I will try to post my results here on the forum.
I'm not a sound genius but I think there will be a difference between each product even if it's subtle because each manufacturer has his own way to build his products. But I notice that in 10 years the quality of the converters has improved incredibly.
Of course I would like to have the best converters in the world and analog compressors and equalizers (I'm starting to think seriously about a lunchbox), Neve or API preamps. But I'm content with an entry-level golden project preamp.
I know that RME is a very good solid brand and their drivers are very good and reliable. It's my budget that is not up to it, that's all.
And then I record bands that are just starting out for really cheap and they are less demanding than real professionals.
This is my modest contribution to music. And the fun that goes with it.

 

I guess you didn't take my advice and read up on confirmation bias.

Since your brain can easily fool you into thinking that a more expensive converter is sounding better, the above video cannot be used for a scientifically correct test.

You are seeing on screen what audio is recorded with the more expensive converter. Naturally you biased brain will hear it as more full, deep sounding.

Test have shown that you could play back the same audio file and if people are told that one of them is recorded with expensive gear they would hear that playback as sounding better then the other one. Even though they are the same file.

Only way to tell if you can hear a difference is if you do an ABX test. But doing it once or twice is not enough. You could guess right both time out of pure luck. You have to do it many times so that the result becomes statistically significant.

 

You keep circling the drain on "conformation bias". Feeling guilty about something?

Just because someone notices something that you don't, and may, make a different a decision based on that fact, does not conform bias unless explicitly and, repeatedly expressed.

The other compared unit would have been PreSonus, Tascam or...A choice still would have been made either way.

I made a choice to to try an ADATA Gammix S11 Pro 1TB NVMe for a Lenovo S30 upgrade over Sabrent Rocket and Samsung Pro. The choice was made after comparing specs & pricing. Also look in Pro Audio/Video forums for red flags.

After 3 years it is still performing very well for working project, sample & instrument libraries. Reads & writes are as advertised. Even when filled pass 80%. Save around 90-100 dollars. Would not hesitate to recommend that model or it's SX workstation variant for a PCIe 3.0 based system.

 

Helter Skelter does have a legit point though. Personally I seek to prove such things to myself objectively if possible. In other words, I don't trust my own senses because I know as a human they can be unreliable. Confirmation bias is very prevalent. I try to stay aware of it but it's not easy.

 

Yes...Valid point when you know the reason behind a made decision. Brand loyalty is definitely something to avoid tripping over.
Sony & IBM purchases were rarely questioned at one time.

As a side note. I entered a search for good grand piano for students. One interesting article:
https://www.musicindustryhowto.com/best-piano-maker-brands/

Relates to the OP as to comparison & buying choice.

 

Behringer ADA8200 is sonically superior mic preamp to anything that RME have to offer in they product linup. They are in fact a MIDAS. Genuine MIDAS preamps. They are exactly the same mic-line preamp found in phenomenal MIDAS analog consols. I have both of them. Behringer ADA8200, and 32 canals Midas analog console designed in the UK, and built in Germany. There is no single trace of difference between Chinese made Behringer ADA8200, and built in Germany Midas console preamp. I conducted test measurements myself. On nominal unity levels, they both exhibit same values from frequency response, THD, Intermodulation, noise levels... Everything. They behave the same. Behringer is also built pretty solid, not as some Boss guitar pedals, or some Korean made Graphic EQs I have, that are like tanks, but you can definitely relay on them. In the matter of fact it is built better than my USA made MOTU intarface, and I absolutely love that MOTU interface. Only thing that differentiate it from much more expensive, and much more importantly, measurably almost completely transparent ( for human beings, completely, absolutely transparent ) MOTU interface, is output level from DAC line outputs, witch is higer-louder in my MOTU intarface, and somewhat "higer", but still for humans unperceivable DAC line outputs THD%, approximately 0.010% if I remember.

Behringer made some exceptional products.

Sorry on my bad English.

 

Last edited by a moderator: Mar 4, 2023

Show us the screen shots of your test measurements or it never happened. Perhaps No Avenger and others in the brain trust could translate your findings once you do.

 

Well, if there is a paid video comparing a low end thing to something else, you learn that this particular something else is the king to beat.
At that point you don't even have to watch the video, you already know what's the best product in it's category.

 

Agree! Measure or shut up! While ears are very precise instruments it's the brain we can't trust.

 

Messure is for nothing same Midas inside...if someone will pay more for the same not me...read can help...or try out...using now 2 years a Behringer UMC Card no Problems with same Midas inside a way better then my old Tascam. UMC Card was best buy ever. In the tests in music store RME, UAD, Behringer can't hear a difference in a AKG712 Pro so i take the cheapest.

 

No those aren't the same preamps from a $3000 Midas Console inside your $200 UMC interface. They are "Midas Designed" preamps, just like the ones in the ADA8200 that smear transients and are rather noisy when cranked up. They let one of their high paid engineers design a basic preamp circuit with budget components so they can hit the price point. You're one of those folks Behringer loves, because you just eat up their ad copy and take it as gospel. Their stuff isn't bad, but sorry you DO get what you pay for sometimes.

 

Last edited: Mar 5, 2023

And, as has been mentioned, regardless of sound, there IS a difference in build quality.
I actually used to work for Presonus. Someone mentioned cap failure.....here's a hot
news flash. Cap failure in Presonus products is very common. It doesn't matter how well
designed a circuit is if you use the cheapest crap Chinese components available.

And it's also not always a question of hardware. One of the reasons RME is so well respected
is because of the quality of their DRIVERS. When it comes to audio/midi interfaces that can
make all the difference in the world.

One final note.....sometimes simple brand recognition can drive up prices. Gibson guitars
are a good example. I've played some Korean and even Chinese made guitars that played
better than some Gibsons costing 10x more. Sometimes a large percentage of the purchase
price is nothing more than the name itself.

 

a mate did a blind test on GS a few years ago
the older behringer ada8000 won against all
the newer is probably a "better" product since they learned a lot since production of the 8000

sorry to say but behringer isnt totall trash anymore
they are still a morally dubious entity but
they have some decent gear

 

Hi. Thanks for the reply.

I didn't talk about "ears". I talking about analaysed mesurments. Unfortunately I didn't have any of them anymore to satisfy your curiousness, I conducted that mesurments almost two years ago in the time of pandemic, when I spent few weeks making mesurmants of my own and some borrowed equipment. I talk what I found, maybe would someone find it helpful. Frequency response on both Midas and Behringer was almost exactly the same, They're both have vary gentle, fine, gradual roll off in high frequency around 0,8 db from 5khz to 20khz, only difrence is slightly roll off in bass region about 0.3 db from 50hz to 20hz on Midas preamp. Behringer ADA8200 is completely flet all the way down to 20hz. So Behringer is marginally even better. That could be most certainly attributed to master bus out slight coloration on Midas. Because i wanted to see how whole signal path on Midas behave. But frequency curve is extremely similar in its shape and form on both preamps. EIN was same, and was excellent on both preamps, around -129 to -130db . Certainly great result from both preamps. Noise levels should be around -100 if I remamber, there is certainly no chance that Behringer is noisy as someone said previously in the thread. In fact they are de facto some of the quietest preamps around. Only "negative" aspect from Behringer is somewhat "lower dynamic range" of AD - DA converters themselves, not preamp itself, compared to most modern interlaces, around -104 db and 106db, but that is already very good result to begin with, toped only by most recent interlaces and converters, and no one should really wory about it, because microphones themself have much worse dynamic range.

Mic preamp in Behringer ADA8200 is, and behaves, same as genuine made in Germany MIDAS preamp.

Can you please explain why do you hypothesize that there should be any observable difference between Midas and Behringer? Because of its price? Because it is made in China?

From my experience analyzing many equipment. The more you pay. The "better" they sound. The holier is. The worst is its measurements.

That goes also for cables, particularly expensive VOVOX, that measure worst than 19 euro SSnake (8 cable snake-loom) from Thoman, witch is great by the way.