Question for Firepod and Firebox users

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R

rt2726

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I've read a bunch of online reviews and it seems like people rave about the firepod but the firebox seems to get complaints about the pre-amps. People complain that they have to crank the gain so high that they get hiss and stuff. I thought the firepod and firebox both had the same pre's so it makes me wonder if people who use the rackmount firepod are using other rack gear (pre-amps etc.) with it.

I'm not really sure I need the firepod but I want to be able to record decent vocals (that's one of the main reasons I'm buying an Audio interface for my PC). I have a few dynamic mic's right now that I'd like to put to use right away. Eventually I'll probably buy a condenser but for now I just want something with low latency, decent mic pre-amps and the ability to plug in a guitar or bass. I'm suffering from analysis paralysis and gear acquisition syndrome at the same time and it's killing me!!! ;) LOL

-R
 
Apparently, Presonus used low-gain preamps on the FireBox to keep power utilization down since it is bus powered.

On the FIREPOD, the preamps are decent, IMHO. I've used it with Chinese ribbons periodically; you don't have to crank the gain all the way up, though you do have to give it a decent twist.

The FIREPOD has about as much analog gain as the FireBox has in total gain (analog + useless digital gain boost)---54 dB preamp gain (or 60 dB, depending on which spec you believe) versus 45dB on the FireBox (57 dB with the rather pointless digital boost).

P.S. If you decide you want to buy a FIREPOD, I have a used one available in the "for sale" section of the forum. It was a replacement for one that died, but while I waited for Presonus to get it back to me, I bought a pair of MOTU 8Pres, so I no longer have any use for it.
 
If you're gonna get a presonus product, get a firestudio... IMO I think it's the best value for my application.
 
If you are only using it for vocals there might be something better in the price range with fewer channels. If, however, you do go with a firepod you wont regret it. I have one and I love it. I havent tried vocals or guitars through it yet but I love it for drums.
 
jrhager84 said:
If you're gonna get a presonus product, get a firestudio... IMO I think it's the best value for my application.
Click to expand...

I think the question is whether you're choosing based on price or based on features, but in either case, I tend to disagree.

Choosing based on features:

If you're choosing based on features and price is flexible, I'd move up a notch, but there are any number of companies whose products I'd pick before I'd pick Presonus gear.

If you're going to step up to the price of a FireStudio, IMHO, you'd probably be happier with something like an 8Pre, 896, Traveler, etc. from MOTU (some of which cost less, too). IMHO, MOTU hardware is likely to be more reliable, is less picky about your FireWire controller, and seems to require significantly lower CPU overhead from what I've seen.


Choosing based on price:

If you're choosing on price, you're stuck at the low end of audio gear, and the FireStudio is obviously out of your price range. In that case, your choices are mostly Presonus or M-Audio, and given a choice between those, I'd pick Presonus.

The FIREPOD isn't bad as long as you go into it with your eyes open and are aware that it is a made-in-China piece of gear with all the QA problems common to Chinese electronics. If you get a good one, it will usually work forever (as long as you don't upgrade the firmware---apparently the latest firmware can kill S/PDIF, as that's what happened to my first one). If you get a bad one, it usually won't last long. :D

By contrast, my experience with M-Audio has been fraught with problems, from poorly written drivers to being ultra-sensitive to FireWire bus loading. Don't get me started on their gear. :D

Given a choice between the low-end Presonus interfaces, the FIREPOD seems like the obvious pick to me. The FireBox both has fairly limited preamp gain. While the Inspire is better in that regard, it still has lower gain than the FIREPOD, and is less user-friendly because of it uses software to adjust... everything. Of course, it costs a half what a FIREPOD costs used, so if you don't need the extra features and cost is an major issue, the Inspire would be my pick over the FireBox any day.
 
I've had my firepod for over 2 years and it's never given me the slightest trouble.

The preamps are very quiet and transparent. I do quite a lot of recording late at night, vocals & guitar, and I have to keep the volume down to a reasonable level which means cranking the pres and they don't get harsh or noisy - unlike the Yamaha mixer I used to have
 
I have the Digimax FS, which has the same XMAX pres as the current FP10. (Firepod) My understanding is that the early Firepods used a different pre, but I don't remember where that info came from, so I can't verify it right now.

The XMAX pres sound fine. I am getting decent drum sounds with them. And they're ok for acoustic guitar and vocals. They're clean, give a good signal, take effects ok, and you can dirty 'em up later if you want.
 
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