One interface to replace three !?..

[nuno1959]

[color=#000000][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]Hi guys[/font][/color]

[color=#000000][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]Let me apologise if this is not the correct forum to post this but…here's hoping someone might have some good advice ? Thank you… ;-)[/font][/color]

[color=#000000][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]i currently have a 27'' iMac 2013 connected to a Cambridge Audio DacMagic via optical + a FiiO Qogir E09 headphone amp, the lot then plugged into my Roksan Kandy K2 amp/B&W floorstanding speakers - this is mainly used either playing back music from iTunes or GarageBand after i recorded something[/font][/color]

[color=#000000][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]On the other hand when i record my bass or guitars to GarageBand, i use my Zoom B3 which besides being an effects box is also a USB audio interface[/font][/color]

[color=#000000][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]The whole thing sounds rather nice to be honest but, since my FiiO has developed a flaw & Amazon is refunding my purchase + i have someone who would buy my DacMagic for a reasonable price, it would be a golden opportunity to upgrade all these bits & bobs AND reduce the number of cables & wall warts at the same time, without spending a gazillion £,$ or € & preferably while getting a better audio quality at the same time[/font][/color]

[color=#000000][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]The Interfaces i'm considering as replacements are :[/font][/color]
[color=#000000][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]1 - Apogee Duet 2[/font][/color]
[color=#000000][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]2 - TC Electronic Impact Twin[/font][/color]
[color=#000000][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]3 - Lexicon iOnix 42[/font][/color]

[color=#000000][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]- Portability IS NOT san issue - it will all stay put at home[/font][/color]
[color=#000000][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]- Good, powerful headphone amp IS important - the headphones i use are Sennheiser HD215 [/font][/color]
[color=#000000][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]- As a replacement for my Zoom B3 effects i have a TC Electronic Nova System which despite being aimed at guitars, i have tweaked to provide REALLY GOOD quality effects for my active basses - both Spector ReBops in 4 & 5 string[/font][/color]
[color=#000000][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]- Driverless/Class Compliant (?..) would be best ? Second best would be Driver's quality/stability [/font][/color]

[color=#000000][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]Any help/suggestions would be MOST welcome & if it's class compliant even better !?[/font][/color]

[color=#000000][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]Thanks in advance for your patience[/font][/color]

[Happy Jack]

One interface to rule them all, and in the darkness bind them?

[nuno1959]

Sorry but…i'm afraid i don't quite get it !? english is NOT my native language..

In case i didn't explain myself properly :

One interface that can be a DAC between iMac & Roksan amp ( when i listen to iTunes music or recorded stuff in GB.. ) a headphone amp AND an audio interface when i need to ''input'' my bass to record it

[Happy Jack]

I'm sorry.

That was a quote from The Lord Of The Rings.

I was trying to be funny!

[Dad3353]

[quote name='nuno1959' timestamp='1404839464' post='2496287']
Sorry but…i'm afraid i don't quite get it !? english is NOT my native language..
...
[/quote]

It's a quote from Tolkien's 'Lord of the Rings' (you have at least heard of the film, if not the book, I presume..?). A powerful inscription inside the ring, giving it magical properties. Just dumb British humour; no malice in there, I'm sure..!

[nuno1959]

OH guys, have a heart !

just tell me then where can i buy ''my pwecious'' ( USB3 preferably.. ) !! I'm sure it could do away with ALL my boxes & then some

You cheeky buggers ;-)

...LOL…..

[Dad3353]

Honestly, I would, except that (please excuse my ignorance...) I didn't even understand the description..! All way above my poor old head, I'm afraid.

Still, there are others here far more erudite than myself; they'll probably be along soon. Good luck in your quest...

[nuno1959]

Hi Dad3353

Thanks for your input & trust me, i know EXACTLY how you feel : i BARELY make any sense of it myself !!

As much as ''Plug'n Play'' is thrown left, right & centre as the IN THING these days, fact is we're still a LONG WAY AWAY from it when it comes to anything computer audio related ;-)
Why can't it all be just like a piece of Hi-Fi equipment which is enough to plug it into one another & PRESTO !? I can't help feel the day the industry produces such ''peripherals'' for lack of a better word, they'll sell gazillions more...

In the meantime here we are, TRYING to make sense of it… ;-)

[Dad3353]

Well, for what it's worth (not much, I'l grant...), here's what I use...

Alesis Guitar-USB cable (for recording...) and Behringer UCA-202 (for playback...) ...

[attachment=166356:Ales_Cabl.jpg]

... Are they good..? Not too bad, but far from perfection. Are they Plug-and-Play..? Yes, they are.

I'm going to better that soon, but I'm not going down the HiFi route, even so.

I don't know if it does all you need, but the Focusrite Scarlette 2i2 has a good reputation here. Any good to you..? Might be worth looking at..?

Edited March 5, 2015 by Dad3353

[lowdown]

[quote name='nuno1959' timestamp='1404840697' post='2496299']
just tell me then where can i buy ''my pwecious'' ( USB3 preferably.. )
[/quote]

Well first things first, USB3 is pretty much a no go at the moment.
USB3's would be good for moving lots of audio channels with that extra bandwidth,
but most USB2's handle plenty of audio with the bandwidth available to them and world wide they are used in their millions, so they do work....lol..

Secondly I only know of one USB3 Interface, and it ain't cheap....about £1700.00.
The MADiface XT, but a stunning interface.
http://www.audiomedia.com/reviews/0011/-rme-madiface-xt/1048
http://www.musicradar.com/news/tech/musikmesse-2013-rme-madiface-xt-is-the-worlds-first-usb-3-0-audio-interface-573725

Not sure what your budget is, but if it is on the good side of say £500/600, I would be looking at the RME range.
Very solid ASIO drivers, stable MIDI and great Audio conversion,
and a company that are universally a big hit.
http://www.rme-audio.de/en_index.php

But I am sure there will be folks popping in who can recommend something highly rated on
a lower budget.

Edited July 8, 2014 by lowdown

[nuno1959]

@Dad3353

Thanks but i'm looking for an upgrade on what i have at the moment & those seem to me as ''entry level'' gear if that's the correct term, As for the Focusrite, i'll definitely have a look at those, thanks ! ;-)

@Lowdown

I was kidding when i mentioned USB3 - i'm SURE the RME is a stunning piece of machinery but a ''LITTLE BIT'' out of my budget !!…LOL…having said that i will have a look at their range

The problem is there are SO MANY interfaces out there & i was hoping for personal experiences with brand A, B or C, preferably when working w/ Macs

So far & partly thanks to this approach of mine AND the people in the forums i subscribe to, i've been able to dodge the awful bullet of buying something just to spend endless time troubleshooting this, that or the other or googling tons of pages to sift through & so on - something which p****s me off like nobody's business in the computer world

regardless which way i end up going i'll make sure i'll post back my findings, maybe it helps somebody else

cheers guys

[paul_5]

Personally, looking at your current setup I'd be browsing the RME website - rock solid drivers and stellar audio quality. If you've got an iMac then why not do a proper job and get a firewire 800 interface? Or (dare I say it) a thunderbolt® interface?

[nuno1959]

Hi Paul 5

I've looked up the ''Thunderbolt road'' & didn't REALLY find much except a bunch of FW interfaces which CAN be plugged into the Thunderbolt ports via an adapter - all in all a bit dismaying to be honest...

Mind you, don't get me wrong - all i have works nicely & VERY stable ( NEVER had a single issue.. ) but since i got a refund for the FiiO & have a buyer for the DacMagic..
I am looking at the RME website as we speak though… ;-)

[ambient]

I have a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 that's quite nice, and very reasonably priced.

[url="http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/feb12/articles/focusrite-scarlett.htm"]http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/feb12/articles/focusrite-scarlett.htm[/url]

[url="http://www.musicradar.com/reviews/tech/focusrite-scarlett-2i2-530852"]http://www.musicradar.com/reviews/tech/focusrite-scarlett-2i2-530852[/url]

I think it'll do what you want.

I use mine for recording bass, guitar, and Chapman stick. I also use it for playback from logic and iTunes off my MacBook into a pair of Yamaha monitors.

[nuno1959]

Hi Ambient

Thanks for chipping in, appreciated ! I HAVE looked at the Scarlett range & yes it would be very inexpensive since i don't need more than a couple of inputs max.
One thing that interests me particularly is do you know if the Scarlett 2i2 can drive my Sennheisers HD215 with some ''OOOOMMPH'' ?

You don't happen to have a clip of the Chapman stick recordings do you ? Here's one of mine, enjoy :

http://www.wikiloops.com/backingtrack-jam-19836.php


Cheers

[ambient]

I don't have any experience of the Sennheisers, I have a pair of Sony MDR7506 and it seems to power them ok. There's a separate headphone level control which is nice. They just seem well designed and put together, especially considering the price.

There's a bit of Chapman stick here - I hadn't been playing long when I recorded this, maybe just a week or so.

[url="https://soundcloud.com/ambient-bassist/final-mix"]https://soundcloud.c...ssist/final-mix[/url]

I'll have a listen to your track later, thanks for sharing .

Edited July 9, 2014 by ambient

[nuno1959]

Hey Ambient

Just heard your piece, it's NICE, really nice !! Congratulations

Mine is rather banal by comparison…. ;-)

[zero9]

If you're looking at something in the same league sound quality wise to the Apogee Duet, you could also consider:
RME babyface
Focusrite Forte
Or if you don't like break-out cables the Universal Audio Apollo Twin

[rubis]

I use a TC Electronic Konnekt 8, it's very stable, well made and excellent sound quality, I should think the Impact Twin you mentioned in your first comments would be just as good.....but all the recommendations you have had here are worthy...............enjoy whatever you choose!

[nuno1959]

Hi guys

Thanks to all for adding to this

In the meantime on other Forums where i have posted this same question ( Gearslutz among others.. ) various people have brought to my attention a machine i had never even heard off before but according to them & all the reviews i've read so far seems to be becoming my favourite : the SPL Crimson

To be honest, a friend of mine has the Duet2, nothing to complain about it soundwise BUT…it has a few features that are kind of annoying to me & given it0s price, one is already SO CLOSE to units like the Apollo Solo for example

Choices, choices - so many toys, so little money & SO LITTLE TIME !!…LOL...

Anyway, regardless what i buy, i'll make sure i'll post back my findings

Cheers guys

[nuno1959]

[color=#1A0A53][font=Verdana][size=3]Hi guys[/size][/font][/color]

[color=#1A0A53][font=Verdana][size=3]just dropping a line to say that after LOTS of reading, searching, etc….i ended up buying the SPL Crimson[/size][/font][/color]

[color=#1A0A53][font=Verdana][size=3] [/size][/font][/color][color=#1A0A53][font=Verdana][size=3]It sits on my desk as we speak & is VERY unobtrusive despite being quite big & i LOVE it's form factor plus the fact it is Class Compliant, meaning no drivers to install to get it to ''play nice'' w/ my iMac !! [/size][/font][/color]

[color=#1A0A53][font=Verdana][size=3]One thing though :[/size][/font][/color]

[color=#1A0A53][font=Verdana][size=3]I don't know exactly how to describe this but i find my Cambridge Audio DacMagic was ''more musical'' than the Crimson just playing music from my iTunes library - or could this be just a more ''revealing nature'' as in more unforgiving of not so perfectly recorded albums ?[/size][/font][/color]
[color=#1A0A53][font=Verdana][size=3]The sound is DEFINITELY fuller than the DacMagic, bass having plenty more weight & ''body'' but very controlled, not all over the place however the DacMagic made everything sound…..''musical'' is the only word that occurs to me to describe it…[/size][/font][/color]

[color=#1A0A53][font=Verdana][size=3]Comparing it to my FiiO headphone amp, it just wipes the floor w/ the FiiO : despite the FiiO's generous power & nice, musical sound, the Crimson is steps above it in everything - power, detail, finesse, no treble harshness, full bodied & controlled bass - real nice !! My [url="http://www.gearslutz.com/board/sennheiser/hd215-g1752/"]Sennheiser HD215[/url] sound GREAT through it & NOT fatiguing at all...[/size][/font][/color]
[color=#1A0A53][font=Verdana][size=3]All in all, i'm pretty happy & can't wait to start recording, i'm SURE it WILL BE MUCH, MUCH BETTER than my Zoom B3 interface… ;-)[/size][/font][/color]

Edited July 25, 2014 by nuno1959

[ambient]

Glad you got something you're happy with !