Sound Check ... 828 Mk2 vs TT Pro vs RME ADI2

PhireAlly · Post by **PhireAlly** » Fri Nov 03, 2006 5:17 pm

Hi All,
I've been thinking about upgrading my 828 mk2, well with all the hype about the BLA mods and new pieces from Presonus, Mackie, RME and others, the prospects of upgrading isn't as clear cut .... at least to me.
Then I thought .... how much of a difference would I hear with say ... an Octapre, Fireface 800, 1200F or FireStudio (these are some of my considerations) as opposed to what I currently own?
Just as in the subject field, Here's what I have ....
MOTU 828 Mk2
RME ADI-2
Focusrite TwinTrak Pro.

My thinking is that the ADI-2 will sound similar to the Fireface and the TT Pro will sound similar to the Octapre, so I wanted to compare them to the 828 Mk2, to see if you guys could hear any differences when monitoring in your own spaces, be it drastic or subtle.

Here's what I did ......
I recorded one of the demo songs from my Roland TD-6V V Drums into DP 4.6.1, using a pair of MIT Terminator2 cables, directly into inputs if each piece individually. No gain adjustments were made going into the 828 mk2 or the ADI-2 as both units produced a signal of about -6 DBFS, the TT Pro needed a little boost but not much.

All the units were clocked via a Lucid GenX 6-96 and the session was recorded a 48khz / 24 bits, and bounced to mp3 @ 320 kbps using the highest quality convert setting in the LAME codec
This is by no means scientific but might be considered "real world".

The goal is to have you guys download using the link below from my DotMac page and post your feelings and or comments about each or all of the Three Files.

After a few replies I will reveal which file corresponds to which unit.

Here's The Link .... *****REMOVED*****

Thanks for participating in my little study.
PhireAlly

PhireAlly · Post by **PhireAlly** » Sun Nov 05, 2006 10:45 am

lookers but no takers

I'll hold out a bit longer. Oh BTW the songs are just over a minute long and also no processing was used ... just raw A/D from each box.
I just need an unbiased opinion.
Thanks.

PhireAlly.

WKWizard · Post by **WKWizard** » Sun Nov 05, 2006 11:42 am

I think number 2 sounded the most analog and slightly more pleasing than number 3. Number 1 was top heavy and thin.

My guess:

#1 is 828
#2 Focusrite
#3 RME

Cool comparison man

PhireAlly · Post by **PhireAlly** » Sun Nov 05, 2006 9:13 pm

Thanks for your input WKWizard, I like your breakdown of each piece.
I'll also post my impressions as well, when the answer is revealed.

PhireAlly

WKWizard · Post by **WKWizard** » Thu Nov 09, 2006 1:50 pm

Well...I'm anxiously awaiting the official results!

PhireAlly · Post by **PhireAlly** » Wed Nov 15, 2006 7:48 am

Ok WKWizard, here are the results.
Drum roll please .........
Audio file 1 = Motu 828mkll
Audio file 2 = RME ADI-2
Audio file 3 = Focusrite TT Pro

So here are my impressions .......

The 828mkll held it's own against the other two, but only when clocked externally by the Lucid. When using it's internal clock it sounded a bit 2 dimentional. Clocking via the Lucid revealed details and stereo imaging that were much closer to the RME, which IMO had a slight edge.
The 828mkll produced a little punchier low end and a bit more Hi-Mid presence than the others.
The RME was slightly warmer than the others.
The TT Pro had a smooth overall tone, but lacked a little detail.

Now the differences between the boxes were not drastic, actually
in most cases, it was very subtle.

My Conclusion ....
I gonna keep the 828mkll. It sounds good when externally clocked,
and the difference in sound vs expenditure for the upgrade IMHO is not
worth it. (the BLA mod is the most cost effective)
The setup I have now offers me good options, and if I need more inputs
I'm gonna hook up my ADAT XT20.

P.S. Maybe that'll be my next test ...... ADAT XT20 vs 828mkll vs RME

WKWizard · Post by **WKWizard** » Wed Nov 15, 2006 11:54 am

RME is top dog. Cool. thanks again.

gearboy · Post by **gearboy** » Wed Nov 15, 2006 12:59 pm

I'm looking across my office at my newly modded BLA 828mk2 and I cannot wait to get home and hook it up. Round trip to/from BLA was one week. Only exterior difference, to my knowledge, is the toggle switch (up position = 44.1kHz / 88.2 kHz down position = 48kHz / 96kHz). The toggle is located between the gain knob and 48v toggle for the 2nd mic preamp.

Anyway, I'm completely psyched to try it out tonight. I'm going to do some bounces of current projects with both my stock and BLA modded 828mk2 interfaces. I know that this is not newly recorded stuff, but I simply don't have time right now to do a session.

Jeff

PhireAlly · Post by **PhireAlly** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 12:05 am

Hey Gearboy, it'll be interesting to hear the differences between your two 828mkll's.
Could you post, maybe a snippet of audio recorded from each box? Nothing major, ... I'd love to hear samples other than what's posted at BLA.

Thanx
PhireAlly

PhireAlly · Post by **PhireAlly** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 12:27 am

WKWizard, thank you !!
You're definitely a taker and not a "looker"

PhireAlly

gearboy · Post by **gearboy** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 7:07 am

PhireAlly wrote:Hey Gearboy, it'll be interesting to hear the differences between your two 828mkll's.
Could you post, maybe a snippet of audio recorded from each box? Nothing major, ... I'd love to hear samples other than what's posted at BLA.

Thanx
PhireAlly

Sure, I will definitely get around to it in the next few days.

Btw PhireAlly, are you in Philly? I'm right outside in Cinnaminson, NJ and spend a lot of time at my gf's house in Port Richmond.

I can tell you that the test run was definitely cool. New BLA clock (44.1kHz) and monitor outs of the 828mkii... more 3D, more defined, better separation, sparkle. Reverbs (Waves IR-L) sounded much more defined and less mushy. Much more air. Funny, because I use a Masterworks EQ post reverb for both high and low pass filtering and what was left sounded much more realistic. Actually, it made me realize that there is too much reverb on certain things, something that I could not hear before. And the mix that I played with was worked on with clients in the room on Saturday and they were completely happy. Vocals sound much more realistic. They were recorded by my friend at his place in NYC with a Microtech Gefell UM70 through a dBx tube preamp.

Anyway, I cannot wait to record something from the ground up with the BLA mod. I'm sure that my Sytek will sound amazing.

I will record something, put it on my server, and post soon. I'll do a shootout between the following with a common source:

1) 828 BLA - on board preamps, Sytek, MP20, Digimax LT
828 stock - on board preamps, Sytek, MP20, Digimax LT

2) Mix bounced with both the modded and unmodded.

Any other requests? I'll post the files as WAV or AIFF and keep them short (less than 30 secs). Give me a few days.

Jeff

PhireAlly · Post by **PhireAlly** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 5:15 pm

PhireAlly, are you in Philly?

I'm north of Philly, in the Lehigh Valley, about 1hr:20 min.

looking forward to your tests

PhireAlly