External Pre into Mackie 800R line in --> signal degradation?

[pmdundee]

So I'm a poor Gearslut who is the proud owner of a Behringer ADA-8000. It's time to retire that piece of gear; it's wonderful for what it is, but I need to start moving up the gear food chain. Anyway, the Mackie Onyx 800R has garnered some high praise and I think it's where I want to go. However, one thing keeps sticking in my mind. I know at some point I will get more high end external pres that I will then want to run through the line ins on the 800R in order to get to its A/D. My question is, will this degrade the sound quality of the external pre, as the signal will still be passing through the amplifier of the 800R before hitting the A/D?

I've always thought that M-Audio did a brilliant thing when they placed the line ins on the Octane after the amplifier to give them a straight wire path to the A/D. Other units, like the Presonus Digimax LT, have inserts that you can use as post-amplification line ins, although then you'd be dealing with an unbalanced connection. Mackie didn't make any allowances for this, though.

Last question on this topic: anyone think its possible to mod some of the line inputs on the 800R so that they bypass the amplifier and go straight to the A/D?

Thanks!
Eric

[bleen]

The 800R also has 8 line ins on a DB25 connector, so you could come straight out of your pre's into the line in and bypass the 800's pre's entirely.

(BTW, I'm selling an 800R if you're interested...)

[redddog]

Bleen,

How much and why?

Thanks

[bleen]

I bought it to add some extra pre's to a 002R while I'm waiting for a new interface and Aurora8 to arrive. That time is here, so I'm moving out the 800R. Still have the box & never registered it w/Mackie (it's only a couple of months old). $750-ish?

[pmdundee]

Originally Posted by bleen

The 800R also has 8 line ins on a DB25 connector, so you could come straight out of your pre's into the line in and bypass the 800's pre's entirely.

(BTW, I'm selling an 800R if you're interested...)

Those line ins on the DB25 run through the exact same amplifier as the mic ins do, which is exactly what I'm trying to get around. See for yourself here:
http://www.mackie.com/products/800r/pdf/Onyx800R_BD.pdf

Thanks, though.
Eric