Alesis IO|26 vs Presonus Firestudio vs Focusrite Saffire Pro

[Gavin]

These three seem to be the newest set of firewire interfaces, all of which have 8 mic pres, which I need. The Alesis unit has the virtues of being available now and being considerably cheaper than the other two. Does anyone know why that is? Can I expect the pres or converters to be noticeably inferior?

Also, are there any other solutions I should be considering? Maybe separate pres and firewire interface? I can't find one which doesn't have a lot of other features that I don't need. I might consider a Mackie 400f with the option of adding 4 external mic pres if i need the 4 extra channels.

Thanks,
Gavin

[Jimbo]

I had the 400f, briefly, and liked it. Great value there.

I now have three used Metric Halo boxes. If you need eight channels, and you're on a Mac, you might want to try to find a used 2882.

400f: The Onyx pres sound nice, and the conversion is very good. The headphone amps are a bonus. It's got that "project studio in a box" vibe -- everything you need to make/monitor good recordings in a single unit.

Can't speak to the other units.

- Jim