A-D/D-A C Q's?

Arturo00 · 28th May 2007

Hello everyone!

I'm looking to upgrade my A-D/D-A converters. I would love to get a pair of Apogee Rosetta 800's but the price is just too high so I've decided to focus my attention on the RME ADI-8 DS. I'll be starting off with 16 I/O. I run Nuendo 3 on a PC (not my computer and i don't know all the specs).

i've heard a lot about RME products in that they are definately worth the money and at times can give Apogee products a run for their money (especially for the price) in terms of quality and reliability.

So my post is 2 fold. First, has anyone A-B'ed the Rosetta 800 and RME ADI-8DS or have an opinion of either interface.

And second, to interface the cards to my comp I was thinking of going with the M-Audio Lightbridge (the most cost effective option) instead of something like the RME HDSP 9652. Would the M-Audio colour the sound and/or give me bad clocking/potential jitter? would it be counter productive to get "high end" A-D/D-A converters with a "prosumer" interface?

Thanks in advance for all your help.

Arturo.....

ps. also, what would you recommend for an interface, PCI or Firewire? is either one better then the other?

andremattos · 28th May 2007

Get Aurora 16

peeder · 28th May 2007

The M-Audio interface will allow you to use Pro Tools (for another $250 you can add it), which you just may find handy.

If the Aurora 16 + ADAT card is the cheapest way to get 16 i/o into your Lightbridge, then it's probably (I've never heard it myself) a very competitive option for your specific circumstances. It will run all 16 on one clock. It will also allow you to migrate to other interfaces in the future as opposed to being stuck with one interface. The Lightbridge lets you spend as little as possible on the interface, which is smart.

I suggest Firewire interfaces simply because they will last longer and usually have more platform support...card formats are always changing, and you don't have slots in e.g. laptops for mobile use. You can extend Firewire cable a long way, which helps move the computer into a machine room. If you have a lot of Firewire gear you might need to get another firewire card, which is cheap.

As long as the converter is master clock you won't have to worry about jitter...even if the lightbridge is jittery the message will be re-assembled properly anyway.

28th May 2007	#1
Arturo00 Gear Head Joined: Mar 2007 Location: Ottawa Posts: 70 Thread Starter	A-D/D-A C Q's? Hello everyone! I'm looking to upgrade my A-D/D-A converters. I would love to get a pair of Apogee Rosetta 800's but the price is just too high so I've decided to focus my attention on the RME ADI-8 DS. I'll be starting off with 16 I/O. I run Nuendo 3 on a PC (not my computer and i don't know all the specs). i've heard a lot about RME products in that they are definately worth the money and at times can give Apogee products a run for their money (especially for the price) in terms of quality and reliability. So my post is 2 fold. First, has anyone A-B'ed the Rosetta 800 and RME ADI-8DS or have an opinion of either interface. And second, to interface the cards to my comp I was thinking of going with the M-Audio Lightbridge (the most cost effective option) instead of something like the RME HDSP 9652. Would the M-Audio colour the sound and/or give me bad clocking/potential jitter? would it be counter productive to get "high end" A-D/D-A converters with a "prosumer" interface? Thanks in advance for all your help. Arturo..... ps. also, what would you recommend for an interface, PCI or Firewire? is either one better then the other?

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28th May 2007	#2
andremattos Lives for gear Joined: Oct 2006 Location: Brazil - Amazon (the heart of the world) Posts: 713	Get Aurora 16

28th May 2007	#3
peeder Lives for gear Joined: Aug 2006 Location: No longer participating here. Posts: 6,705	The M-Audio interface will allow you to use Pro Tools (for another $250 you can add it), which you just may find handy. If the Aurora 16 + ADAT card is the cheapest way to get 16 i/o into your Lightbridge, then it's probably (I've never heard it myself) a very competitive option for your specific circumstances. It will run all 16 on one clock. It will also allow you to migrate to other interfaces in the future as opposed to being stuck with one interface. The Lightbridge lets you spend as little as possible on the interface, which is smart. I suggest Firewire interfaces simply because they will last longer and usually have more platform support...card formats are always changing, and you don't have slots in e.g. laptops for mobile use. You can extend Firewire cable a long way, which helps move the computer into a machine room. If you have a lot of Firewire gear you might need to get another firewire card, which is cheap. As long as the converter is master clock you won't have to worry about jitter...even if the lightbridge is jittery the message will be re-assembled properly anyway.