Alpha link or Lynx Aurora... or Apogee?

[Thebassist]

It looks like the Alpha link is a great bang for the buck... even better than the Aurora.

Anybody have experience with either or both? Is the SSL in the same league?
J

[ecsound]

I've A/B'd the lynx and apogee stuff.

i most definitely preferred the lynx, and ended up buying one. the lynx is exactly what i wanted, pretty much no coloration.

the apogee stuff (to me) was somewhat dull.

maybe it's just me.

[mikymike]

Originally Posted by Thebassist

It looks like the Alpha link is a great bang for the buck... even better than the Aurora.

Anybody have experience with either or both? Is the SSL in the same league?
J

My alpha-link is and sounds amazing. The best converters Ive ever owned. Match it up w/ a mixpander 9 and some of the 0 LATENCY plugs and you cant go wrong!!!

[steveschizoid]

I am with ecsound concerning coloration; I was interested in the SSL until I heard a shootout, plus I didn't like the halving of the number of tracks at 88.2/96 KHz. The optical connection was cutting edge technology in 1992. The Aurora 16 is great.

[Thebassist]

Steve- what shoot out are you talking about?

I know everyone loves the shit out of the lynx, but the pricepoint is tempting on the alpha link if it's even near the same ballpark, quality wise.
J

[steveschizoid]

I am truly sorry, but I was spending lots of time (at all hours of the night) researching this back in November '07; there's no way I could tell you how I found that shootout. I had originally been set upon buying the Alpha-Link, but as I researched more and more the Aurora seemed like the better option. I didn't want to record 24 tracks; it will be ages before I'll have that many high end mic pre's. I did want to record at 88.2 KHz, and, sound aside, I have managed to grow (my mics and pres) into the 16 tracks, which I can now record at any sample rate I want - not that I've seen a purpose to anything above 88.2 as of yet.

[Jim@SSL]

Alpha Links are also available with AES instead of ADAT digital connections. At 96K you do have the number of ADAT i/o to 12 instead of 24, but with AES you still get 24 i/o at 96k.

Also note that you get 24 analogue i/o at whatever sample rate you use.

Just to set the record straight.

[steveschizoid]

Is this a new feature? If not, this was certainly not obvious from the information available on your website late last year.

[Empire Prod]

That's pretty amazing that you are able to audition converters online (most likely in mp3 format) and come to an objective and accurate conclusion. Everything is wrong with this picture. The truth is that you have never auditioned the converters and apparently you do not even seem to recognise the level of critical listening that is required to distinguish the nuances (yes nuances) of various ad/da converters. This type of nonsensical approach does nothing but murk up the waters. Why are people so quick to critique while at the same time so blind to their own ignorance?

Note to NOOBs: Talk less, listen more

(sorry for the rant, just sick of the "I have never used X but it is much better than Y" posts)

[Jim@SSL]

Originally Posted by steveschizoid

Is this a new feature? If not, this was certainly not obvious from the information available on your website late last year.

Alpha Link converters have been available as AES and ADAT variants since their launch at AES 2006.

[emfrank72]

Jim, I have a question about the Alphalink. I am looking at the AES to MADI one. I currently have a Lynx Aurora 16 with a Lynx AES PCIe card for 16 channels of io. I am considering a RME Madi card and an Alphalink. Would I then have 24 analog IO plus 16 from the Aurora 16 plus another 8 AES/EBU inputs that could be used simultaneously? So could I get 48 channels of IO at 96K or would I be limited to 48K? I could also just double my current setup but I like the idea of going MADI as PCIe slots are at a premium in my Mac Pro.

[Thebassist]

More questions-

With Madi, how many IO can you get into the machine with the higher priced alpha link?
Is it still 24 channels of conversion... Excuse my ignorance of Madi.


16 channels is rarely enough for me (big gospel sessions, rock albums with ridiculous track count...) so the lynx would proably be a pair of the 16's for a lot more money...


Has anyone honestly had a bad experience with the Alpha?

[steveschizoid]

Originally Posted by Empire Prod

(sorry for the rant, just sick of the "I have never used X but it is much better than Y" posts)

In so many cases you have to make a decision based upon incomplete and less than ideal data. I haven't seen a reply yet from anyone who met the OP's criteria. You are correct that mp3's would not be useful in distinguishing the subtle differences between these devices. Why are you so sure they were mp3's? Go to Mytek's web site; there are converter comparisons at 192 kHz. There is not one post in this thread that resembles the one you included in your rant; this is a discussion - why the hostility? Since the OP was talking about the attractive pricing, I assumed he was talking about the Alphalink AX. If you go to the SSL Audio site and try to figure out what that particular converter does or doesn't do, you may experience some frustration. I still don't know (just from the info at their site) if Jim was talking about that model (being AES compatible) or one of the other ones. If it is, maybe the OP didn't know that, and maybe Jim will initiate a conversation with SSL's web site designer about making the information easier to find and understand.

[Jim@SSL]

Originally Posted by emfrank72

Jim, I have a question about the Alphalink. I am looking at the AES to MADI one. I currently have a Lynx Aurora 16 with a Lynx AES PCIe card for 16 channels of io. I am considering a RME Madi card and an Alphalink. Would I then have 24 analog IO plus 16 from the Aurora 16 plus another 8 AES/EBU inputs that could be used simultaneously? So could I get 48 channels of IO at 96K or would I be limited to 48K? I could also just double my current setup but I like the idea of going MADI as PCIe slots are at a premium in my Mac Pro.

Yes. 48 IO at 96k is possible this way.

[Jim@SSL]

Originally Posted by Thebassist

More questions-

With Madi, how many IO can you get into the machine with the higher priced alpha link?
Is it still 24 channels of conversion... Excuse my ignorance of Madi.


16 channels is rarely enough for me (big gospel sessions, rock albums with ridiculous track count...) so the lynx would proably be a pair of the 16's for a lot more money...


Has anyone honestly had a bad experience with the Alpha?

MADI will give you 56 or 64 IO depending on which mode you run it in.

An Alpha Link can be 24 analogue and 24 digital IOs simultaneously. 2 Alpha Links and a MADI card would give you 48 analogue IO if you needed that many.