Helpful ReplyNeed advice about MOTU 828Mkiii hybrid vs. Focusrite Saffire Pro 40--Decision now made

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cecelius2
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2011/04/19 04:18:08 (permalink)

Need advice about MOTU 828Mkiii hybrid vs. Focusrite Saffire Pro 40--Decision now made

 I am researching the purchase of a new audio card and have been reading previous posts on the topic here and elsewhere, but have some questions for my fellow Sonar lovers.  I will be replacing my M-Audio FW 1814, which has served me well for over half a decade.  I have narrowed my search down to two cards:  MOTU 828 MKiii hybid and Focusrite Saffire Pro 40. 
 
                My new card should be a firewire or hybrid card--I have a TI Chipset FW Card.  My new card must have ADAT Optical input for an additional 8 inputs; both units allow for ADAT inputs.  (I had thought also about M-Audio Ultra Fast Track 8R, but it does not have ADAT inputs).
 
So, here are my Questions/Concerns that I need your input and advice:

1)      Are the Mic preamps pristine, CLEAN?  How are the mic pres regarding transparency and headroom? [I would suspect that the MOTU has better pres, but need to hear such from you and if the MOTU is worth the additional $250 for the pres.]
2)      I need both 8 TRS and XLR inputs for the audio card inputs.   
3)      What are Round-Trip latencies for these cards?   I will be using Memory intensive Softsynths and software monitoring via Sonar.  I also will be upgrading to an Intel Sandybridge 2600k, which should help with some of this.
4)      I require rock-solid stability with both WIN7 64bit OS and SONAR X1b.
 
What are your experiences and advice?  Which one and why?
 
Thanks

Cecelius2
post edited by cecelius2 - 2011/05/16 20:42:55




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    cecelius2
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    RTL? 2011/05/12 16:44:36 (permalink)
    What is the RTL (round trip latency) for the Saffire Pro 40 and the MOTU 828 Mk3 hybrid?

    I am about to purchase one or the other and need to know what you users are finding for RTL.  I use soft-synths and need to know.

    Thanks

    C2




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    cecelius2
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    Found this thread 2011/05/12 18:57:27 (permalink)
    I just found this thread which asked the same basic question and got some answers:

    http://forum.cakewalk.com...mpage=1&print=true






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    Doc_Hollingsworth
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    Re:Found this thread 2011/05/15 00:59:40 (permalink) ☄ Helpful
    I've been using a pair of Pro40swith my system for over a year and a half and couldn't be happier. Low noise floor and rock solid operation. I do have the Ti chipset native on my Gigabit motherboard. so it has kept things operating in good order.

    I also have a VRM box added in to the SPDIF out on the master Pro40. Will be adding a couple of OctoPre MKII Dynamics here in a couple of months. for an all focusrite front end.

    So I guess you could say I'm very satisfied.





    Doc
    MacBook Pro 15.4 Retina (mid 2015)
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    Logic Pro X 10.2.4/Reason 9.2/Pro Tools 12.7
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    #4
    cecelius2
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    My decision 2011/05/16 20:42:16 (permalink)
    Hi all--thanks for the advice. 

    I decided to go with the MOTU 828 mk3 hybrid for now.  I just ordered one.  However, I will probably add a Focusrite Ocotopre mkii to it in the near future which would add 8 focusrite preamps via the ADAT connection.  My thinking is that the MOTU would provide solid rtl and good drivers and the focusrite would provide the good transparent preamps.  The best of both worlds/products.

    I will post later with results.

    C2




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