Hi Audioflotis:
I'm not sure if you are looking for advice or not.
There are a number of things to consider when choosing an interface, and there are a number of precautions one can take in advance of buying one.
Audioflotis wrote:
how can we try to tell ourselves motu is as good or better than digidesign when we dont talk about this kind of things.
Could it be that asking such a question is a waste of time? I'm not sure that trying to convince ourselves that MOTU's hardware is better or worse than Digidesign's hardware will do much good if the fan is the principle issue at stake. Among the many things that might have been researched prior to purchase was the loudness of the fans on the HD192 by reading the accounts from many owners besides just one or two. That's the easiest way to determine whether or not the fan on your unit is working normally.
There could be good reasons why so few have responded to the message you read. Consider that the loud fan issue may be very rare! It doesn't have to be all bad news.
Audioflotis wrote:
the truth is i wish i had the money to get digidesign hardware. we buy motu not because its better or as good, but because its cheaper and the HD192 feels cheaper...
no?
Buying things simply because they are cheaper on the surface is probably not the approach I would take. If the price of a less expensive brand is more important than the perceived quality then it's hard to complain. To some extent , you get what you pay for. I would consider buying a unit that I loved and worked to my satisfaction first and foremost.
But, there are many people who are quite happy with their HD192 units. It seems to me that not all the fans on these units are loud.
Things to do:
1. If paid with a credit card, return the unit. Most credit card companies protect the consumer from defective purchases.
2. Measure the dB level on the fans with an SPL meter from at least three distances (1', 2', 3') and send that info to MOTU to see if they can confirm that the fan noise is louder than it should be.
3. Anything with a fan is a prime candidate for being placed inside an isolation box to baffle the fan noise. There are DIY methods of making such devices seen and not heard. There are whisper fans out there which can probably be swapped for the stock MOTU fan. You could also just send the box back to MOTU for evaluation, repair, or an exchange.
4. Take a moment to evaluate the HD192 for its overall performance beyond the issue of the fan. At that point, the price of a replacement fan may seem small compared to the price of buying the Digidesign equivalent.
