Profire 2626 vs Saffire Pro 40

[Lifer]

A thumbs up for the 2626..always been rock solid and sounds great..very flexible too. (I have a full blown hd system too for comparison)
My 2c worth...

[_Mark]

Week before last, I had the same thing.
After a lot of research, I decided on the Pro 40, and am glad I did. From what I know, the converters are way better, as well.
Go with it. That, or the MOTU 8pre.
Remember, it's FW 400.

[Neonknight]

I have no experience in these exact interfaces, but i have the pro40´s big brother the LS56 and i love it, it has quite a few more bells and whistles than the pro 40, but if you dont need them then it might be money down the drain i guess.

The most significant difference between pro 40 and LS56 is that the LS56 has dual ADAT inputs for 16 channels of ADAT IO where the pro 40 only has 8 channels of ADAT IO. That is probably also the most significant difference between the pro 40 and the 2626, the 2626 has dual ADATs for 16 channel IO like the LS56, so if you need more inputs/outputs then that might be an important factor in which you choose.

For me the LS56 serves as a great centerpiece for our small band studio, we need the extra ADATs so the pro 40 was never an option really, i mainly chose between the 2626 and the LS56 and got the LS56 although its quite a bit more expensive, but has more functions and i do like having real meters on the panels like the Focusrites have.

That said both will probably serve you well.

[alexevans917]

Originally Posted by Neonknight

I have no experience in these exact interfaces, but i have the pro40´s big brother the LS56 and i love it, it has quite a few more bells and whistles than the pro 40, but if you dont need them then it might be money down the drain i guess.

The most significant difference between pro 40 and LS56 is that the LS56 has dual ADAT inputs for 16 channels of ADAT IO where the pro 40 only has 8 channels of ADAT IO. That is probably also the most significant difference between the pro 40 and the 2626, the 2626 has dual ADATs for 16 channel IO like the LS56, so if you need more inputs/outputs then that might be an important factor in which you choose.

For me the LS56 serves as a great centerpiece for our small band studio, we need the extra ADATs so the pro 40 was never an option really, i mainly chose between the 2626 and the LS56 and got the LS56 although its quite a bit more expensive, but has more functions and i do like having real meters on the panels like the Focusrites have.

That said both will probably serve you well.

The line inputs on the Pro 40 go through the pres, whereas on the 56 they don't. I'm not sure about the 2626. If it were me, I'd try and find a used 56, unless you plan on only using the stock pres- then the 2626, and down the road get the Black Lion Audio mod on it.

[zlaya]

If you don't mind, where did you find the Saffire Pro 40 for $379? Please send a PM as I am not too sure on posting links to vendors on the forum.

[beau_mckee]

The profire 2626 pres are fully bypassable when you insert via TRS input. I run all outboard with two profires at the studio currently.

[_Mark]

Originally Posted by zlaya

If you don't mind, where did you find the Saffire Pro 40 for $379? Please send a PM as I am not too sure on posting links to vendors on the forum.

Sending now!

[Phosphate]

I own the MPK49 and I can tell you that it will not provide you with bang-for-the-buck. It's prone to wear, the feel isn't too great, and it can glitch at times. Even though I haven't tested it, the Impulse looks very fine and I'd highly consider it especially if you can give it a test-run at a shop.

I tested out the Yamaha HS50M's and, well, it's definitely flat! If you're looking for accurate monitoring, get those and maybe pick up a subwoofer down the line depending on what styles you're working on.

I hope you are happy with your picks!

[Dustwulf]

Thanks for the input!

@phosphate thanks for the insight on the mpk. Going with the impulse now. I tried the rokit RP5's and 6's against the hs50m's, and the latter was much more neutral. I think I'll be happy with them, and the optional subwoofer could come in handy later.

Still thinking about the pro 40 vs 2626, might just have to bite the bullet otherwise I'll never order. What's the advantages of being able to bypass the pres on the 2626?

[fastlanestoner]

I love my Pro 40 and have since the day I got it. I heartily recommend it.

[adrianww]

Originally Posted by alexevans917

The line inputs on the Pro 40 go through the pres, whereas on the 56 they don't. I'm not sure about the 2626. If it were me, I'd try and find a used 56, unless you plan on only using the stock pres- then the 2626, and down the road get the Black Lion Audio mod on it.

Actually, the line inputs on the LS56 do pass through the pres. Or, at least, they pass through a variable gain levelling amplifier that can provide anywhere from 10dB of cut up to 36dB of gain. Looking at the specs of the pres and the line inputs, it more or less looks like the line inputs are just the mic pres padded down by around 23dB. Admittedly, it's not a perfect match - the pres have 47dB of variable gain (all positive, covering +13dB to +60dB) while the line inputs have 46dB (passing through unity gain, covering -10dB to +36dB). But with numbers as close as that, I'd be prepared to hazard that it basically uses the same variable gain stage circuit for both. And I suspect that the Pro 40 will be similar.

So, if you want to use external pres and are determined that you must have fixed-level line inputs, Focusrite isn't your man. Although I don't know offhand whether the ProFire is any better in that regard or whether it also has a variable gain stage on its line inputs.

Mind you, speaking as a happy owner of an LS56, I don't think it's an issue anyway. I don't currently run any external pres myself, but I know the standard LS56/Pro40 pres well enough that, so long as you get your gain staging right, I don't think you're likely to run into any major problems with any signal that you care to pass through them. Nevertheless it is still true that the bigger Saffires don't give you fixed level line inputs if you are one of the folks who is convinced that you need them.

[iampoor]

Dont know if this matters to you, but the Pro 40 also has a dedicated set of monitor outs if your counting on using all 8 line outputs..

[Dustwulf]

Think I'm going to bite the bullet and go for the Pro 40. Thanks for all the info guys, I'll never make my mind up completely so I might as well just go for it.

[reedzkee]

I regret purchasing my profire 2626. I don't like the converters or pre's one bit, not one bit.

[Tom Higgins]

You've made your decision, but another vote for the Saffire - it's been great for me

[mattjew24]

I love my 2626, but the DSP kinda pissed me off at first...just another window to fiddle with settings in.

GREAT converters. I A/Bd it with my Fast Track Pro and it just opens up the whole sound.

Decent preamps, focusrite probably has a smidge better...but I just bought a GAP 73 to use with the nifty line inputs.

[doulos30]

another vote for 2626

[Dustwulf]

Think I'm going to pick up HS80m's instead since my budget allows it. Ordering Pro 40, HS80m's and a novation impulse 61 tonight hopefully.

[tothemoon]

Hey guys, how about the Saffire Pro 40 with the Black Lion Mod? I had the Pro 40 for a while and I like it so far. Just a couple of days ago BLA announced the mod! It might be a good upgrade for an affordable interface. My 2 cents.

[trevoire520]

Choosing one or the other won't make or break your recordings, there's not really any appreciable difference between preamps and general sound quality between those two interfaces.
I would be researching how well each is likely to run on your system. The general gist I've picked up is that Focusrite's drivers are more stable on Windows machines whereas M Audio are more stable on Mac's.

[Dustwulf]

Originally Posted by trevoire520

Choosing one or the other won't make or break your recordings, there's not really any appreciable difference between preamps and general sound quality between those two interfaces.
I would be researching how well each is likely to run on your system. The general gist I've picked up is that Focusrite's drivers are more stable on Windows machines whereas M Audio are more stable on Mac's.

I run Windows 7, so that's another plus I guess. I didn't realize there was a black lion mod for the Pro 40, I heard many positive things about the 2626 mod so that's good news for a future upgrade.

[tothemoon]

Originally Posted by Dustwulf

I run Windows 7, so that's another plus I guess. I didn't realize there was a black lion mod for the Pro 40, I heard many positive things about the 2626 mod so that's good news for a future upgrade.

Yeah the MOD for the Pro 40 is only a couple of days old. It's posted on their main page right now but they haven't really gave any details about it.
http://www.blacklionaudio.com

[mattjew24]

Just compared the GAP 73 with Profire 2626 preamp. Clearly the 73 is Warmer and better overall but I was surprised at how nice the Profire sounds

[beau_mckee]

I think the 2626 is an amazing deal in its league. The pres are highly usable. I try to avoid taking them past 1 or 2 o'clock though as I start to hear colouring, and it's a bit of a boring colour IMO. Being able to bypass inboard pres means you are also future proof. The monitoring software is decent and the builds solid.

[mattjew24]

I noticed that too about the Profire preamps. They get "colored" in the low mids in a dark muddy way

[knucklepro]

I tend to hear the same coloring with my Profire 2626, but it seems to be minimal.

To the original poster, the Profire is such a great deal. I bought a second one to chain to the first one. The preamps are worth it to me. FWIW, I use these in a live recording rig.

-Robert