MOTU ultralite Vs TC Konnekt24D

[Getafix]

Hi guys,

This is my first post here though i've been browsing here for a while..I'm thinking of upgrading my existing soundcard, i've got a Presonus firebox which is pretty decent but i recently got Dynaudio BM5A's & was really amazed at how much my mixes improved..

So i'm wondering will getting a better soundcard help improve my monitoring?

So far i've been thinking of either the MOTU ultralite or the TC Konnekt24D..The TC doesn't have as much i/o's as the MOTU but it does have dsp effects..I'm wondering which one of these two have better preamps & converters though..

I'm even considering waiting a little & saving up for the RME Fireface 400..Are the features worth the extra cash though?

I want to be able to record vocals & instruments so i need a card with good preamps & good converters..

Thanks for the help!

[DrDeltaM]

If you really want better convertors to improve your monitoring, I'd rather save up for the RME over buying the MOTU. No experience with the TC.

[Getafix]

Thanks for the reply!

Well the best price i found or the Ultralite was 485 euros..The FF400 costs 854..That's 369 euros more, are the converters really worth that much?

[DrDeltaM]

Originally Posted by s-cube

Thanks for the reply!

Well the best price i found or the Ultralite was 485 euros..The FF400 costs 854..That's 369 euros more, are the converters really worth that much?

Since you're concerned for monitoring DA, I'd say it's worth the extra. The RME clearly is a step up over the Motu (note, I'm judging from Fireface800 convertors, the FF400 uses slightly different convertors, but should be almost the same).

Another option is just getting a dedicated DA convertor to hook up on your Firebox via spdif for monitoring.

[Getafix]

Hmmmm thanks for the advice..Just out of curiousity what DA converters would you recommend?

[DrDeltaM]

Originally Posted by s-cube

Hmmmm thanks for the advice..Just out of curiousity what DA converters would you recommend?

The one in the Presonus Central Station is quite good and not too expensive (relatively speaking anyway) for example: http://www.presonus.com/centralstation.html

But it could be worth looking out for a 2nd hand high-end DA convertor like Benchmark DAC-1, Mytek DA, Apogee MiniDAC, ... If you really want the best DA quality for your monitoring.

Probably, in your situation, it makes more sense to buy the RME and sell your current audio card. That'd be cheaper in total then buying an additional high-end DA convertor. OK, quality would be best in last case, but you'll notice a good improvement with just the RME already.

[Getafix]

Thanks for the quick reply..I think i'm going to take your advice & just save up for the RME FF 400..I've already put my Presonus firebox up for sale so now its just a matter of saving up enough cash! Thanks a lot for your help!

[DrDeltaM]

Originally Posted by s-cube

Thanks for the quick reply..I think i'm going to take your advice & just save up for the RME FF 400..I've already put my Presonus firebox up for sale so now its just a matter of saving up enough cash! Thanks a lot for your help!

You're welcome, have fun soon with the FF400