Sell my whole rack - buy Liquid Saffire 56?

[dickiefunk]

Hi,

I'm currently using an Echo Layla 3G, ART MPA Gold, M-Audio Tampa, M-Audio DMP3 and SM-Pro Audio M-Patch 2 as part of my recording chain.
I've just seen the new Liquid Saffire 56 and it looks very interesting!
I'm wondering how this would compare to my current setup in terms of audio quality?
Would the conversion and mic pres be a step up from what I already own?
Would it be worth me selling all my gear to get one of these?

[jikky]

I'm thinking about buying this or the MR816X. What is the price? On paper it looks great. Just have to see it in practice.

[dickiefunk]

The Focusrite is advertised at £649.99 and the Steinberg is £599.99.

From what I've read the Steinberg has better conversion and the pres are meant to be better than the standard Saffire pres.

Ideally I would love to have the Steinberg MR816X and keep my ART MPA Gold but my funds definately wouldn't stretch to this.
I don't want to sell all my stuff just to get the Steinberg MR816X because I like having the option of different tones to choose from my preamps (aswell as my mics). This is why I'm interested in the Focusrite Liquid Saffire 56.

[dalley]

Originally Posted by dickiefunk

The Focusrite is advertised at £649.99 and the Steinberg is £599.99.

From what I've read the Steinberg has better conversion and the pres are meant to be better than the standard Saffire pres.

Ideally I would love to have the Steinberg MR816X and keep my ART MPA Gold but my funds definately wouldn't stretch to this.
I don't want to sell all my stuff just to get the Steinberg MR816X because I like having the option of different tones to choose from my preamps (aswell as my mics). This is why I'm interested in the Focusrite Liquid Saffire 56.

Dickiefunk if I may ...

I've been around these forums for awhile and always notice you are looking to upgrade your Echo Layla 3G. What do you not like about it? Seems the replacement options you have considered are more of a "parallel" move instead of an upgrade.

I own a Layla3G as well & think it is a great bang for the buck. I also however beleive that unless you get up into Rosetta/Aurora/Lucid territory, the improvements (if any) would be slight.

Every time a new pro-sumer interface comes out I check it out and pass on it realizing that I should be saving up for something more high end ... still getting there

Just curious as to your logic ... not bashing, just trying to help (as it might help me as well)

[dickiefunk]

Originally Posted by dalley

Dickiefunk if I may ...

I've been around these forums for awhile and always notice you are looking to upgrade your Echo Layla 3G. What do you not like about it? Seems the replacement options you have considered are more of a "parallel" move instead of an upgrade.

I own a Layla3G as well & think it is a great bang for the buck. I also however beleive that unless you get up into Rosetta/Aurora/Lucid territory, the improvements (if any) would be slight.

Every time a new pro-sumer interface comes out I check it out and pass on it realizing that I should be saving up for something more high end ... still getting there

Just curious as to your logic ... not bashing, just trying to help (as it might help me as well)

Hi Dalley. Fair point!

I'm aware that the Saffire interfaces would be a "parallel" move conversion wise. I'm more concerned about the Liquid preamps. I've read glowing reviews about the Liquid preamps so I'm wondering how these would compare to my ART MPA Gold, Tampa and DMP3?
If I could get an interface that has conversion that's as good as my Layla 3G but much better pre's than I already have + lots of options for different tones in one 2u box then the Liquid Saffire sounds very tempting.

[skygod]

Originally Posted by dickiefunk

The Focusrite is advertised at £649.99 and the Steinberg is £599.99.

From what I've read the Steinberg has better conversion and the pres are meant to be better than the standard Saffire pres. Ideally I would love to have the Steinberg MR816X and keep my ART MPA Gold but my funds definately wouldn't stretch to this. I don't want to sell all my stuff just to get the Steinberg MR816X because I like having the option of different tones to choose from my preamps (aswell as my mics). This is why I'm interested in the Focusrite Liquid Saffire 56.

Wrong approach to be comparing preamps and converters. Both companies have excellent preamps and excellent converters. Its not apples and oranges, and its not better or best -- Both product lines are absolutely marvelous darling. It is the larger picture. Read on -

Unlike many slutz around here I’m a huge Focusrite fan of their ISA 428 and 828 series and 24 bit converters and Liquid Channel. I can't speak for anything else with any authority having used anything else sparsely over the years. Their converters are stellar, and apparently from what I just read at their website they just upgraded the converters in this baby too from all their previous products. Besides looking sexy as hell, it is a huge bang for the buck at $999USD. You kidding me? This baby rocks!!!!

First look at the software package:

Ableton 7 Live Lite, Novation Bass Station'Mike the Drummer' A collection of 572 inspiring and original live drum loops, Over 1 Gig of royalty-free samples from samples legends, LoopMasters,

Then look at:

Additional VSTs for download from the website based on the SER# on the back of your unit,

PLUS:

The two liquid specific inputs, + 8 other inputs, + cool metering, then all the digital IO on the rear including ADAT: 8 CH of SMUX at 24/88->96 or 4 CH at SMUXII 174->192, S/PDIF, and AES

PLUS:

They took ten cool preamp emulations from the larger Liquid series [Neve 1073, the Pultec MB-1, Telefunken V72, 31124, Avalon, RED-1, SLAM, HV3D8, Helios Type 69, UAD610, and Flat eBal] These alone cover most of the bases non?

Cool package, cool interface, cool everything. Something else to piss old Fletcher off LOL. I wish I could see his grimace when he sees this thing. What I could not find out was if you can link several together via FW. Probably not. Hey, but that's OK for $999USD. Anybody else who thinks I'm stupid for saying that can kiss my white hairy ars. Now then, being an equal opportunity employer, and having given everybody an equal opportunity and level playing field to kiss my entire muthafvvkin ever’lovin white hairy ars, I would be remiss to not mention that the Yamaha n12 mixers and Steinberg rackmounts are diff creatures for a different tracking purpose, i.e., more channels at higher resolution rate, for more of a 'live studio tracking-mixing' flow. You'll get 24 channels of those at 24 resolution versus 8 channels at the Focusrite, BUT, here's the catch -- you don't get all the other goodies above too good to be true at the price point either. Right? You know I am, so fuggedaboudit!

The smart shopper and studio business guy/gal thinks out of the box and says, what can I buy now that’s modular that I won’t outgrow that will fit in with everything else? The answer is that you actually need both. The Yamaha or Steinberg for higher channel counts in real-time, not scoffing at all the cool stuff built into those puppies, PLUS the Sapphire 56 or several of those as a analog to digital front end to part of that system too.
Heck, its an amazing analog front end into anything else for that matter including even an HD24XR or an iZ interface or anything else.

a Cappice? Good job Focusrite. I like you guys a lot !!!

~skygod~

[dickiefunk]

Originally Posted by skygod

Their converters are stellar, and apparently from what I just read at their website they just upgraded the converters in this baby too from all their previous products.

Where did you see this on their site? I thought the converters were the same as the rest of the Saffire range?

[casey_outlaw]

The conversion on the saffire56 is definitely not the high end Focusrite conversion that pairs up with the ISA series. The Focusrite website lists it's DR as 110db (A weighted), which is the same as their platinum series. The ISA converters are listed with a DR of 122db.