better converters: delta1010 vs. motu2408mkIII

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frist44

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I'm going to invest in an 8-input soundcard soon. Those are the two i'm considering. I realize the motu is a little more expensive, but i would have to buy a small mixer for the 1010 to route headphones and monitors. I will be using a PC and some had expressed concern over motu units with windows. I will not be messing with ADAT or any other file upload that the motu can be used for. just analog in.


If price wasn't an issue, is there a clear cut winner in terms of the quality of converters each use?


Any suggestions and opinions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Brandon
 
Interesting, the MKIII uses a pci 424 card - different from the current Motu 1296 (uses 324 card). But the converters aren't in the card anyway.

The motu 1296 is supposed to be a bit better than the delta1010, but the specs for s/n ratio for the 2408mk3 are not as good as for the 1296 (108db vs 117db) - the 1010 specs about the same in this regard(also ~108db s/n). But s/n ratio isn't all there is to converter quality.

I like the 1296 because it has XLR in/outs and AES/EBU. The 2408mk3 uses 1/4"TRS and SPDIF though. I guess the new 2408 still has some advantages over delta in interface - like TDIF. Also, the next generation 1296 is likely to also run on the PCI 424 card, so if you want to upgrade you can save a little on the card (not much). The motu is maybe more easily expanded and upgraded. Also, I don't know about the motu, but there are issues with Delta WDM drivers (they'll probably get cleared up soon though). The Delta1010 is about half the price.

Sorry for the ramble - didn't give you a straight answer on the converters because I don't realy know.
 
896 uses firewire - great for portability, but I'm not sure it is as dependable as PCI for the high-bandwidth involved in audio recording. The s/n specs are comparable to the 2408 (109db). The price is about the same (~$1200).
 
Sorry i cant add much input but i will say i think you can had a 24 channel analogue input to the 2408kmkII fairly cheaply (from memory) but i dont think you can do the same with the delta. Ofcourse this doesnt mean a thing if 8 channels is all you're ever going to use. Id be fairly interested to hear what people say becasue in a couple of years im going to invest about $40,000 in a project studio and have been looking at the 2408mkII (didnt know about the 2408mkIII)
 
I don't think i'm in the market for a firewire device, so that rules out the motu 828 and 896. Preamps aren't an issue either because i have enough for all 8 channels. I would rather use the preamps i have anyway, instead of the ones that may come on a device such as the 896.

The motu units are easily expandable, allowing you to add 3 other input rack units to the new PCI-424 card. Apparently there is also a new DSP mixer that is incorporated into this new PCI card to help with routing and monitoring i assume.

If support for windows is an issue, than i would consider putting my money towards the delta since i trust the delta. I currently have a delta omni studio that works perfectly on an older machine too.

But it will presumably be running on windows XP and a custom built audio PC. If anyone has opinions on the quality of the analog inputs, i would love to hear about it.

thanks,
Brandon
 
Keep this thread alive -

I'm using a Delta1010 right now. I'm not sure, but I'm under the impression that Motu is the next step up for converters. After that, you'd probably have to go with stand alones. Anyway it would be great to hear more from people using the motus. I think not many on this board do because they're pretty expensive.
 
I'm using the 2408 mkII with a GenX6 clock and a HD24. I'm happy as a clam but have no experience with the Delta. IMHO, the converters in the HD24 are a little better than the MOTU's but that's taking it to a fine point as they're both pretty damn good. The external clock makes a big difference.
 
i'm trying to finsthe specs on the converters in the mkIII. but i know the MKII's converters were surpassed by the delta 1010's.. i know the motu 896 has better converters than the delta 1010.. i was thinking about getting 2 896's.. but i'ma see what motu come out with next year..

i was gonna go with 2 delta 1010's, but last time i tried, it worked for a few minutes then blue screened...

those 896's seem to be real nice..
 
how about the LYnx2 or RME line? these are supposedly the top of the line sound card interfaces

bdemenil said:
Keep this thread alive -

I'm using a Delta1010 right now. I'm not sure, but I'm under the impression that Motu is the next step up for converters. After that, you'd probably have to go with stand alones. Anyway it would be great to hear more from people using the motus. I think not many on this board do because they're pretty expensive.
Click to expand...
 
rme's are top quality card with out a doubt.. check them out too
 
RME looks good - the DIGI96 looks about comparable to motu 1296 - All the Lynx interfaces house the converters on the PCI card - which I think makes them inferior.
 
bdemenil said:
All the Lynx interfaces house the converters on the PCI card - which I think makes them inferior.
Click to expand...

Apparently, this isn't the case, as the Lynx cards are generally regarded as the best in the idustry in terms of sound quality. This has a lot more to do with the way the cards are built, and their low-jitter clocks.

You could clock a Delta or an Echo card with a Lucid and probably get similar results to the Lynx cards sans clock.

The whole "which has better converters" argument is pretty meaningless. Most of the cards out there have the exact same ones. The question comes down to which cards get the best performance out of their converters?
 
As I understand there is little dif bet the 1010 with an external clock and without. Thats from more than one reliable source. The internal clock on the 1010 is supposed to be a "good sounding one", an accurate low jitter clock as compared to lucid clocks and other cards. I was going to get the lucid clock for my 1010 a while ago bec I had some $$ to burn but most of those in the know recommended otherwise.
 
JuSumPilgrim said:
I was going to get the lucid clock for my 1010 a while ago bec I had some $$ to burn but most of those in the know recommended otherwise.
Click to expand...

Interesting. Most of the guys whom I consider to be "in the know" would say to get the clock. All I know is I've used soundblasters, I've used a Delta 1010, and I've used a Paris. The Paris, to me, had a noticeably superior sound. It was one of those things where there isn't a lot of room for interperatation. It's like the difference between 16 and 24 bit, to me.

What I keep hearing about the Paris' converters is "very low-jitter." I hear similar comments about the Lynx, which supposedly hangs with the big-boy converters. I'm beginning to think there's a lot to be said for low-jitter clocking. Plug it in and everything sounds better. I could go for that.

Test you own theory, Jusum. How many Lucid clocks . . . okay, how many word clocks in general . . . can you find on ebay? :D
 
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