Need a Preamp with S/PDIF for Mbox 2

C

Chrisdb

New member
Hey guys,

I'm using an Mbox 2 with Pro Tools LE and I really need more inputs than just two. Now the only way I can do this really, is to either buy a Digi 002 rack/mixer or an 003 etc, but they are really expensive even on eBay second hand. Well they are in the U.K. anyway.

So I think my best bet would be to buy a Preamp with at least two inputs that has S/PDIF outputs to hook up to my Mbox 2. Can anyone recommend any? I'm having trouble finding any that have S/PDIF outputs? I'm looking at a budget of around 100-200 pounds, so about 400 dollars +

Any help would be gladly appreciated, I'm really eager to start recording.
Thanks
 
Chrisdb said:
Hey guys,

I'm using an Mbox 2 with Pro Tools LE and I really need more inputs than just two. Now the only way I can do this really, is to either buy a Digi 002 rack/mixer or an 003 etc, but they are really expensive even on eBay second hand. Well they are in the U.K. anyway.

So I think my best bet would be to buy a Preamp with at least two inputs that has S/PDIF outputs to hook up to my Mbox 2. Can anyone recommend any? I'm having trouble finding any that have S/PDIF outputs? I'm looking at a budget of around 100-200 pounds, so about 400 dollars +

Any help would be gladly appreciated, I'm really eager to start recording.
Thanks
Click to expand...

M-Audio Tampa but is 1 Channel....
 
I use an ART Digital MPA. Two channels, and it seems to work well. I'm in Canada, where everything is outrageously expensive, and here they sell for $490 (Canadian, remember). I'm guessing a used one via eBay would be well within your budget. Oh, and they switched to a black panel. The older silver panel version may be a lot cheaper on eBay.
 
For that budget I'd recommend the Tampa.

It's not a bad budget preamp. I found it to be much quieter than the ART MPA Gold (even with NOS tubes).

I can't think of any other decent preamps in this price range with spdif.

There is the DBX 386 and Aphex 207d which have this but they are more expensive and if you could stretch to one of these then you could get a Focusrite ISA One with digital card!!

I picked up mine for £400!! I noticed there is a b-stock one going for £425 here:-

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/FOCUSRITE-ISA...s_MJ?hash=item35a3ee0928&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

The Isa One is in a different league to the Tampa & is a preamp you won't need to upgrade in the future!!!
 
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Mmmm, I think I'll need at least two more inputs so I guess that puts the M-Audio Tampa outa the question. The ART Digital MPA looks nice, and seems to be going for about £300 plus. The ISA sounds good but is pretty expensive, by the sounds of what your saying it seems pretty reliable though?

The 002's second have been going on eBay for about £300 also, so I guess it's evenly matched price wise. Tell me would there be any advantages to choosing one over the other? Say either buying an 002 rack or hooking up a preamp with S/PDIF? to help sway my decision? I don't have much experience with preamps as of yet.

Cheers for any help ;)
 
I got a Digital MPA to use up two digital inputs on my interface. I like it a lot.

One thing to be careful about -- I had clock synchronization issues despite the fact that (I think) clock synch is supposed to be handled transparently by S/PDIF - my interface (a MOTU Traveler) and the MPA both support a number of different digital interface configurations, and finally I wound up with an external clock controlling both units, and connecting the two units together with *coax* S/PDIF (not optical) before everything got dead quiet and there were no clicks/pops -- even with this config, I can only use 96Khz or 88.2 Khz sample rates (even though both units independently support 44.1 - 192), but that's OK, because that's what I want.
 
I think it might be easier or me just to get an 002, would you say there is a big difference between the preamps on the Mbox 2 compared to the ones on the 002?
 
hold on a sec does the 002 rack have an inbuilt soundcard like the mbox? Because I'm about to buy soon, but I don't want to have to buy a soundcard as well. Will it work fine as a unit by itself along with pro tools 8?
 
Chrisdb said:
hold on a sec does the 002 rack have an inbuilt soundcard like the mbox? Because I'm about to buy soon, but I don't want to have to buy a soundcard as well. Will it work fine as a unit by itself along with pro tools 8?
Click to expand...

yes :)

simple as..
 
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