Hi folks! I know its a question that’s been asked many times, by many folks, but I’m going to ask again anyway, as I value everyone’s input and – after tons of research and legwork – I’m sort of at a mental, overthinking-way-too-much deadlock about what to do: What suggestions would folks make regarding an audio interface upgrade...?
 
Some background. After a financial reshuffling, I have found myself with some budget to upgrade my studio. I was previously using a V-studio 700, loved it, but grew disenchanted when it was orphaned by Roland, and decided to part with it while it still had some resale value. So last week I sold it, and now I have an opportunity to reboot my studio setup, starting with a nice upgrade to the audio interface.
 
I use Sonar Platinum, in Windows 10 64bit, and my main interest is orchestral / hybrid scoring. I record in stereo, and I work almost exclusively in-the-box, using sample libraries (I have many). So I’m not overly concerned about built-in mic preamps, or multiple ins and outs. I occasionally record vocals, but usually just myself (or a friend), one track at a time. I already have a couple of decent preamps and a modest collection of mics. In a way, the VS-700 was a bit wasted on me – I never really used the preamps much, or the multiple inputs (but I liked the conversion and the wonderful control surface). To replace it, all I want is really nice conversion.
 
My budget: I’ll go as high as $3,000, give or take.
 
I’ve been pondering a few scenarios, and eyeing some major hardware – Prism’s Lyra, Lynx Hilo, even the Lynx E22 or E44. I looked at some of the UA stuff, but without certified Windows 10 drivers, I don’t think I’ll go that way. UA offers good conversion, but I don’t think they are in the same class as Lynx or Prism. I can always get myself a USB satellite, if I want to use UA plugins (which I do).
 
I know folks rave about the Hilo and Lyra. They are under serious consideration. I was rather impressed with Hilo’s design and functionality, including its routing options, and the pretty cool touchscreen interface. I also hear the conversion is uncompromising and utterly first-class. Same for Lyra, and the preamp is apparently excellent (although I really don’t need it).
 
However, I am also very tempted by another approach: Lynx’s PCIe solutions. The E22 and E44 converters are supposed to be as good as the Aurora’s (which are supposed to be pretty damn good), and I have to think that the latency with a PCIe interface should be better than Hilo or Lyra. In particular, the E22 really offers everything I need – great conversion, two channels in and out, solid drivers and good support. And the price is low enough that it leaves budget available for other nice toys and accessories (there is always more to buy – like a UAD Satellite, Omnisphere 2, Albion One, a new control surface, oh the list goes on…). But how does the E22’s conversion compare to Hilo or Lyra? My research suggests that Hilo is still a few tiers above its PCIe brethren, and I wonder how much of a difference that would make to my recordings…
 
Anyway, sorry for rambling on. I’d be curious and grateful for anyone’s input or observations. Am I missing any major players in the mid/high-end conversion sweepstakes? And I’d be very curious to hear what other folks would do if they were dealing with my budget and workflow needs…
 
Thanks!
 
Rob

I'd go with the E44.  I can't imagine the conversion would be that much better in the Hilo/Lyra.  Some people claimed the TASCAM UH-7000 sounds the same (haven't compared the two but it has great conversion).  The E units spec better than the old aurora units, which have been in many professional environments.  If Goldfrapp can sell millions using them, I don't think it will cramp your style. If you needed portability or were doing pro mastering it could be worth the extra.  Most conversion these days is good - Lynx is great.
 
Having 4 I/O (with 4 digital I/O) provides you a lot more flexibility for very little extra outlay.  It allows you to easily buss out sounds and record them back into your rig and hear the effect.  Otherwise you need a variable patchbay or splitters.  That is likely a function you will need.
 
Of course, the Hilo has ADAT for expansion and does have a bit extra going as far as specs.  You can't go wrong w/ it.  But if it was my money the E44 is a better deal.

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/ZenStudio

The zenstudio does look nice, but as a USB 2.0 device, I'd be concerned about latencies.  I haven't heard that they've managed low latency drivers like RME. 

http://www.soundonsound.c...rticles/zen-studio.htm

also, this:
 
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Orion32/?adpos=1t1&creative=107352317401&device=c&matchtype=b&network=g&gclid=CPf2zJ6OkcwCFcVbfgodt3QKqA
 
http://tapeop.com/reviews...onverter-usb-interface
 

Thanks for the feedback, folks. Much appreciated.
 
I think the E44 might be the way to go, as per AT's suggestions above. I had heard of Antelope Audio, but hadn't really looked into their products all that much and didn't realize how many different interfaces they actually produce, so I appreciate the links. They do look very nice, although I just don't need that many inputs or mic pres. In the years I owned the VS-700, I can't remember a single time I used more than two of its eight pres -- and I only did that twice (that I can recall). I also didn't get a clear sense of the quality of Antelope's drivers. A scattering of user reviews (which I know should be taken with some grains of salt) spoke of driver issues in Windows. That may or may not be true, but its enough to make me leery. I've had some struggles over the years with great hardware sabotaged by sketchy driver support (EMU 1212m, Mackie Onyx mixer with Firewire card, to name a couple), and I sort of felt burned by Roland (and was never able to get my VS-700 all that stable in Win 10, for whatever reason - it ran, but I rarely had a session without at least one crash). I know Lynx has an awesome reputation for drivers and support. Combine that with their high-end conversion, and its make for a really appealing package.

If you're 100% ITB, there is absolutely no reason to spend more than $500 on an audio interface.
 
You don't need 8+ channels, ADAT, S/PDIF or multiple outputs (unless you do surround), and you don't care about interface latency. All you want is a reliable device from a reputable company, and you don't need to spend $3k to get that.
 
Spend that money on your computer instead, e.g. more RAM, better speakers, an additional video monitor, or an SSD for your sample libraries. Maybe some high-end headphones. I can think of a lot of things that would be money better spent than a premium audio interface.

bitflipper
If you're 100% ITB, there is absolutely no reason to spend more than $500 on an audio interface.
 
You don't need 8+ channels, ADAT, S/PDIF or multiple outputs (unless you do surround), and you don't care about interface latency. All you want is a reliable device from a reputable company, and you don't need to spend $3k to get that.

I guess the counter-argument to this is sometimes we may need to go momentarily OOTB (out of the box).  I like a bit of reverb in the cans when recording vocals.  My Steinberg units have this covered with onboard FX, but many interfaces don't.  Now if the interface has s/pdif, I can connect my M350 FX unit digitally and enjoy quality reverb on the monitoring mix with negligible latency.  The alternative is to use a reverb VST, but depending on the interface, the latency can be too high so that the reverb (with the vocal) sounds off and distracting.
 
Also, as a fan of the VRM box, I "need" s/pdif out on the interface to use it.

bitflipper
If you're 100% ITB, there is absolutely no reason to spend more than $500 on an audio interface.
 
You don't need 8+ channels, ADAT, S/PDIF or multiple outputs (unless you do surround), and you don't care about interface latency. All you want is a reliable device from a reputable company, and you don't need to spend $3k to get that.
 
Spend that money on your computer instead, e.g. more RAM, better speakers, an additional video monitor, or an SSD for your sample libraries. Maybe some high-end headphones. I can think of a lot of things that would be money better spent than a premium audio interface.

I disagree only because an RME unit will pay for itself and they are not under $500. They don't make doorstops.