Lynx Aurora (n) with DP

[dix]

Anyone have any experience with a Lynx Aurora (n)? I'm thinking about picking up a USB version before the end of the year. I'm wondering if it works well for DP and whether the Mac drivers are stable.

I'm also curious what the CP and software mixer on the Lynx Aurora (n) is like. I'm not even sure there is a mixer for it. The internet isn't clear on this.

The Antelope Discreet 8 I got earlier this year sounds great, but the drivers are not stable and loose connectivity frequently. Plus the CP is totally baffling to me. Overall it doesn't feel like a pro i/o...though it does sound like one when it's working.

[HCMarkus]

Take a look at the MOTU AVB Stuff, too. I am loving my 828es... sounds great, AVB Mixer is excellent, and USB/TB connectivity ensure long-term compatibility. The 16A is a very nice piece of kit; until the 828es was announced, I was looking that direction. For me, replacing an 828mkII, the es was just too straight forward to ignore.

[dix]

Thanks. I've worked with MOTU's AVB I/Os on several projects (the 8m mostly) and they're quite good. The mixer is wonderful, but I actually preferred the sound of my old 2408 mk3...which led me to the Antelope, which (though stellar sound) led me to Lynx - because of the D8's spotty drivers. The jury is still out though. I may come home to MOTU when all's said and done.

A google search of MN tells me only Phil O has the Lynx Aurora (n) in his specs. He hasn't posted in a while. PMing seems drastic. If anyone knows Phil please point him here.

[Phil O]

Yes, I have a Lynx with the Thunderbolt card. So, I have no experience with the USB option. I'm using the Lynx with a 2013 MacPro 6,1 running OS 10.13.6 (High Sierra). So far it has worked flawlessly. I bought it to replace an Apogee Rosetta which was damaged in a flood. I haven't noticed any obvious differences in sound quality - maybe a little cleaner low end on the Lynx. I wish I could A/B them, but the Rosetta is inoperable. I might try to repair it at some point. For the price I'd say it's excellent bang for the buck.

I use an old Soundcraft mixer for zero latency headphone monitor mixing, so I can't comment on a software mixer. I don't even remember if it came with one (if it had, I wouldn't have installed it). Sorry I couldn't be helpful on this.

Pros: Sounds great. Pretty much plug and play. Drivers were a zero-hassle install. Some nice internal routing options. Recording to internal SD card (haven't experimented with this yet). Lot's of configuration options. It gets along well with DP.

Cons: Can't install both Thunderbolt and USB interface in same unit at the same time, so if you want to switch interfaces you must switch cards. I was hoping to use this with my laptop as well, but my laptop only has USB and Firewire. Perhaps I should have gone the USB route (hindsight is 20/20).

Would I recommend it? Absolutely, with the caveat that I don't have a USB card and don't know about any issues with it.

Phil

I'm also curious what the CP and software mixer on the Lynx Aurora (n) is like.

CP?

[dix]

Thanks for this report Phil!

I'm on an old cMP. The USB version is my only option, but my understanding is that USB 2 is robust enough for recording 16 channels easily, which is fine for me. One of the most appealing things about the Aurora n is its modular upgradability, I could move to TB, PT, Dante if there's ever a need - though not easily as you point out....also AES16, more channels, onboard mic pres add-ons are available.

I too use a mixer for monitoring. As such, I don't really want to pay for the monitoring functionality etc in MOTU AVBs or the D8. I'd prefer to just pay for quality AD/DA. A software mixer or a CP (control panel) would be convenient for internal routing, but I'm accustom to just doing that in DP. I take it from your response, and from reviews I've read that, a lot of basic functionality can be handled easily from the front panel.

Apart from the upgradability and stability, the reputation of the converters is what's got me looking into the Aurora n. People with more experience and far better ears than me have told me that Lynx makes possibly the best converters on the market and that the units are super well built, solid and reliable.

I still need to do some research on the stability of the USB version, but thanks again for your take!

[Phil O]

Regarding drivers, I found this:

https://support.lynxstudio.com/hc/en-us ... n-with-USB

Notice under Mac OS - no driver required for USB.

...People with more experience and far better ears than me have told me that Lynx makes possibly the best converters on the market and that the units are super well built, solid and reliable.

I don't know if the Aurora model is "best on the market" but in this price range they are hard to beat. I went with the Apogee unit years ago because at the time it was their flagship unit and Apogee was considered high end in those days. The Aurora certainly is everything the Apogee was and more.

Phil

[dix]

Ah. Class compliant. Very cool. I also noticed that a software mixer, of sorts, has just been released as a public beta...though it appears to be more for network implementation I think?

Perhaps "best converters in an I/O on the market in its class" is more accurate, but FWIW the converters do rank near the top of the list using whatever weird metric this thread uses.

https://www.gearslutz.com/board/showpos ... count=1697

[dix]

One more question Phil. Without a software control panel how do you configure the Aurora n for zero-latency monitoring? Is that doable via the front panel? Or do you go to a mixer before you go to the Aurora?

Thx! - I’d ask Lynx all this but I’m not sure they’ll be in over the holiday.

[Phil O]

Yeah, that's what I use the mixer for. I've got enough dedicated mic preamps to cover most recording situations, so I don't use the mic pres on the mixer. I just use the mixer to feed the headphone amps. I split the line level from the preamps - one signal goes to the line level inputs on the mixer and the other goes to the A/D. A stereo output from DP is sent to one of the stereo returns on the mixer via D/A. Everything is done in the box and the mixer is just there for monitoring. If a vocalist insists on reverb, I've got a Lexicon hardware unit that I have hooked up to one of the mixer's sends.

I really like this approach. You don't need an expensive board because it's not in the recording signal chain. You're not using the mic pres, so all you need is clean enough line level sound for headphone mixes. You can't get less latency, and you don't use any CPU power.

Phil

[dix]

Nice. Sounds quite elegant. I can, and may do, this exact same scheme with my pres - I checked. They're all designed for this. However I did find the Aurora n manual, and it looks like you can route the line-ins directly to the line-outs via the front panel's Routing page...that said, I think your lower tech approach might be better.

Thanks again Phil

[dix]

I did pick up the Aurora (n) 8 USB btw. I couldn't be happier with it. The nicest sounding i/o I've ever owned for sure - It's a bit darker than the Antelope Discrete 8, but more detailed. Especially in the low end. Plus the build quality and metering is amazing. It makes the Antelope Discrete 8 seem quite pro-sumer in comparison.

And as discussed, no need for a software control panel for the computer. Everything, including zero-latency monitoring, is easily accessed via the big front panel display....though I have done what Phil suggested: split the incoming signal at the mic pre to my X32 for monitoring (can't believe that never occurred to me before!)