Audio Interface

Discussion in 'Computer Hardware' started by mox, Nov 4, 2019.

  1. Lois Lane

    Lois Lane Audiosexual

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    I use a TritonAudio FetHed which give one approximately 26dB of clean grain and which runs on phantom power. It is much less expensive than a Cloudlifter and does the same job...noisey noise floor be gone. Since I only bought one and if I am using two power hungry microphones, my Daking Mic Pre One is dead quiet until it is totally cranked. It provides 70dB of power, about 65 of those decibels totally whispering and usable and enough for anything that I have thrown at it.
     
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  2. Sinus Well

    Sinus Well Audiosexual

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    Right, but that misses the topic a bit. first of all it's about budget interfaces and not about mid-end mic-pres. and secondly it lowers the signal-to-noise ratio at the mic input, but it doesn't change the dynamic range of the outputs, the ad/da conversion or the clocking.
     
  3. Lois Lane

    Lois Lane Audiosexual

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    Of course it affects the noise floor as well as noisy budget interfaces and what can be done to alleviate unusable gain by injecting 26dB of clean gain so that the noisey cranked budget mic pre isn't noisy any more and doesn't have to do the heavy lifting. The Daking bit is to show the difference between what can be accomplished in comparison to the budget mic preamp without the need of external help via something wonderful like the Triton Audio FetHead. To me the dynamic range of the outputs doesn't matter at all as the gain of the mic is compensated by the usually lower output of a ribbon or some dynamic mics. My old inexpensive Focusrite Saffire USB had absolutely no issue with headroom using any ribbon or dynamic mic whilst engaging the FetHead. It was so damn noisy that anything over 60% was throwing a hissy fit. The FetHead isn't adding any gain over what the mic pre is putting out but is replacing clean with dirty. Clocking had zero to do with any of this as well as any conversion from analog to digital.
     
  4. Ballz

    Ballz Producer

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    I am very aware of this lol. The OP said he makes electronic music so he won't be doing much recording. Focusrite preamps do not sound as good as Audient preamps. Audient's DACs sounds better than any other interface in it's price range. If someone has no plan of recording then the most important aspect of the interface they choose will be the DAC and headphone amp. But just in case they do want to record something, they will have a pretty good preamp which is why I suggest Audient. I'm sure most would agree with this. iD22 specifically has the same ADC/DAC that they use in their higher end stuff. Even their lower priced stuff like the iD4 and iD14 is still better quality than the low end Focusrite stuff. Just my opinion
     
    Last edited: Dec 1, 2019
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  5. Sinus Well

    Sinus Well Audiosexual

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    Nope -> It's the M2. The M2-DAC is even more powerful than the ApolloTwin-DAC. But YES, Audient interfaceses are solid!
    That's marketing talk... as always. The pure chip architecture of the M2 is also the same as in my 828es, AI or AO. But it's a completely different converter architecture. And it's the converter architecture that makes the "sound".
    quite questionable...

    ...then someone is welcome to compare the spec-data:


     
    Last edited: Dec 2, 2019
  6. korte1975

    korte1975 Guest

    try asio4all and disable windows audio in daw
     
  7. Ballz

    Ballz Producer

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    When specs are that similar it really comes down to the sound which is subjective tbh. I think budget Audient sounds better than Focusrite. Motu stuff is good. I have a friend who has a Motu interface and it does sound nice. I still prefer Audient though :P. HEDD Quantum shits on everything though.
     
  8. Sinus Well

    Sinus Well Audiosexual

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    The point is: The thread opener wants a budget interface with good HP output. @mox makes electronic music. This means that things like phones-amp, DA-conversion, wordclocking and drivers play a big role in the first place.
    Maybe he would like to record himself over a microphone sometime, so pre-amp and ad-conversion should also be good. But that's secondary. So, yes! Clocking and conversion has a lot to do with the topic!
     
  9. Tob

    Tob Platinum Record

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    Consider also that the audient interfaces (I have an id 22 ) are in a completely different league in terms of build quality.

    I have an M4 here that should replace my id 22. Because of the specs, I thought it is time to upgrade. Now that I have the ID 22 and the M 4 on my desk, I am not sure if this is really an upgrade. They both sound really good, I like the Id more (the d.i. sounds a lot better on the Id22). The main difference is the m4 feels like a toy in terms of haptic feedback and feel compared to the audient.
    ...quality knobs and inputs vs wobbly knobs and wobbly inputs ... :dunno:


    Oh and the headphone amp of the audient ID 22 is noticeably louder.
    The latency of the motu is better. But not as much as I hoped.
    They both sound good. Not sure If If keep the m4, not sure it is really an upgrade.
     
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  10. Sinus Well

    Sinus Well Audiosexual

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    The sound quality is not primarily characterized by the maximum possible level, but by the dynamic range and THD+N.
    Sure, a high output level is necessary to drive high impedance HPs, but loud doesn't mean good ;)

    Phones Specs:

    M2
    Dynamic Range: 115db @ +12,5dBu (max level)
    THD+N: <0.0003% (-110 dB)

    iD22
    Dynamic Range: 114dB @ +17.2dBu (max level)
    THD+N: <0.0008% (-101dB)

    Note that although the iD22 has a higher output level at high impedance HPs, the dynamic range of the M2 is much larger compared to the iD22 - around the factor ~2. Not 2db, factor 2!


    As for the build quality, I absolutely agree with you! Audient interfaces are built like a tank. But they can't even compete with an UH-7000 in terms of sound quality. Even in this comparison scenario, the iD22 could only score with I/O, headroom and drivers. However, the iD22 was far inferior to the Tascam in terms of sound quality. And the Tascam is also far inferior to the M2 in all sound aspects.
     
    Last edited: Dec 3, 2019
  11. Ballz

    Ballz Producer

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    It's fairly common for Motu drivers to be problematic which is another thing that is a huge consideration. The M2 isn't even a month old so I would expect it to at least be as good as an iD22 which is like 7 years old. And lol at the UH-7000 sounding far superior to the iD22. The only reason why people compared them is because they both have burr brown converters and many people say they sound about the same. You're clearly biased or just want to prove your point badly. The more you argue the more obvious it is that Audient is probably the most balanced interface as far as reliability, sound, and bang for buck.
     
  12. Sinus Well

    Sinus Well Audiosexual

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    Yes, I remember it well. But that was a damn long time ago. 2006/2010 like that? I haven't had driver problems with motu devices in years.
    Nope, I'm not biased. I compared the Uh-7000 to the iD22 back then and the Uh-7000 won the race - when it came to audio quality and metering. In all other respects, the iD22 had the lead (as i said before) - higher headroom, more outputs, more functionality on the front panel, and more stable drivers with lower latency. But I was primarily interested in a good amplifier for on the go, which I could record something with if necessary.
    You're missing two things:
    1. The M2 and the iD22 have a 160€ price difference.
    2. If you can read the specs and put the values in relation to each other, you will notice that there are huge differences.
    The M2 is 160€ cheaper and wins the race in almost every point. You complain about build quality and a lower output level. And you want to tell me that I am making a fool of myself? You're serious?
     
    Last edited: Dec 3, 2019
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