Interface opinions please.

Nothing wrong with Presonus - almost all the interfaces (esp. on the lower end) sound about the same.  There is only so much you can do component-wise with a preamp that costs $10-15.  And they usually use the same ADDAs.  Basically, the same price range of interfaces will sound about the same. 
 
I'm using the Tascam UH-7000.  Stellar performance sound wise w/ a few flaws - higher latency over USB (11 ms roundtrip), no inserts etc.  But the preamps and conversion are good enough Tascam put the retail price at $700, just like some of the other "premium" units that have come out the last few years - audient, crimson, etc.  But it had none of the extra features so they go for $400 now.  I've got mine spdif'ed into my TC Konnekt (no sonic slouch itself) as the main recording channel, getting around the higher latency.
 
  Tascam is now, of course, in the Gibson family, so you should look at their interfaces.  They have new models out, not quite as good as the 7000, but with multiple ins/outs.  And brand new is their 20X20 w/ ADAT and Spdif as well as 8  preamps with AD but 8 outputs.  Craig Anderton loves the sound and I should be getting the 20X20 in soon for review.  It is not out but lists for $500 I believe.  It could be a winner.
 
@

It's going to be a few weeks before I can actually buy anything, so I'd be interested in knowing how it's working out for you then.
 
I'm certainly not opposed to spending less money if I can, But I want to make sure I'm not going to end up with the same issue I have now by doing so, which is track bleeding and excessive noise.
 
I've asked around and got very mixed opinions on Behringer stuff.

I would certainly aviod "B" if possible. And right now I really like both Tascam and Fcusrite  as companies who seem to be building solid interfaces in the lower price points. Drivers are what count and I just can't beleieve that B would spend the money on that. 
 

Out of what you've mentioned, I'd go for the Focusrite.

Just a thought, but I'd also go for a USB interface rather than firewire. There are all kinds of potential issues with firewire, audio interfaces and Windows and it's a protocol Microsoft have always been a bit indifferent about. Every new version of Windows, and sometimes just Windows updates, seem to bring along some problem with audio over firewire.

It's also a technology that's likely to disappear before too long, because although firewire 400 has a quite adequate bandwidth for DAW usage (unless you want a seriously large number of ins and outs) USB and Thunderbolt have higher bandwidth which lots of things do benefit from. When manufacturers start considering what to miss out in the interests of saving money, or space for the sockets, it's firewire that gets left out first.

I was thinking of something with both firewire and USB. My laptop only has USB. Not that I use it for recording, but would be nice to be able to should something happen that I need it.
 
The latency is also something I've been curious about with USB vs firewire. The pros and cons there.

Please post your thoughts about the 18i20, I'm looking at buying one to upgrade my 8i6. I've had no problems with Focusrite on Sonar and would prefer to stick with them.
 

Bflat5
Unless someone here has something really negative to say or I find something I don't like about it within the next 4 weeks or so, or if something better pops up in that time, I do believe I've decided on the Focusrite Scarlett 18i20.

+1 for Focusrite, great drivers, rock solid and supurb products.

Their LS 56 is great, and no, F/W is not going anywhere soon. And even if it did, with an adapter Thunderbolt/Firewire you're up and running for more than the lifespan of consumer products as Focusrite products will work with one.

My 2 eurocents !

Cheers,
Jerry

I really Like my Focusrite 18i20.  It has been pretty solid.

Motu Ultralite AVB.
 
Been looking for an upgrade of my Roland Quad Capture for a while. After studying the above unit, I think the features superseded all my previous choices.
 
http://forum.cakewalk.com...lite-AVB-m3190029.aspx

Another suggestion is M-Audio M-Track Eight - 8 input interface (although there's no midi), costs around $400. I've had it for a year and it's been working perfectly.

Bflat5
I'm looking to replace my Presonus Firebox. It's old, noisy and limited. What I'm looking for is something with plenty of I/O's, rack mounted and within the $400 to $600 +/- range.
 
So far I'm looking at the Behringer FCA1616 and Focusrite Pro 40. Looking at reviews the 1616 is pretty good, but I am concerned about the overall quality. They've always seemed more of a budget minded company as opposed to higher end pro gear. Thoughts on that?
 
The Pro 40 also gets great reviews, but is said to have compatibility issues with some firewire cards and/or chipsets.
 
Any other suggestions besides Presonus? I don't think I want to go down that road again.

You won't find an audio interface that's "higher-end" with 8-channels of analog I/O for $400-$600.
There are many audio interfaces at that price point that are "pretty decent".

• Average noise-floor typically between -103dB and -107dB
• Decent mic preamps
• Typically don't offer the lowest possible round-trip latency (important if you plan to play/monitor in realtime thru software based EFX/processing.

 
At just a tad above the stated budget, the MOTU Ultralite AVB ($650) would improve upon a couple of those items.
It's the best you're going to do at ~$650.

• Noise-floor of -112dB
• 4.9ms total round-trip latency at a 64-sample ASIO buffer size/44.1k

 
"Higher-end" audio interfaces have noise-floor of -117dB or lower.  
Fireface UFX, MOTU AVB series (full rack units), etc.
These audio interfaces are "world-class"... and they have the price to match.
 
FWIW, The new Presonus Studio 192 is worth checking out.  
Good specs for the cost...