Hi, I'm just upgrading my home studio and will be buying new I/O's this week.
I'm getting PT|HD3 and when it comes to I/O interfaces my mind is set up on Apogee AD16X & DA16X.

I'll be using them a lot to insert my outboard.
I know there's an issue with plugin delay compensation (with non-Digi interfaces) and although I'm aware that there's a workaround, it crossed my mind that it might be just more convenient to get two 192s & Big Ben.

How do 192s w/Big Ben compare to Apogees?
My priority is sound but if there's not a big difference 192s would make using my outboard much simpler.

Thanks

Try the stock 192s first...they're really quite good, and for the most part, the professional standard...if you don't like them, then try adding the overpriced clocks and such...personally i don't notice a big difference with all this stuff... all the top end converters (incliding digi's) sound so good it doesn't make much of a difference.
I actually use the 96 digi converters to interface my outboard gear...they sound just as good to me and they're cheaper...though now i wish i had the 192s because of all the extra digital features and expansion cards. The digi stuff works like a charm with ADC as well.
-brian

thanks brian,

off topic question - did you work on Suzie McNeil's stuff?

yeah...suzie's an amazing singer and really fun to work with.
-brian

Personally, I would go for the Apogee's. They are not that much more expensive then the 192's, plus you get the big ben clock in them, rather then buying it separately.

FWIW Id go for the apogee ADDA16x, I tried the big ben alone with my 192 and i didnt hear a huge diference to pull my wallet ( i know many GS say it makes a huge difference, I did not hear it), however when I installed the DA16x to my summing box mixing setup I heard a very evident-positve diference (my wife heard it too, if you are married youll know what I mean), so I went and bought the AD16x too.
Im guessing the apogee converters and the clock toguether makes both the difference, but also, the 192 are very good converters also, no one will tell you: Ohh Ugghh you are using digi 192 conversion, they are very good too. JMHO
Good luck

she's from here - Toronto, ON. She did lots of jingle work before she participated in RS INXS. I thought she smoked all the other contestants as a singer and as a front-person too - she seemed to be the most natural of all of them at working audience

been testing different clocks with Digi 192/DA 16X lately. long story short, 192s IMO sound noticeably better (truer to the analog source) when clocked to DA16X. DA16X does sound better than Digi 192 clocked to 16X, but not by a huge amount.

so..... i'm keeping a 192 for inserts, and DA16X for summing box. if more than 1 X 192 is needed for inserts, will get a Big Ben (192s are terminated so need to be the last box in the chain).

been told by the people at Apogee that ADC is pretty much a non issue unless you're dealing with groups of things like drums -- for single things (vox, gtr solo), tens of samples won't make a difference -- but being an anal kind of guy, i'm staying with 192s on inserts for now as i don't wanna deal with manually nudging the Apogee tracks. for analog efx returns of course there's no possible trim i can think of -- so for that, 192s clocked to Apogee at this time seems the best option for me.

pricewise as you must know, there's not much of a difference. hope this helps. no doubt you can make good sounding records on stock 192s but i'd rather not.

Go with the 192's and skip the big ben, it doesnt make a noticible difference in the sound. Unless your going for lavry, or prism converters the 192's will deliver similar performance.

Thanks for all the tips!
After discussing this with some off-line slutz as well I've decided to go the Apogee route for now. I just work on my own stuff and have no clients breathing on my neck while working, so a little nudging won't kill me. And if it does I can always pick up some 192s later if I want.

Thanks again!

good decision. congrats bro!