Which Presonus Firepod Bundle Should I Spring For?

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Mattman84

New member
I've been using an ST Audio C-Port 2000 for the past couple of years and I've decided to upgrade to a Firepod. I'd like to get away from the limitations of a PCI card so that I can go mobile with my laptop. I've been searching around online for the best bundle to try out (there are several). I'm not entirely sure which way to go, so I figured I would seek the help of all you fine folks. All of these bundles are $499 plus shipping (some have free shipping), and include the Firepod plus the following extras:

Bundle #1:

Audio Technica AT2020 Condenser Microphone
Quik Lok boom stand
20' XLR cable
http://www.jdsound.com/SPOTLIGHT-Presonus-Firepod-P6997C1379.aspx
OR
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...00035334163&rd=1&sspagename=STRK:MEWA:IT&rd=1

Bundle #2:

Furman M-8 Power Conditioner
Presonus HP4 Headphone Amp (via rebate)
3 Pairs of Behringer HPM1000 headphones (via rebate)
http://www.skilex.com/catalog/presonus-firepod-recording-package-p-226.html
OR
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...70035283477&rd=1&sspagename=STRK:MEWA:IT&rd=1

Bundle #3:

Sennheiser HD-202 Headphones
3 Samson R21 Dynamic Micrphones w/ clips and carrying case
3 Whirlwind 20' XLR cables
Presonus HP4 Headphone Amp (via rebate)
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...70034752223&rd=1&sspagename=STRK:MEWA:IT&rd=1

*The following bundles are all from Bayview Pro Audio and can be seen on this page: http://www.bayviewproaudio.com/FirePod_w__Free_Bundle-p-19879.html
Their list of the Firepod is at $599 but I'm sure they'll match it down since everyone is down to $499 now...they probably just haven't updated yet.

Bundle #4

Sennheiser HD280 Pro Headphones

Bundle #5

Presonus HP4 Headphone Amp
Cascade M37 stereo pair of small condenser mics
(click the link below the boxes with bundles that reads "Click here for FirePod w/ free HP4 Bundle" to find this one)

Bundle #6

Cascade M20u Large Condenser Mic
BPA 20' XLR cable

Okay, these are all I've found. If anyone else knows of others please share. As far as all these extras go, I already have a Behringer HA4700 headphone amp, so I doubt I would use the HP4 unless I took it out as a small portable unit. Otherwise I'd probably sell it. I don't have a power conditioner. I have one nice pair of phones along with 3 pairs of MoreMe's. The only mic I own is an Audio Technica AT3035 which I use for everything (I have access to others from friends and work when I need more than one).

And finally, a small aside to a call I made to Guitar Center today. I asked a sales rep if they matched bundle offers, and he asked me what the offer was. So I mentioned the AT2020 bundle and he asked "Where is that at?" I told him it was from jdsound.com, to which he immediately replied "nope, that's not a legal distributor". So I asked "what exactly is a legal distributor?" To which he didn't really have an answer. So I asked "How do I determine a legal distributor from an illegal one?" to which he replied "Well, you can call us and we'll tell you. Like, musiciansfriend is a legal distributor". So I said "You know this is an authorized Presonus dealer right?" to which he partially lost it and exclaimed "Listen, if you want it from them then order it from them and not us, ok?!" And that was that. I guess they get tired of people asking them to do what much smaller businesses are able to do. Oh well.
 
Normally, I'd say to go with the JDSound bundle, then send in for the HP4 rebate anyway. The one a few months ago was from Presonus, and the JDSound price was enough that it qualified. Check to make sure that's still true.

That said, if the Cascade M37s are any good, that might be a better choice. The AT2020 only costs about $80, while a pair of M37s is $100. I don't know the M37, though.
 
dgatwood said:
Normally, I'd say to go with the JDSound bundle, then send in for the HP4 rebate anyway. The one a few months ago was from Presonus, and the JDSound price was enough that it qualified. Check to make sure that's still true.

That said, if the Cascade M37s are any good, that might be a better choice. The AT2020 only costs about $80, while a pair of M37s is $100. I don't know the M37, though.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that rebate apparently expired at the end of August, and stipulated that the Firepod had to cost at least $599. So I don't guess that one would work out. They just need to update their site.

I don't really know about the M37s either. I'd definitely be interested, probably most interested in this if I found out they were good. There's just not a lot of info out there...I've found some info on other Cascade mics and it all seems to be pretty positive.
 
Just last week musiciansfriend.com had a 10% discount with the code "preferred" and a free 60GB USB2.0 external harddrive and free shipping. It came out to $449.99 for the whole thing. I dunno if they still have the 10% discount but I'm pretty sure they are still giving away the free harddrive. But out of those options you listed I would go with the first one probably considering you have a headphone amp already, the HP4 is a great headphone amp though. Very clean sounding.
 
Mattman84 said:
Yeah, that rebate apparently expired at the end of August, and stipulated that the Firepod had to cost at least $599. So I don't guess that one would work out. They just need to update their site.
Click to expand...

That rebate, as best I can tell, is pretty much continuous. They just keep changing the date on the form. (Or not---on my copy of the form, IIRC, it had two different dates in two different places!)
 
I got the M37 Cascade condensors with my Firepod. I use them as drum overheads. They don't have the same hi end crispness as my AKG sdc, but they're perfectly usable for rock drums
 
Bulls Hit said:
I got the M37 Cascade condensors with my Firepod. I use them as drum overheads. They don't have the same hi end crispness as my AKG sdc, but they're perfectly usable for rock drums
Click to expand...

Bulls Hit,

Do you have any experience using the M37's to stereo mic an acoustic guitar?
 
Okay, I've still not sprung for a Firepod yet. I just missed out on Sweetwater's demo units going for $350. They said they'd call me if they get more.

In the meantime, I've learned about the MOTU 8pre, and I must say I'm intrigued. Is there anyone that can give me a practical comparison between the two? Pros and Cons? My main concern right now is that the MOTU lacks a lot of the rear panel outputs that the Firepod has. I'll need a way to run into my Behringer HA4700 headphone amp, and it looks like the only way the MOTU could do it would be to use a Y cable out of the front headphone out.

However, the CueMix software looks intriguing. I've never touched it though. Can anyone provide me with some feedback on this? Which unit would you choose?
 
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