Tascam 1641, 1800 or 2000

NoahP.

NoahP.

New member
Hey guys,

So after receiving a recommendation for a Tascam 1800, i got looking, and i came up with the 1641, 1800 and 2000.
Which would you guys recommend out of those 3?
I still have the words "Presonus" and "Focusrite" lurking in the back of my noggin.
Anyone care to tell me anything about those two brands (in relation to the above Tascams/in general)?

Thanks very much,

Noah
 
I've got a 1641!! It's awesome. You already know about all the inputs and stuff, but i'll tell you that it runs smooth as butter and the preamps are clean even at 100% gain. It'll be a solid buy :)
 
I have a 1641 and love it, but the 1800 is the revised version, so there really isn't much of a reason to get the 1641 as far as I can tell. The 2000 is just an improvement in the monitoring, although it's hardly worth it.

The two things about the 2000 that I find unbelievably nice are the majority of inputs in the back, and the fact that the knobs for the mix between the input and computer are separate, very handy especially since, being an owner of the 1641, I find it cumbersome to have to fuss about the relationship between the mix and the volume controls. Easier to just have mix knobs dedicated to both sources.
 
As Kierkes says, the 1800 is just the upgrade of the 1641, so not much point getting that one. Just go for the 1800 as you'll have more longevity/support further down the line probably. I've got the 1800 and think it's great. I just bought it for a cheap load of I/Os and mic amps and really can't fault it. You can effectively hook up 16 mic is you get some more mic amps and the converters from Tascam have always been pretty good. I chose that over the 2000 just for the money side of things. The 2000 seems like you're paying for meters and a couple of other features that seeing as you're going into a Pro Tools or whatever, you can do all that in there.

As for Presonus and Focusrite, I'd stay clear of Focusrite personally. Hate the stuff. Never used a piece of Focusrite gear I like the sound of. Even the more expensive stuff sounds cheap. Not really used presonus properly, but what I have used I wasn't super impressed. It's OK. Tascam on the other hand, for the money pretty good.
 
I bought a US2000 for my first interface not more than a few days ago. I bought it for $288 because it was an "open box buy". However, it was a Tascam dealer so it has a full factory warranty, Cubase, etc. I was going to get the 1800 for all the reasons outlined above, but this was a good deal on a 2000. With regard to Focusrite gear I rather like their high end preamps, but the lower end gear just doesn't sound right to my newbie ears. Something's off... I can't say what the scarlett preamps sound like, but in fiddling around with this Tascam- I'm pleased.

Drone.
 
Last edited:
That is true...the 1800's shift in color scheme does seem to bring it into the 21st century from the 1980's. :P

With an interface, I'd generally advise buying new; it's literally the most important piece of equipment you own because all roads lead to the interface, and if it fails and you can't get service on it, you're pretty royally screwed. My 1641 has yet to fail after almost a year, but you never know, right?

Unless you can get a stellar deal on the 2000, the two nice things I mentioned really aren't worth the $100 more you'd normally pay for it. I heard something about the preamps being different, but this isn't the box I'd use the built-in preamps on normally anyway.
 
I just got the US-800, and so far I like it, I haven't really put it through it's paces completely, but so far it's nicer than my M-Audio Fast Track Pro I had.

One suggestion if you are running a 64 Bit operating system, read the instructions about installing the driver, don't just slap the CD in and run the setup. That's what I did and it didn't work at all, and I was all ready to return it, but after reviewing the instructions and installing the drivers correctly, it works great!
 
My first interface was the Presonus FP10. THE WORST EXPERIENCE I EVER HAD! Meaning... For 3 months everything was great (Killer sounding preamps) Then one day Doing nothing out of norm it just stopped working, DONE! Power came on but Sound? No dice. Here is the part that just still chaps my ass..... 6 WEEKS people! 6 WEEKS trying to get customer support to talk to me and when they finally did their attitude put me in the fast lane leaving presonus town forever... But wait!!! There is more! Sent the FP10 in FINALLY and when it returned... Guess what? WORKED FOR ONE DAY AND QUIT AGAIN!!! I said the hell with this and bought a tascam US1641 cuz of the low cost since I already spent money on 1 non working interface and well...... Im looking at the 1641 now and she has been SOOO good to me these last 2 years! Yes there are better out there but just reading this thread PROVES this to be as stable as how XP was to windows.... Thank you all for letting me vent.
 
nathanrice said:
My first interface was the Presonus FP10. THE WORST EXPERIENCE I EVER HAD! Meaning... For 3 months everything was great (Killer sounding preamps) Then one day Doing nothing out of norm it just stopped working, DONE! Power came on but Sound? No dice. Here is the part that just still chaps my ass..... 6 WEEKS people! 6 WEEKS trying to get customer support to talk to me and when they finally did their attitude put me in the fast lane leaving presonus town forever... But wait!!! There is more! Sent the FP10 in FINALLY and when it returned... Guess what? WORKED FOR ONE DAY AND QUIT AGAIN!!! I said the hell with this and bought a tascam US1641 cuz of the low cost since I already spent money on 1 non working interface and well...... Im looking at the 1641 now and she has been SOOO good to me these last 2 years! Yes there are better out there but just reading this thread PROVES this to be as stable as how XP was to windows.... Thank you all for letting me vent.
Click to expand...

Better hope you don't have to ever use Tascam customer support then. If you think 6 weeks is bad, I'd hate to see what Tascam CS would do. I've never even met anyone who has talked to them :laughings:
 
Hey so after much convincing on all of your parts, 1800 it is! 2000 seems nice but from what i read it lacks midi, and i don't want to take up another precious usb spot with a midi cable.
Thanks so much guys! This will definitely be my next gear purchase, along with a nice EHX Big Muff.
Thanks again,

Noah
 
NoahP. said:
Hey so after much convincing on all of your parts, 1800 it is! 2000 seems nice but from what i read it lacks midi, and i don't want to take up another precious usb spot with a midi cable.
Thanks so much guys! This will definitely be my next gear purchase, along with a nice EHX Big Muff.
Thanks again,

Noah
Click to expand...

Soon to be another happy owner of the sexy 1800! Good choice man. :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top