2 channels of AD/DA: Rosetta 200 or RME ADI-2?

[mark007]

i'm in the process of shopping for an external converter. My budget is under $2000. (lavrys are too expensive for me right now, myteks - i don't want to run into customer service type of issues if ever i have problems in the future) so my choice kinda boiled down to either rosetta 200 or RME ADI-2. rosetta is $1800 whereas RME ADI2 is $700. Any opinions as to the quality of conversion + internal clocks of those two devices? Is rosetta 200 worth the $1000 extra? i.e. are those 2 converters very close in quality or is the Rosetta really a step up from the RME?

by the way, i wanna invest in a good quality converter, one that I won't have to change/upgrade for quiet a few years.

(my applications is voiceovers - commercials, cartoons, etc) I don't need a preamp, already have a very good one.

thank you for any advice

[gigantorbuzz]

i would think the converters and analog stage is probably a little better.. but with the Rosetta you get the great UV22HR dithering, sample rate conversion (if needed), tons of ins/outs.. mine isnt going anywhere

[Zorran]

i know a few studios that use the soft limiting on the rosetta to make rough masters. i dont think the rme has a feature similar to that but i might be wrong.
i think there have been a few rme vs apogee shootouts on the board. i dont know if the adi 2 has the same converters/chips as the 8 channel rme models, but if theyre close, the apogee might not be worth the extra dosh (which is quite alot) just for extra features.

[mark007]

thanks

[Chrizcol]

yeah im interested too... got a decent pre-amp already.. but working with creative x-fi a/d d/a right now so not sure...

[lpkyer]

how about lynx auroras?

[lpkyer]

..or lavry blue !

[lblstudio]

Apogee all the way!!!

[Coyoteous]

- kind of an unfair comparison, don't you think? I have an ADI-2 and I think it's great - no doubt the best box in its price class (actually the only one in it's class!).

There was an RME vs. Apogee thread with examples a while back - IIRC, the shoot out was close with Apogee coming off as more euphonic and the RME more neutral.

Then the thread was shot down for MP3 examples. You get what you pay for (features/sound quality), but it's not a linear thing (2X$ does not always = 2X better).

If you need more channels (which I doubt for voiceover) and can afford it, I'd probably go with an Aurora or cough up more dough and go Lavry Blue.

I feel I can always use the RME, though - even when I get something better. Right now, I'd rather not spend money on better convertors and don't see RME quality as a limiting factor for the work I do.

[marchhare]

I have an RME ADI pro and a Rosetta 200. I don't know
how much they've improved the ADI-2, but the Rosetta
200 is miles ahead of the ADI pro sonically. The Rosetta
is much clearer and much wider than the RME. Also, you can
clip the Rosetta to get more level when mastering and it still
sounds musical, with the RME, it was just grainy & harsh. On another
note though, the RME sounds a lot better when it's clocked
off the Apogee, as a D/A feeding outboard stuff and back into protools.

[mixerguy]

Originally Posted by gigantorbuzz

..... with the Rosetta you get the great UV22HR dithering, sample rate conversion (if needed), tons of ins/outs.. mine isnt going anywhere

+1

The Roseta 200 is awesome!

[marchhare]

I forgot to add how much I like the UV22HR dithering and SRC.
+1. I still think this is the best thing I ever spent my hard earned,
pop song money on.

[mark007]

thanks for your advice guys

- im probably gonna end up going with the Rosetta 200 rather than RME. Quiet a few people i know also metioned the Lavry's but the cost is about $600-$700 more (practically a third of rosetta's price) and while the quality/detail of conversion might be slightly better from what people say, i'm not sure in an application like voiceovers (as opposed to say recording string quartets) the difference will be that evident. Plus the Rosetta also has added features such as the UV22HR dithering and SRC which a lot of people seem to like...