8 channel preamps -> lightpipe

[Freeform]

hey guys. long time no post.

i'm lookin to expand the inputs of my 828 from 10 to 18 by means of a preamp with a digital output.

so far there look like 4 options:

the behringer ada8000
the alto (art) MP8D
the ProSonus DigiMax LT
the MAudio Octane and the
the sm pro audio pr8mkii

now i was going to go for the smpro audio, simply because i hate behringer, and dont have the cash for the presonus, but i just had an electrical engineer tell me the behringer was superior.

any advice?

[SonicAlbert]

Why did the electrical engineer think the ADA8000 was better, did he have an opportunity to examine the insides of both boxes? I'm just curious.

I was going to suggest the Mackie Onyx 800r, but I think that is more money than the DigiMax.

[Freeform]

yea, i looked into the Onyx too, which is super badass.

essentially what the engineer said is that all of the low/mid price range stuff is made from the same chinese parts. i was buying it for a little bit, but then he said that the reason i got horrible noise on behringer products before was my 400 pair of mics. after i exlpained that i only had problems with behring gear he still somehow thought it was the mics. i dunno.

[sile2001]

The only reason the ADA8000 might be "superior" is because they ripped off a very reputable company (along the lines of RME or Apogee, don't remember who). The ADA8000 is almost a circuit-for-circuit copy of someone else's unit.

I have the DigiMax LT and it's not bad, but if I had it to do over again without any more money to spend, I would have gotten the Octane instead. As it stands, I'm looking to sell the DigiMax and get an RME Octamic D or maybe some separate pre's and some Apogee converters.

[SonicAlbert]

Originally Posted by Freeform

yea, i looked into the Onyx too, which is super badass.

essentially what the engineer said is that all of the low/mid price range stuff is made from the same chinese parts. i was buying it for a little bit, but then he said that the reason i got horrible noise on behringer products before was my 400 pair of mics. after i exlpained that i only had problems with behring gear he still somehow thought it was the mics. i dunno.

I don't know, if that's what the engineer said, it doesn't sound like much of an endorsement. Also, if you've had problems with Behringer gear before, with your collections of mics, then you might just want to scratch it off the list right now. On the other hand, if all you've got is $200, then you might not really have much choice!

What is your target price range?

[Freeform]

i was looking to spent 500ish. i mean any more, and i might as well just get an additional 828/interface.

[Neelix]

I have heard killer things about the Digimax LT. Is the Octane supposedly better sounding? I'm about to buy 1 or 2 Digimaxes based on the reviews I've read, but I have time to reconsider if need be...