Quote:
Originally Posted by patchmonkey
Getting back to the reason I started this thread, it seems like no one out there has yet made a really high-end recording interface for laptops - the apogee firewire stuff, (other than mini-me/mini-dac, which has its own shortcomings, as has been discussed) still requires additional equipment for monitoring, and other than that you'd have to mix and match converters, a mixer, etc... I'm sure this hole in the marketplace will be filled at some point, and as usual with digital gear it's probably wise to go with the most functional option and save your money for good instruments, mics and pres.... imo, of course.
Thanks again to everyone for your suggestions!
i replaced my MH 2882+DSP with a rosetta 800.
prior to taking delivery of the apogee i had a fireface 800 as a loaner.
the apogee interfaces w/ my laptop (virtually all of my 'real' intruments are recorded remotely in good sounding rooms) via the FW cards and i can do complex monitor mixes with low latency via the Firemix software without any use of external mixer. the only difference that i have encountered between the MH and the apogee is that the apogee must be plugged into AC. in every other way that i use the apogee for remote recording it's functionality is the same as the MH.
in comparison i would say that the MH sounds very good but maybe hides some of it's digital nasties by sounding a bit dark. it DOES sound fairly natural tho', meaning that it's colourations err on the side of euphonic in that it flatters the musical source. the fireface 800 sounds more extended but a bit more electronic sounding and not as quite as big. the apogee is in a whole 'nuther category. extremely neutral and transparent, nice recovery of transients w/o sounding hyped and a very nice translation of the soundstage.
i don't think that either the MH or RME are dogs. i was fairly happy w/ the metric halo (problem being that i'm not really a huge fan of digital) and it was really only hearing the apogee in comparison that made me realise that i could achieve a much more digital nasty free recording with the rosetta.