soundcards: saffire vs ultralite preamps

[vj_jasper]

have found another audio card to consider, the Saffire:

http://mixonline.com/products/review...fire_firewire/

made by Focusrite, who put the mic preamps in the original Digidesign MBox.. thats why they sounded so good.

it is all silver and white, and upright.. completely the opposite of the similar priced MOTU Ultralite, which is black. actually the Ultralite looks a lot 'cooler'.

anyway, the main question i have is whether the MOTU preamps are going to be any better than the highly esteemed Focusrite preamps?

the reason i ask is that i want to be able to record nylon string guitar with Rode NT-5 matched stereo pair microphones.. hoping to capture as many sparkling transients and deep low rich tones as possible.

[rayrik]

Focusrite drivers are rubbish, Motu might be the best for your purpose, I am no fan of M audio but from what I can see you looking for maybe the NRV can work, it is surprisingly well bulid, good solution for live use and flexible interface. If you dont mind paying more and size/weight -Yamaha 01x or Tascam.

[thomase]

If you only want to record one single signal, you might wanna check the presonus Inspire 1394- rather cheap and pretty solid.

[vj_jasper]

thanks Thomase, actually the presonus inspire does have a couple of inputs, however the Inspire does not include a DSP mixer, which is pretty essential, as that means 100%latency-free monitoring through the card when recording, etc.

Rayrik - thanks for info re/ focusrite drivers, i should be cautious re/ Saffire.

the Motu Ultralite also has driver issues on some windows computers, although i hear it is fine with macbooks.

reviews re/ the Motu's A-D converters and mic preamps are always high praise for the quality.

pretty tuff piece of gear, for something called an "Ultralite"..

[thomase]

I have the presonus and it only has two combined mic/guitar inputs plus a stereo in as far as I can remember. The MOTU does in fact have a steep price tag, and I guess it's way too much if you just want to record two signals, in which case you don't really need a dsp mixer. If you really think you need a mixer, you could get a smallish mixing desk like this one: http://www.behringer.com/MX602A/index.cfm?lang=eng plus the card. Just my thoughts. I can comment on the 828 MOTU after early next year, have a test machine here at the mo...

[rayrik]

I tested Ultralight extensively (though went for EMU because of seductive sound quality and PCMCIA superiority latency wise) , no issues at all with Vaio.It is light indeed, very intelligent design, user friendly. The most unique the mixer function with display that no other products have (in that size and weight). The display is highly viewable, sleek thing, it changes into negative depending on angle. Minimum size/weight max quality, if these are important factors for you- Motu is the best choice. If you want least problematic piece get RME,for best ADDA, sound -1616m
I would never buy anything without option of testing with my particular computer.

[Bokonon]

Originally Posted by rayrik

If you want least problematic piece get RME,for best ADDA, sound -1616m

Another vote for the RME, I loked at these quite a lot including test running a couple of the PCI cards in a Linux set up and the Fireface 400 up against the ultralite (totally unfair comparison - much closer to the 828). I'd agree, if you want the must robust card - the RME is probably it.

As for sound quality - EMU? really? I can't buy a soundcard from Creative, call me a snob, but I never ever want a creative sound card anywhere near my computer again.

[rayrik]

Originally Posted by Bokonon

As for sound quality - EMU? really? I can't buy a soundcard from Creative, call me a snob, but I never ever want a creative sound card anywhere near my computer again.

I am not a snob, more question of common sense, never bother to answer, help anyone on audio forum who would mention using Creative cards, since it is like using skateboard for waterskiing. However EMU is different company, it is like Fiat and Ferrari. They use ( only the m versions) same convertors as Protools HD.
I switched from RME to EMU after accidentally hearing/testing it. The clarity and definition , meaning I could hear stuff unheard with RME.Though no match to RME tank like built quality, the audio difference was the decision factor.