RME Babyface vs new Steinberg UR28M

gurnisht · 17th September 2011

Hi,

I know that the UR28M is new and probably not many have used it, but assuming it will have a similar sound quality as the MR816, has anyone used both the MR816 and the Babyface and can tell which is better?

Thanks!

stevens119 · 17th September 2011

That Steinberg unit looks very nice. I haven't heard it, but its laid out great.

History tells me get the RME, and if you're on a Mac, get the Apogee Duet. Unless you hear something that just sounds too good to pass up about the Steinberg.

Conversion is a big deal, and I have been an Apogee supporter for many years, way before they had all in one interfaces. RME has nice converters as well. I would base an interface on its converters. Because most likely you will get a better pre-amp and just bypass the pre's in whatever interface you choose

gurnisht · 18th September 2011

Thanks for your reply. I'm on PC only. I know from reading here that people praise the MR816 converters... there was a big thread about it a couple of years ago.

beyond · 18th September 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevens119

That Steinberg unit looks very nice. I haven't heard it, but its laid out great.

History tells me get the RME, and if you're on a Mac, get the Apogee Duet. Unless you hear something that just sounds too good to pass up about the Steinberg.

Conversion is a big deal, and I have been an Apogee supporter for many years, way before they had all in one interfaces. RME has nice converters as well. I would base an interface on its converters. Because most likely you will get a better pre-amp and just bypass the pre's in whatever interface you choose

Strange, I'm on a mac and I got the Babyface. Works very well+ I can put some reverb on there when I sing. Don't think you can do that with duet.

hello people · 18th September 2011

Steinberg unit does look well set out...2 headphones...etc etc

Costs around $700 I think.

Charles Nydus · 18th September 2011

Haven't heard the UR28M but I am very happy with my Babyface.

euphoria89 · 18th September 2011

Love my MR816. Converters are nothing short of exceptional for the price, very clean, clear and accurate. Pre's are actually also very nice too. About the best i've heard in an interface costing this much. Very clean but works well for most tasks. Not noisy and plenty of gain. Much nicer than my old ProFire 2626.

There's a thread where somebody did a live recording with about 3 of these and used nothing but this unit for recording and mixing. Quality is really top notch.

You also get onboard FX (reverb DSP, and EQ and compression with the UR28 and CSX) for zero latency monitoring, which actually sounds really lush. Its one of Yamaha's top digital reverbs. Headphone section is nice and powerful too, although a good headphone amp may be useful in the future.

I dont think you'll go wrong with any of these units though. RME has great driver support and very similar converters (same as Fireface 400 iirc), and the Apogee also has great converters.

I believe the pre-amps on these units are digitally controlled, although i don't believe that has any effect on quality. I remember hearing a babyface vs mbox 3 pro with a rap vocal, and the babyface was absolutely crystal clear. In fact, i'm looking at getting one myself for location recording work.

Good luck with your purchase.

Pro5 · 21st September 2011

Still loving my MR816 here.

Bill@WelcomeHome · 21st September 2011

If you don't need to buy today, let someone else be the pioneer. Ifyou do need to buy today, buy what is proven and you know works today. So many devices crop up with problems, I would not be in a hurry to be the first guy on the block with a new toy.

toddbel · 21st September 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by hello people

Steinberg unit does look well set out...2 headphones...etc etc

Costs around $700 I think.

Actually, price is $400-
UR28M

yikesboy · 21st September 2011

Hey all,
Was at a Club Cubase in the OC last night and saw the new Steiny UR you're talking about. It was in a studio and though there was no way to critically listen to it (they put the output through some PA speakers), I thought that this thing was just about perfect for me. Not only the awesome pre's from the MR816 that we all know and love but the integration with Cubase is freakin' inspiring! Apparently you can monitor with reverb and comp/EQ in hardware with no latency (no biggie here) but then when you play back, there's templates included in the tools that automatically route it back through those same effects (that's in the hardware folks!). No repatching and "how come my track doesn't sound as good as I just sang it" crap from the person you're recording.
Priceless!

LMNproyect · 21st September 2011

That is very cool Yikesboy , tell us more if you can about your experience with the UR , im all ears ....
I want to buy one of this.
seems that this new UR series will be surprising us more than we thought.
What about the AD/DA converters , still the same quality as MR? and the latency UR - USB 2.0 vs MR - firewire ?

yikesboy · 22nd September 2011

Well, I just got to touch it a bit and had no time with it so I'm not going to shed too much light there...
I can say that the big monitor control and the switches all felt really more like an expensive bit of gear than something that's gonna sell for 399.
The latency is not a factor for tracking given the fact that it offers direct monitoring mode (with the Rev and Comp/eq) but I don't know if latency is any better or worse than Firewire. I think in general that there's little to recommend one standard over another these days but in the long haul, I think Firewire will be dead sooner than USB 2.0.

Oh, one more thing: the guy there said that the Reverb and the Comp/EQ stuff is also on the tools disk in VST form. That's really cool IMHO.

dharma one · 22nd September 2011

i'm in the market for a new sound interface - see recommend a sound interface for Mac (Lion)

Would these new steinberg USB interfaces offer anything over the older firewire MR816X/CSX, which still seem to be getting a lot of love? I'm on a macbook pro

LMNproyect · 4th October 2011

i read alot about the apogee Duet2 vs RME babyface that both in side by side are almost the same quality. Hope the same for the UR28m being the less expensive of the 3
Somebody has made any comparison between : Duet2 - babyface - UR28m ???

Phil Harmonic · 18th October 2011

I'm seriously considering the UR28M as well. Does anyone have any knowledge of whether or not the converters are the same as the ones in the MR816? I'd really like to know before making this purchase!

hendrik84 · 8th November 2011

every review I've seen comparing the Babyface and the Duet(even Duet2) has been in favor of the Babyface.

By just a quick glance at the new Steinberg AI I notice one thing, its 96 kHz vs RME's 192 kHz

rushmpeg · 17th November 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by hendrik84

By just a quick glance at the new Steinberg AI I notice one thing, its 96 kHz vs RME's 192 kHz

imo apart for video standards, as long as they both support 24/44,1 who cares

VCrane · 25th November 2011

Any news...?

Anyone has tried UR, compared it to Babyface/Duet2?

fimpen · 7th February 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by VCrane

Any news...?

Anyone has tried UR, compared it to Babyface/Duet2?

News?

Edit: I guess this thread is on this topic:
Steinberg UR28

fimpen · 9th February 2012

Still would like some more info about this topic. Anyone?

gurnisht · 9th February 2012

I (OP) eventually bought the RME Babyface. I need good latency, and the latency in the UR28M is reported to be much worse. I like it so far. And it works fine with Cubase. Juno Records sells it for a good price. Also, the babyface seems to be more future proof. I have a Steinberg MI4 and they stopped making drivers for it, and the Vista driver on win7 doesn't work well. RME seems to be better in long term support.

17th September 2011	#1
gurnisht Gear Head Joined: Jun 2010 Posts: 33 Thread Starter	RME Babyface vs new Steinberg UR28M Hi, I know that the UR28M is new and probably not many have used it, but assuming it will have a similar sound quality as the MR816, has anyone used both the MR816 and the Babyface and can tell which is better? Thanks!

18th September 2011	#5
hello people Lives for gear Joined: Oct 2008 Posts: 687	Steinberg unit does look well set out...2 headphones...etc etc Costs around $700 I think. __________________ Just to confirm...so there are no misunderstandings...I have no idea what I'm talking about.

21st September 2011	#9
Bill@WelcomeHome Lives for gear Joined: Feb 2010 Posts: 4,188	If you don't need to buy today, let someone else be the pioneer. Ifyou do need to buy today, buy what is proven and you know works today. So many devices crop up with problems, I would not be in a hurry to be the first guy on the block with a new toy. __________________ "We have a situation where somebody has learned that 'tape' sounds good. Tape doesn't sound good. Tape sounds like crap. But sometimes good stuff gets put on tape." "Putting crap to tape...sounds like crap." Show business: we're all here because we're not all there. Resistance is not futile. It is voltage divided by current. "I do not think that the wireless waves I have discovered will have any practical application,..." Heinrich Rudolf Hertz

21st September 2011	#11
yikesboy Gear interested Joined: Mar 2009 Location: Long Beach CA Posts: 29	UR28M...saw it in action last night Hey all, Was at a Club Cubase in the OC last night and saw the new Steiny UR you're talking about. It was in a studio and though there was no way to critically listen to it (they put the output through some PA speakers), I thought that this thing was just about perfect for me. Not only the awesome pre's from the MR816 that we all know and love but the integration with Cubase is freakin' inspiring! Apparently you can monitor with reverb and comp/EQ in hardware with no latency (no biggie here) but then when you play back, there's templates included in the tools that automatically route it back through those same effects (that's in the hardware folks!). No repatching and "how come my track doesn't sound as good as I just sang it" crap from the person you're recording. Priceless! __________________ Why didn't Tolkien just send Frodo to Mount Doom on an Eagle?

22nd September 2011	#13
yikesboy Gear interested Joined: Mar 2009 Location: Long Beach CA Posts: 29	UR28M Well, I just got to touch it a bit and had no time with it so I'm not going to shed too much light there... I can say that the big monitor control and the switches all felt really more like an expensive bit of gear than something that's gonna sell for 399. The latency is not a factor for tracking given the fact that it offers direct monitoring mode (with the Rev and Comp/eq) but I don't know if latency is any better or worse than Firewire. I think in general that there's little to recommend one standard over another these days but in the long haul, I think Firewire will be dead sooner than USB 2.0. Oh, one more thing: the guy there said that the Reverb and the Comp/EQ stuff is also on the tools disk in VST form. That's really cool IMHO.

17th September 2011	#2
stevens119 Lives for gear Joined: Dec 2006 Location: Nashville Posts: 1,137	That Steinberg unit looks very nice. I haven't heard it, but its laid out great. History tells me get the RME, and if you're on a Mac, get the Apogee Duet. Unless you hear something that just sounds too good to pass up about the Steinberg. Conversion is a big deal, and I have been an Apogee supporter for many years, way before they had all in one interfaces. RME has nice converters as well. I would base an interface on its converters. Because most likely you will get a better pre-amp and just bypass the pre's in whatever interface you choose

18th September 2011	#6
Charles Nydus Gear Head Joined: Jul 2011 Location: Hertfordshire Posts: 53	Haven't heard the UR28M but I am very happy with my Babyface.

18th September 2011	#7
euphoria89 Lives for gear Joined: Jan 2009 Location: Nottingham, UK Posts: 587	Love my MR816. Converters are nothing short of exceptional for the price, very clean, clear and accurate. Pre's are actually also very nice too. About the best i've heard in an interface costing this much. Very clean but works well for most tasks. Not noisy and plenty of gain. Much nicer than my old ProFire 2626. There's a thread where somebody did a live recording with about 3 of these and used nothing but this unit for recording and mixing. Quality is really top notch. You also get onboard FX (reverb DSP, and EQ and compression with the UR28 and CSX) for zero latency monitoring, which actually sounds really lush. Its one of Yamaha's top digital reverbs. Headphone section is nice and powerful too, although a good headphone amp may be useful in the future. I dont think you'll go wrong with any of these units though. RME has great driver support and very similar converters (same as Fireface 400 iirc), and the Apogee also has great converters. I believe the pre-amps on these units are digitally controlled, although i don't believe that has any effect on quality. I remember hearing a babyface vs mbox 3 pro with a rap vocal, and the babyface was absolutely crystal clear. In fact, i'm looking at getting one myself for location recording work. Good luck with your purchase.

21st September 2011	#8
Pro5 Gear addict Joined: Apr 2009 Location: earth Posts: 460 2 Reviews written	Still loving my MR816 here.

21st September 2011	#12
LMNproyect Gear interested Joined: Nov 2010 Posts: 25	That is very cool Yikesboy , tell us more if you can about your experience with the UR , im all ears .... I want to buy one of this. seems that this new UR series will be surprising us more than we thought. What about the AD/DA converters , still the same quality as MR? and the latency UR - USB 2.0 vs MR - firewire ?

22nd September 2011	#14
dharma one Gear maniac Joined: Jan 2005 Location: London Wimbledon Posts: 173	i'm in the market for a new sound interface - see recommend a sound interface for Mac (Lion) Would these new steinberg USB interfaces offer anything over the older firewire MR816X/CSX, which still seem to be getting a lot of love? I'm on a macbook pro

4th October 2011	#15
LMNproyect Gear interested Joined: Nov 2010 Posts: 25	i read alot about the apogee Duet2 vs RME babyface that both in side by side are almost the same quality. Hope the same for the UR28m being the less expensive of the 3 Somebody has made any comparison between : Duet2 - babyface - UR28m ???

18th October 2011	#16
Phil Harmonic Gear interested Joined: May 2008 Location: Denver Posts: 19	I'm seriously considering the UR28M as well. Does anyone have any knowledge of whether or not the converters *are* the same as the ones in the MR816? I'd really like to know before making this purchase! __________________ "Well Done Is Better Than Well Said" Harmonic Studio Productions Brooklyn, NY USA

8th November 2011	#17
hendrik84 Gear Head Joined: Nov 2011 Posts: 70	every review I've seen comparing the Babyface and the Duet(even Duet2) has been in favor of the Babyface. By just a quick glance at the new Steinberg AI I notice one thing, its 96 kHz vs RME's 192 kHz

25th November 2011	#19
VCrane Gear nut Joined: Jul 2011 Location: London Posts: 93 1 Review written	Any news...? Anyone has tried UR, compared it to Babyface/Duet2?

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9th February 2012	#21
fimpen Gear Head Joined: Aug 2010 Posts: 68	Still would like some more info about this topic. Anyone?