Compare HD192 to Apogee Rosetta 800w/Big Ben

Watersound · Post by **Watersound** » Sun Mar 06, 2005 4:57 pm

I have been using the HD192 for over a year now and my two complaints are 1- the fan is so damn noisy it drives me nuts, and 2- though it sounds good being clocked with Big Ben, I feel there is room for improvement. I have a Rosetta 800 on the way and I was wondering if any of you guys have made this transition and if you heard significant improvements with your sound. I'll let you know my comments as well when I can a/b them in the coming days.

John

rocketsgalore · Post by **rocketsgalore** » Wed May 18, 2005 8:45 pm

so what ever happened with the comparison?

muxlow · Post by **muxlow** » Thu Feb 02, 2006 10:55 am

*bump*

BradLyons · Post by **BradLyons** » Thu Feb 02, 2006 11:34 am

THe HD192 is a very good converter, very clean! But Apogee has a more musical sound, a little more texture to it. It's also quite a bit more money, too.

Frodo · Post by **Frodo** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 11:15 pm

This thread needs to be revived....

BUUUUUMP

Anyone have any details about an Apogee Rosetta with Symphony vs. PT-HD Core with 192?

The fan issue with HD is interesting...

The Accel Card has an awful lot of stuff on it-- is this better or just bulky?

$8k for HD1 Core plus $4k for the 192.

Rosetta $2700 plus Symphony $900

BradLyons wrote:But Apogee has a more musical sound, a little more texture to it. It's also quite a bit more money, too.

hmm-- $3600 for Apogee doesn't sound like $12k for Digidesign

What'd I miss?

BradLyons · Post by **BradLyons** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 5:29 am

Well the Rosetta with a Sympony card is very cool to say the least, but it's a different mindset than ProTools HD. The idea of Symphony is to connect Apogee converters directly to your computer with a front-end DSP for real-time monitoring, no latency. This is the same concept as in ProToolsHD, however that's where it ends because you're now talking a NATIVE plugin system v/s a DSP plugin system. As you know, I'm a ProToolsHD user. I do use other setups too so that I'm up to speed on them all, but when it comes to my own work and the mixing I do for my church. I use ONLY ProTools. In my home studio, I run a ProTools HD3 Accel with a 192I/O with a second A/D card. At my church, I use a ProTools HD3 Accel with a 96I/O however my inputs are actually coming from a VENUE console via the Digilink cable. The inputs are from the stage which are technically the 192I/O. In Studio A, I use 32-channels of Apogee AD16X and DA16X.

The 192I/O is a VERY good converter, I love mine! You can't say that it's better or worse than the Apogee, only different. Sonically, the 192I/O is a top-shelf converter but the Apogee is more musical, a little more punchy. The 192I/O is more clean, so to speak. The difference with ProToolsHD isn't just processing on the front-end, but dedicated DSP throughout which allows for BEST optimization of the system. The plugins are written FOR THIS SYSTEM, giving them the most efficiency, the best sound quality, and the fact they just work! No third-party drivers to make everything talk, no buffers to route a third-party DSP card through, predictable performance, integrated hardware so everything just functions the way it was designed, etc.

In a native system, it's easy to say how many tracks and how many plugins you can get. But understand this, manufacturers do these specs to "wow" you. But who cares how many plugins you can run, it comes down to how many AND how good of plugins you can run. About 3 years ago, I setup a Digi002 and a ProToolsHD system side by side...BOTH using Apogee converters on the output so it was the same converters. I left everything at unity gain so not to alter the mix bus and cause internal, native dither (since ProToolsHD has analog sounding dither on level reduction, this wouldn't be fair for my test). Basically I was just testing the audio quality and plugin audio quality. I had the same session, the same plugins (using all Waves plugins), the same levels, etc. There was a definite difference in plugin quality between native and the TDM based plugins. I've done this same test with other native systems, and ProTools always came out on top BECAUSE of the TDM based processing.

WITH THIS SAID......YOU DO NOT HAVE TO HAVE PROTOOLSHD IN ORDER TO HAVE A POWERFUL, GREAT SOUNDING DAW THESE DAYS AND I WANT TO BE PERFECTLY CLEAR ON THAT. Programs like DP and Logic are wonderful, and have so much to offer! Adding things like Duende, LiquidMix, or a PowercoreFW add plugin quality that typically is only available in an HD system. There are also limitations with those products, but they do work and are excellent! Personally, I use ProToolsHD because of the sound quality, dependability, speed of which it works, the vast array of high quality plugins that are available for it, and the automation system which is the best automation on the planet as far as I'm concerned. Before I went ProTools HD, I was thinking of adding a second MOTU 2408mk3 and buying a Sony DMXR100 with a MADI option, an RME MADI converter, and Nuendo. But in the end, I'm glad I went ProToolsHD and the Control24.

But for those running Logic or DP and have no need or no desire to switch, but want to have high-level converters without any kind of latency....then the Apogee Symphony with your choice of Apogee converters is certainly worth a look.

Frodo · Post by **Frodo** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 11:53 am

Thanks, Brad. The info is most helpful.

But could you clarify your statement regarding Apogee being "quite a bit more money"? Other than Rosetta and Symphony, what did I miss?

I'm on my third MOTU 2408 at present, and while the sound is good, it's ONLY just good. It's just not quite turning the corner for me, and I've used 2408's since day one. I'm a little annoyed, to be honest, at the "apparent" necessity of buying a MOTU interface and then carting it off to Black Lion for a third-party retrofit. I've tried so many spit-and-gum solutions over the years that I could have had what I needed by now. It's nice that there is a fix out there, but this would indicate some considerable measure of inferiority with the product.

Hmm. I'm just ready to have my projects stand alongside those of others without apology. It has less to do with the plugins at the moment or how to use the plugins-- it's the hardware-- and I believe at the moment that the 2408 is probably the weakest link in my studio.

Cheers.

YouTube · Post by **James Steele** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 12:30 pm

So, uh, Brad... do you still sell MOTU stuff or only ProTools?

BradLyons · Post by **BradLyons** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 12:32 pm

Oh I sell a lot of Motu product, it's great stuff! I use it, as well.

YouTube · Post by **James Steele** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 12:50 pm

BradLyons wrote:Oh I sell a lot of Motu product, it's great stuff! I use it, as well.

Just wondering... and giving you a hard time as that was the most glowing across-the-board ProTools love fest post I'd seen in a long time.

BradLyons · Post by **BradLyons** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 12:54 pm

I come in peace, but I also speak the truth. And right now the truth is, I'm too dang lazy today to get up and do anything! GRRRRRRRR LOL

Frodo · Post by **Frodo** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 1:20 pm

BradLyons wrote:I come in peace, but I also speak the truth. And right now the truth is, I'm too dang lazy today to get up and do anything! GRRRRRRRR LOL

Well, if you have time today, I'd love to know what you meant when you said Apogee is more expensive than PTHD... still wondering...

BradLyons · Post by **BradLyons** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 2:45 pm

Apogee more expensive than HD? Huh? Would you copy what you are referring to, I'm not sure I'm following ya.

Frodo · Post by **Frodo** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 3:51 pm

BradLyons wrote:THe HD192 is a very good converter, very clean! But Apogee has a more musical sound, a little more texture to it. It's also quite a bit more money, too.

Maybe this is what was confusing-- to both of us!

That you already have questioned it explains that your last sentence here refers to the HD192 and not the Apogee-- is that right?

BradLyons · Post by **BradLyons** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 4:06 pm

The HD192 is MOTU's interface, the 192I/O is the Digidesign interface.

MOTUnation.com

Compare HD192 to Apogee Rosetta 800w/Big Ben

Compare HD192 to Apogee Rosetta 800w/Big Ben

Re: Compare HD192 to Apogee Rosetta 800w/Big Ben