should I get a 828mkII????

wmorris · Post by **wmorris** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 11:36 pm

Hello

Im currently looking at buy a new audio interface, and the 828mkII is on the top of my list, well that was until I was told by a music shop owner they seam to have a high failer rate, with one of his customers on his third unit replaced under warranty.

I was just wondering if anyone else has had similar problems?

Your advice could sway my decision.

Thanks

Pappy725 · Post by **Pappy725** » Fri Aug 11, 2006 4:46 am

Mine has worked flawlessly since I got it 3? years ago. The LCD has gone out which has happened to a lot of them, but everything still works and since I don't use it as a standalone unit I don't really need the LCD. Unless you'll be using a lot of synths that can plug into the line inputs on the back of it, you should get an 8 channel preamp to go into the 8 analog inputs. With something like the Behringer ADA8000 you can also run 8 channels into the optical input for 18 total.
HTH,
Stephen

BradLyons · Post by **BradLyons** » Fri Aug 11, 2006 4:58 am

Sadly these days, the failure rate of products are higher than years ago simply because the consumer wants to pay the least amount as possible. So in general I guess you could say "they don't make them like they used to". With that said, however, Motu makes some of the best hardware out there for what ti does. They shook the audio world with the original 2408, and they did it again with the original 828. The 828mkII has become one of our best-sellers because it sounds great and there are SO many features. With the amount of sales having gone up, so do the amount of issues....it's a math game, really. There are no perfect products and most likely you'll receive your new unit and it will work perfectly fine, of course there is a chance it will not. Heck, I bought a set of $4,000 studio monitors and a week later, the power amp went out in my subwoofer! My first Liquid Channel had an issue and had to be replaced. Hmmmm maybe I'm a magnet for defective gear

But if you've heard of someone on a third 828mkII, I wouldn't be worried.... because in general, it's a reliable product and one you'll be happy you've invested in.

FYI when a client calls to do audio recording on his or her Mac, this is one of the first options I provide them because it sounds good, has latency-free monitoring, a MIDI interface, ADAT optical for future expansion, LED metering, firewire so they can use it on a laptop or desktop. It's just a HIGHLY versatile and well-thought out design.

Atardecer · Post by **Atardecer** » Fri Aug 11, 2006 8:21 am

I hate to say it but i couldnt recommend the 828MKII. Mine lasted just under a year before it went haywire. Also repairs/replacement will cost you about $180 from Australia. In their defence, MOTU did replace mine with a brand new unit but still not worth all the grief i went through. Also make sure you have a Texas Instruments firewire card. They can be difficult (and expensive!) to find in Australia

regards

gearboy · Post by **gearboy** » Fri Aug 11, 2006 9:31 am

I own two of them. My first one I've had since October 2003 (and I bought it at Sweetwater!!!). I picked up my second one used in May in trade for an M-Audio FW1814 that gave me serious troubles.

My older 828mkii has lost the backlight on its screen, but has been flawless otherwise. In the USA MOTU will replace a unit with a defective screen for a brand new unit after warranty for approx $60 plus shipping to them. I plan on taking advantage of this as soon as I only need one of them for a week or two!

Also, Black Lion Audio mods MOTU interfaces and makes then sound even better.

Jeff

Resonant Alien · Post by **Resonant Alien** » Fri Aug 11, 2006 9:45 am

The 828mkII is probably the best $750 interface out there, and it works and sounds great within that price/quality range.

If you can fork over a little more cash though, IMO you would be happier in the long run with either an 896HD ($1000) or an RME Fireface 800 ($1500). I had an 828mkII for about 2 years and absolutely loved it for what it was, but I kind of always had a feeling I would be upgrading someday.....I recently switched to an RME FF 800 (Thanks Brad), and I am much happier now, and I don't see needing a new I/F for quite some time now.

But, if your budget can't move over $750, then the 828mkII is the best choice of what's there, hands down.

mixmastaroberto · Post by **mixmastaroberto** » Wed Nov 29, 2006 11:19 pm

The 828mkII is extremely well thought out in its design.
So once you get it working it's da shizzle!

jrdmcdnld · Post by **jrdmcdnld** » Thu Nov 30, 2006 8:18 am

I've had my MKII for over year. It requires an occasional restart, but has served me well. As far as plug and play, and versatility you can't beat the motu in that price range. The only issue I have with it is the sound quality. It's decent, but there are better sounding interfaces out there.

gearboy · Post by **gearboy** » Thu Nov 30, 2006 9:13 am

I have two, as mentioned, and MOTU just fixed my LCD, two yrs past warranty, for free in Sept. I had it for three yrs before I sent it in to them. They replaced it with a new unit!!!

I had my second 828mk2 modded by Black Lion Audio and the difference before and after is staggering on DP sessions recorded BEFORE the mod. I've compaired, with friends, playback on both the modded and unmodded 828. What I am hearing is the new clock combined with the newly modded audiophile monitor outs. That's it. It's night and day already, so I cannot wait to compare it to sessions recorded exclusively through the BLA 828.

Reverb is defined, low end is defined, high end sparkles, and the mix is more 3D.

AND... to top it off, the sessions that I am listening to are a mish-mash of remote recordings done over several yrs on several recorders, some tracks as 16bit inported via analog, some as 24bit recorded with my unmodded Presonus MP20 and Digimax LT. I can't imagine what "from the ground up" sessions through my Sytek will sound like now.

Jeff

builder · Post by **builder** » Thu Nov 30, 2006 9:39 am

Its kinda funny, I have almost the front end as you gearboy....
I have had my 828mkii for 2 years without any problems...
I got it modded from BLA and it really is night and day...

I do like the look of the the RME FF400 (or whatever is is)

emunity · Post by **emunity** » Sun Dec 03, 2006 6:30 pm

Are they still modding ther 828 MKII? Mine has been sitting in a box for two years never used and wanted to know how much this MOD would cost? Do you have a link?

Is the Fireface 800 still a better F/I?

If my screen or LCD went out woudl MoTU replace it if its out of Warranty?

Jidis · Post by **Jidis** » Sun Dec 03, 2006 8:32 pm

emunity wrote:If my screen or LCD went out woudl MoTU replace it if its out of Warranty?

I'm not sure if that's standard procedure, or if it had just happened to some here who's boxes were past the 90 days (or way past?). Wish you luck if that should happen.

FWIW- The topic of display types has come up before here. Should you need one and be faced with a repair fee, you may want to look into whether or not it's a standard chipset 16x2 (HD 44780 or whatever). Much of the time, they just push into a socket or have a ribbon stuck to an onboard pin header. The regular green screens can be had for a couple bucks or so. The weird colors, like the cool looking one in the "volume bar" picture are often a lot higher.

I think someone here opened one of the LCD MOTUs a while back to see what it used, but I'm thinking it was the UltraLite.

Take Care

emunity · Post by **emunity** » Mon Dec 04, 2006 2:19 am

I just remembered I bought an earlier version tnat had the green screen and bought one a couple years ago that has the more updated LCD so I am assuming I have a MOTU 828 MKII that is ok?

Woudl a serial number tell you or not if so I cna PM it to you or shoudl I call Tech Support?

Jidis · Post by **Jidis** » Mon Dec 04, 2006 2:58 am

emunity,

Didn't mean to give the wrong idea. I don't know much about 828s (got a 2408/424). I've just seen the pictures and dealt with some LCDs on other stuff.

I'd guess TS probably could tell from the number, but like I said, don't sweat it too much. If the light goes, there could still be a chance that you could swap one back in for pretty cheap.

Take Care,

George

kracker · Post by **kracker** » Wed Dec 27, 2006 1:24 pm

Worked with one for over a year and it died completely in the first 5 months. MOTU replaced it and now the LCD light went, but still works. They sound great when everything's working!