Onyx Pres, Control Room Outputs, 2x Phone Outputs, all on Firewire 400 with a list price of $899.

However, if the AD/DA sucks then forget it. I just wonder if it's the same AD/DA as the Digital X Bus? Or is it low end?

dizziness · 8th December 2004

Quote:

Originally posted by MarkH
However, if the AD/DA sucks then forget it. I just wonder if it's the same AD/DA as the Digital X Bus? Or is it low end?

Well, if the Pre's suck, forget it as well. Criticism of the Motu 896HD, RME Fireface 800, and others all center around the pre's. The A/D in my modd'ed Layla ain't half bad so I was going to spring for new pre's after the first of the year. I haven't seen reviews of these Onyx pre's to say if they have the same bullshit thin, no midrange character. Especially when seemingly decent products like the Mac-only Metric Halo ULN2 and 2882 exist.

Chris

tINY · 8th December 2004

If you want a mic pre with "midrange character", then you should buy a few with various characters. I firmly believe that a mic pre-amp included with a ADC should be quiet, flat, well damped, and phase coherent. If you want anything else, add it in the box or run a separate pre.

-tINY

dizziness · 9th December 2004

Quote:

Originally posted by tINY

If you want a mic pre with "midrange character", then you should buy a few with various characters. I firmly believe that a mic pre-amp included with a ADC should be quiet, flat, well damped, and phase coherent. If you want anything else, add it in the box or run a separate pre.

I was referring to the character of the pre-Onyx Mackie products and suggesting something with a less hi-fi and more neutral character.

Chris

thermos · 9th December 2004

Dizziness, I actually preferred the sound of the fireface pres to the 2882 pres. More detailed I'd say.

7th December 2004	#1
MarkH Gear Head Joined: Nov 2004 Location: Las Vegas Posts: 32 Thread Starter	Quality of Mackie's AD/DA conversion Mackie has a new Onyx 400F rackmount firewire interface (24/192) coming out next soon with a retail price of $899. I'm wondering if they AD/DA will be decent or if it will be crud. Does anyone know how the current Onyx firewire holds up? That would probably a decent indication of what to expect. Thanks, Mark __________________ http://www.markholloway.com

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7th December 2004	#2
dizziness Gear maniac Joined: Nov 2004 Posts: 245	I too am curious; looking for a replacement for my aging Lyala 2496. Chris

8th December 2004	#5
tINY Gear Guru Joined: Jul 2004 Location: Orygun Posts: 10,233	If you want a mic pre with "midrange character", then you should buy a few with various characters. I firmly believe that a mic pre-amp included with a ADC should be quiet, flat, well damped, and phase coherent. If you want anything else, add it in the box or run a separate pre. -tINY

9th December 2004	#7
thermos Lives for gear Joined: Jul 2004 Location: Brooklyn Posts: 3,656	Dizziness, I actually preferred the sound of the fireface pres to the 2882 pres. More detailed I'd say.