Any better USB 2.0 interfaces than EMU 0404 USB?

dickiefunk

New member
Hi. Which of these interfaces has the best audio quality + A/D D/A converters? I may be having a complete clearout of my studio and scaling down due to getting married and moving house. I've been using the Echo Layla 3G with my main studio PC and have the EMU 0404 USB for my laptop. Because I may be getting rid of all my gear my laptop will become my main computer and I might need to upgrade the interface. My laptop only has USB 2.0 ports so my choice is limited.

Is there any better USB 2.0 interface than the EMU 0404 USB? I've heard good things about the Line 6 KB37, MOTU 828mk2 USB and Edirol UA101.
Would I be downgrading my audio quality from my Echo Layla 3G and if yes, by how much?

My budget is £450 $700 tops
Thanks
 
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I've been looking into USB and Firewire interfaces a lot lately.

Offhand, the E-mu 0404 was one of my top USB 2 choices. Since you own one now and you're asking about others... my "other" USB 2 choice was the Native Instruments Audio Kontrol 1.

It seems most of the cutting edge, new products suffer from very good preamps, high quality specs, slight differences in features, unique flexibility in routing, and overly complex software to unlock everything the interface can do. I was looking at the E-mu 0404 and NI Kontrol 1 for USB 2, and the Alesis io|14 and TC Konnect 24D for Firewire. But then, your needs will be different than mine.

The decision is made tougher because everything is *so* software-driven and rushed to market, that a driver-shakedown period exists for months after the initial release. I'm not interested in beta testing with my money. It's held me back from buying any of these, and has discouraged me from buying other brands until things seem to settle down. Also, "drivers that remain current" is another argument I read frequently when people complain about their existing/older product.

There's still a lot to be said for outboard, single-purpose gear in a signal chain, because it doesn't crash or flake out when you upgrade your computer's operating system!

I'm curious though, are you thinking of parting with the 0404, or is it that you are looking for other features/usability?
 
The reason why I'm thinking of parting from my EMU 0404 USB is because I have an Echo Layla 3G in my main setup which has superb converters. It is amongst the best sounding interfaces under £1000 ($1800)! I have got lots of pres attached to it and the EMU doesn't have enough I/O's! Also the EMU 0404 USB isn't quite on par with the Layla 3G in terms of sound! I'm quite interested in the MOTU 828mk2 USB. I would imagine that this will be on similar par with the Layla 3G!?
 
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