Motu 828mk2 -> Fireface 800 upgrade worth it?

The Beatsmith · 24th June 2006

Hi

A guy i know is selling his mint FF800. For the price, i could sell my Motu 828mk2 and Focusrite Trakmaster (the pre's in the RME will probably be better than this thing anyway, right?), pay a little more, and get the fireface off him. Would the upgrade be worth it, would you do it?

It does have some downsides - the lack of a volume knob being one of the biggest. And from what i see, the metering is totally crap, it's all software metered. No way of controlling stuff when the computer is off etc.

I did plan on buying a presonus central station to fix the volume knob problem but i can't afford to do it right away. I'll have to live with software control for a little while.

Is the converter upgrade worth the hassle of selling my totally stable, perfect, fully working motu 828mk2 and trakmaster? Is the RME as stable? Does it 'just work'? Is the upgrade worth putting up with the lack of volume knob?

I don't want to worry about 'converters' and soundcards for a very long time...

Cheers

stag · 24th June 2006

I don´t if it´s worth the trouble.
I know i´m trading my FF800 for a traveler. Reason: FF800 drivers are heartbreaking, I assume that 56 I\0 at 24bit 192k is too much for a FW cable to handle, I sincerely doubt that FF800 pres are better than the traveler, Mackie or Tascam or other budget interface.

Bye.

Don S · 25th June 2006

I've owned the Fireface for a couple years and love it. The converters are very usable. Very flexible routing. The only thing that lacks in quality is the mic pres. If you need many inputs then it might be worth the investment. If not, then you may not be taking full advantage of the Fireface.

chinamusicboy · 25th June 2006

FF800, China has been speculation in the very fire. But I do not think it is how Rod. It sold 12,000 yuan in the side. U.S. dollar equivalent to 1,500 yuan. You do not know about the fee in your country to buy FF800?

kingofswing · 26th June 2006

IMHO the RME sounds more detailed than the Motu Traveler (which i tried out but found too thin sounding) and the older 828mk2. I used to own the 828 mk2 and sold it for the Fireface, which sounds much better and clearer. The motu sounded muffled in comparison.

thermos · 26th June 2006

The FF 800 is a huge sonic upgrade from the 828 mk2. I've had both.

The Beatsmith · 27th June 2006

thanks guys

i'll be picking up the ff800 on friday if he still has the item then

24th June 2006	#1
The Beatsmith Lives for gear Joined: Feb 2005 Location: UK Posts: 3,514 Thread Starter	Motu 828mk2 -> Fireface 800 upgrade worth it? Hi A guy i know is selling his mint FF800. For the price, i could sell my Motu 828mk2 and Focusrite Trakmaster (the pre's in the RME will probably be better than this thing anyway, right?), pay a little more, and get the fireface off him. Would the upgrade be worth it, would you do it? It does have some downsides - the lack of a volume knob being one of the biggest. And from what i see, the metering is totally crap, it's all software metered. No way of controlling stuff when the computer is off etc. I did plan on buying a presonus central station to fix the volume knob problem but i can't afford to do it right away. I'll have to live with software control for a little while. Is the converter upgrade worth the hassle of selling my totally stable, perfect, fully working motu 828mk2 and trakmaster? Is the RME as stable? Does it 'just work'? Is the upgrade worth putting up with the lack of volume knob? I don't want to worry about 'converters' and soundcards for a very long time... Cheers

25th June 2006	#3
Don S Lives for gear Joined: Apr 2004 Location: Virginia Posts: 1,376	I've owned the Fireface for a couple years and love it. The converters are very usable. Very flexible routing. The only thing that lacks in quality is the mic pres. If you need many inputs then it might be worth the investment. If not, then you may not be taking full advantage of the Fireface. __________________ www.symphonicsound.com "The secret of life, though, is falling down seven times and get up eight times." Paulo Coelho

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24th June 2006	#2
stag Lives for gear Joined: Nov 2004 Location: Over myself Posts: 929	I don´t if it´s worth the trouble. I know i´m trading my FF800 for a traveler. Reason: FF800 drivers are heartbreaking, I assume that 56 I\0 at 24bit 192k is too much for a FW cable to handle, I sincerely doubt that FF800 pres are better than the traveler, Mackie or Tascam or other budget interface. Bye.

25th June 2006	#4
chinamusicboy Gear interested Joined: Jun 2006 Posts: 17	FF800, China has been speculation in the very fire. But I do not think it is how Rod. It sold 12,000 yuan in the side. U.S. dollar equivalent to 1,500 yuan. You do not know about the fee in your country to buy FF800?

26th June 2006	#5
kingofswing Lives for gear Joined: Jan 2006 Location: UK Posts: 1,145 2 Reviews written	IMHO the RME sounds more detailed than the Motu Traveler (which i tried out but found too thin sounding) and the older 828mk2. I used to own the 828 mk2 and sold it for the Fireface, which sounds much better and clearer. The motu sounded muffled in comparison.

26th June 2006	#6
thermos Lives for gear Joined: Jul 2004 Location: Brooklyn Posts: 3,656	The FF 800 is a huge sonic upgrade from the 828 mk2. I've had both.

27th June 2006	#7
The Beatsmith Lives for gear Joined: Feb 2005 Location: UK Posts: 3,514 Thread Starter	thanks guys i'll be picking up the ff800 on friday if he still has the item then