RME converters vs. Apogee converters

RME converters vs. Apogee converters... opinions?

  • RME is better

    Votes: 7 16.7%

  • Apogee is better

    Votes: 20 47.6%

  • Six of one, half a dozen of the other... both good.

    Votes: 12 28.6%

  • They both suck... get (insert your choice here) instead

    Votes: 3 7.1%
  • Total voters
    42
EveningSky said:
I have bought several channels of Lavry converters (A/D) and am still experimenting with this unit. As best I can tell, it offers impressive performance, but is expensive. It was highly recommended to me, over Apoggee (?spelling). I was told that the A/D conversion is a critical aspect of digital recording, and that there is a significant difference between high and low end conversion, but I am only a home hobbiest and cannot back that up with first hand information. I always thought that in 2005, this conversion was rather standardized and that there would not be significant differences anymore, at lest at low sample rates. That is all I know.
Click to expand...
What mic and preamp are you plugging into the Lavrys?

Quality mics and pres will ALWAYS give you bigger improvement over converters..... but of course it's best to have it all ;)
 
Apogee Vs RME Fireface 800

I have read most of the posts regarding comparisons between RME and Apogee Ensemble. I have been a RME user for many years and although it has been a great sound card for the money, performance etc. I mean no disrespect for the folks at Synthax their tech support is incredible!. I have never had an issue with the sound card working on a Mac or Pc. It has been a great addition to my gear. I am ,however a Mac only user now and after hearing all the buzz about Apogee I decided to take a listen. Although skeptical I went into a high end Mac retailer that specializes in Audio and Post Production video. I took one of my projects and asked them to open it with Logic Pro. Now I know what you are thinking yes the acoustics are different . You cannot possibly compare one to the other under these circumstances but I did because I also took my RME and had them connect them side by side. After much skepticism and time after time sample after sample and project after project here is the skinny. The Apogee definitely performed better sounded cleaner and the chips on Apogee are far better than those of the RMEs. By that I mean the cards built with serial which started before 241.....RME cards built after that seem to have just as good Da converters at least for my taste. I also noticed the simplicity of Apogee and their approach to routing was much much cleaner and although yes RME has 56 outputs opposed to the 36 on Apogee. I ask you this try running the RME at a full 96k and see what happens.. You have to narrow your band or your card will hit a brick wall. So although I was taken by this because I am used to summing my mix thru total mix on RME and then stemming my projects off to pro tools for final mix-down. I did not see this as a loss to me at all . I did not lose 10 channels but gained something way better ..I gained better quality sound which is essential in any studio. I am not a re tailer or apple rep or anything like that. I am an avid producer / remixer and definitely Apogee far beyond exceeded my skeptical expectations. It is a really incredible piece of gear.
 
Which Apogee Converters?

When you ask for a comparison of the apogee converters, you should specify. They make different converters for different units. The apogee converters from best to worst are:
1) AD16/DA16
2) Rosetta
3) Duet and Ensemble (same converters)
4) Mini-Me. Also The mini-me has no DA conversion if I remember correctly.

I have rosetta which I love, and previously owned the duet which were very good converters as well as two good preamps. For the conversion and preamps you get with the duet and ensemble, there's not a lot out there that can beat it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top