About four years ago I was in a similar spot. Looking for a good AD/DAC to replace the M-Audio Firewire 410.... Firewire was going away... so I needed a USB interface.
Had some long discussions with a couple of commercial sellers who carried the Focusrite products. Both recommended the RME so long as I was willing to pay the price.
RME ADI-2 Pro FS R Black Edition is what I went with... Bought it used. Never looked back.
Had some long discussions with a couple of commercial sellers who carried the Focusrite products. Both recommended the RME so long as I was willing to pay the price.
RME ADI-2 Pro FS R Black Edition is what I went with... Bought it used. Never looked back.
In my experience you can't go wrong on a 3rd generation Focusrite for the price (no affiliation). They are well supported with nice drivers and plenty of features for amateur musicians and decent sound quality. For DSP (CamillaDSP) it would be interesting to get a multichannel Scarlett and it is also supported on Linux. The downside is that the inputs and outputs are 1/4" TRS jacks, to be used as balanced or unbalanced signal connections. While this is normal in a home studio setting, the absence of RCA connections is a pain in the ...., but you can work around that with adapters or custom cables.
@Horneydude I'm not fussy lol, the 4th Gern has a lower noise floor than the RME black editions. The 3rd gen is -120 4th gen is -128 while the RME ADI-2 is -124.....
I thought the giga-performing noise floor devices were mostly useful for modern amplifier testing; what matching noise floor environment does any mortal have on hand to test a speaker FR within?
The Focusrite Scarlet series is not cheap, in fact it is a perfect price/ quality relationship. Good measurements electronically and the solid quality of the mechanics, backed up by very good software/ drivers. Even the Gen 1 in reality have very good data. If you don't want to spend a fortune, this is a tool that will last very long, compared to the real cheap stuff you can buy.
If you are an electronics developer, you will not use a soundcard anyway, but for anything related to loudspeakers they are 100% all you need.
PS OK, you may need a Klippel, that is another story...
If you are an electronics developer, you will not use a soundcard anyway, but for anything related to loudspeakers they are 100% all you need.
PS OK, you may need a Klippel, that is another story...
And you gonna hear the difference between -120 and -128 and -124...
What, are you like measuring the Deep Space in intergalactic space?
At some point, it's not the noise floor, but the quality of the converters and the analog components.
Hi there,
my very last comment in general with a thread started in 2019 with this link:
what for heavens sake is the idea behind continuing in this thread instead of opening a new one for items like the Focusrite Scarlet topic?
have more fun, i unwatched this thing here - Stefano
my very last comment in general with a thread started in 2019 with this link:
what for heavens sake is the idea behind continuing in this thread instead of opening a new one for items like the Focusrite Scarlet topic?
have more fun, i unwatched this thing here - Stefano
Just go for a used Motu or RME. Tascam could be a good options for middle of the road. The focusrite 2i2 I have, is ok but have some odd sibilance.
Yes, but that does not show on spec sheets very well hehe.
One of the better test/review places, with graphs and rankings etc.
https://www.youtube.com/@JulianKrause
I have the 2i4 (a couple of them) and they work great and very low noise. They are also very good with warranty coverage - I have received a couple replacements for free when there was a problem.
He seems to be stuck on a particular brand.
Something I'm actually curious is the DAC filters. I got three DACs and one AD/DAC right now that offer all kinds of filters... to be honest, I haven't had the time or inclination to play around with them, so I tend to go with the default filters.
Then you got the op amp rolling... which is a whole new ball of wax.
Maybe some day when I actually have the time... I might start playing with the filters.
There is a saying with European sound engineers - "at one point everybody lands with RME" ;-). So if you want to save money get one in the first place, probably a used Babyface.
I tried an Antelope Zen Q ... after 3 Month I gave up, now there is a nice little Babyface on my table and it took 10 minutes to get everything perfectly to work and never thought about it again.
Is it possible to measure the FR / distortion of a loudspeaker without spending a kilo-buck on the USB audio interface?
Understandably, if you're doing something like transcribing your vinyl collection to digital, live performance recording, measuring an amplifier with vanishing distortion levels...
We had an acoustic measurement chamber where I used to work. They placed it within a dozen meters of the shock and vibration lab. Conducted vibrations through the concrete floor wrecked the chamber noise floor. So we moved it down to the far end of the lab space. Put it on a rubber puck suspended floor I found on line. Noise floor went down to be best in the company, but only at night after the manufacturing people next door had left. All B&K mics and measurement equipment; it was quiet enough in there to begin to approach what the equipment could do. Was considering 1" mics to make a better noise floor measurement, but decided knowing what it really was, wasnt worth the expense.
Understandably, if you're doing something like transcribing your vinyl collection to digital, live performance recording, measuring an amplifier with vanishing distortion levels...
We had an acoustic measurement chamber where I used to work. They placed it within a dozen meters of the shock and vibration lab. Conducted vibrations through the concrete floor wrecked the chamber noise floor. So we moved it down to the far end of the lab space. Put it on a rubber puck suspended floor I found on line. Noise floor went down to be best in the company, but only at night after the manufacturing people next door had left. All B&K mics and measurement equipment; it was quiet enough in there to begin to approach what the equipment could do. Was considering 1" mics to make a better noise floor measurement, but decided knowing what it really was, wasnt worth the expense.
UMik is a usb measurement microphone. REW is free. Cheap used microphone stands on marketplace. Going outside for clear measurements is free....
- Focusrite Scarlett 4i4 3rd Gen: -120dBu, ~$167-$200
- Focusrite Scarlett 4i4 4th Gen: -128dBu, ~$239-$299
- RME ADI-2 Pro FS R Black Edition: -124dB, ~$1399-$1500
- Antelope Zen Q: -127dB, ~$599-$700
- RME Babyface: -108dB, ~$400-$500
A USB mic is not a substitute for a USB soundcard. I wouldn't put them in the same category.
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Or you could stop fooling around and buy a Linea Research ASC48 crossover. The are also sold as the Danley Sound DNA SC48.
Pricey, yes, but an actual hardware solution that is unlikely to kill your speakers and amps with the computer or the crossover software fails to boot properly.
It's kit around which you can actually built a high end system that will last for decades.
Pricey, yes, but an actual hardware solution that is unlikely to kill your speakers and amps with the computer or the crossover software fails to boot properly.
It's kit around which you can actually built a high end system that will last for decades.
The DSP on my crown can be used for that. Voltage limiter, Filtering etc.
Just ordered these to support the dual woofers. Pain in the butt to install the quick connectors, they are so close together its near short circuit. Maybe these 4 prong versions will be better than the 2 prong version.
I've decided if I wire all 4 woofers in parallel the +6db of sensitivity supposedly out weighs the benefits of running the at a higher resistance. Less heat to the voice coil they say.
The oberton nmb600 are rated 100db/1w and the AE 18H+ is rated 98db but the 18" has higher sensitivity in the low end due to lower Fs, so it should work out all wired together.
Just ordered these to support the dual woofers. Pain in the butt to install the quick connectors, they are so close together its near short circuit. Maybe these 4 prong versions will be better than the 2 prong version.
I've decided if I wire all 4 woofers in parallel the +6db of sensitivity supposedly out weighs the benefits of running the at a higher resistance. Less heat to the voice coil they say.
The oberton nmb600 are rated 100db/1w and the AE 18H+ is rated 98db but the 18" has higher sensitivity in the low end due to lower Fs, so it should work out all wired together.
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