whats the hype about RME..?

mgmediaworks · Post by **mgmediaworks** » Sat Mar 31, 2007 8:18 am

I always read posts here regarding. RME. I've seen the prices..
not too cheap..at all.. so I ask.. why are they mentioned so much.? Is it the converters, sound.... let me know....is it that they are so good that I would sell all my motu hardware and go RME?

Timeline · Post by **Timeline** » Sat Mar 31, 2007 8:30 am

Yes the converters and overall utility. Also the clock is very tight.
I have 2 and will buy more in time but with one your set.

Would like to see an xlr version someday even if larger.

kgdrum · Post by **kgdrum** » Sat Mar 31, 2007 8:54 am

I agree,the FF800 is Excellent,RME writes their own drivers ,so it has less inherent Firewire problems than some of the other manufactures,I had the old 896(not HD)the ff converters sound less grainy the stereo imaging is better(clock?)the unit with the bundled totalmix software is very powerful and flexible as well.........SynthAx :tech support:George is totally helpful and a really nice guy,the Build quality is Rock Solid ,this has been one of my favorite additions to my DAW ever! the only other device I considered was the Metric Halo 2882 which is a very good I/O as well, but the feature set of the FF was more of a fit for me.
KG

vier-personen · Post by **vier-personen** » Sat Mar 31, 2007 9:05 am

I had an ear-opening experience with a rme multiface (though I had one for 5 years I never a/b-ed it with another audio interface)! I was sitting in at the mastering session for a CD of my band (acoustic & electronic improv/experimental). the processing was done in protools with waves and we were listening through the mbox. after a day or so there was problem with one of mbox outputs, so we went via spdif into a multiface (standalone modus is great!) and suddenly everyone went "wow" - instant improved clarity, every instruments location in the panorama was accurate...
even for me was now clear, what +0.5dB EQuing is for

now I have the fireface 400, and this made another step up in sound for me beacause of the preamps. (I was using mackie vlz preamps before) - the noise floor is VERY low.

IMHO the rme products are worth their money...

mhschmieder · Post by **mhschmieder** » Sat Mar 31, 2007 11:06 am

I sold my MOTU 828 mk II last week and ordered my RME Fireface 800 a few days later (it is on back-order as everyone is out of stock at the moment). I did a lot of research before deciding the 2x cost factor was worth it.

I still consider the more recent MOTU firewire units to be Best in Class. And I will continue to recommend them to anyone whose budget is under $1000. They have excellent converters, and the drivers are very stable (on Mac).

What I didn't like about the MOTU gear was the imaging and the amp circuitry. I had a choice of spending a few thousand dollars to upgrade my 20 year old Bryston hi-hi preamp to one with more inputs, multiple outputs, and balanced connections, or to upgrade to the RME Fireface 800.

Although the RME upgrade is a less modular approach, I am convinced that the improved clocking and imaging and the way superior amp circuitry will be more than incremental an improvement, and that it was not worth the even larger cost to go the Big Ben route combined with a hi-fi preamp upgrade.

So I guess my point is that I feel the RME Fireface 800 is as good value for money for what it delivers as the MOTU gear is, and a better bet than the newer Apogee stuff which I hear doesn't have as good converters as the RME or the higher-end Apogee gear.

Once my unit arrives and I have had the chance to do some mixing/mastering with it, both via headphones and via active monitors, I will probably write up my impressions in the Recording forum.

Phil Jeffers · Post by **Phil Jeffers** » Sun Apr 01, 2007 1:38 am

mgmediaworks wrote:I always read posts here regarding. RME. I've seen the prices..
not too cheap..at all.. so I ask.. why are they mentioned so much.? Is it the converters, sound.... let me know....is it that they are so good that I would sell all my motu hardware and go RME?

I use MOTU PCI hardware (which I find excellent in general) however I have some RME pre-amps (for location type recording) and they are absolutely brilliant. RME are an excellent German company.

acro · Post by **acro** » Sun Apr 01, 2007 10:09 pm

I started off with a 2408 and later a mkII, but now use RME. I now use the Digiface, Multiface, and ADI-8DS. Sound quality, TotalMix, and PCI/CardBus interoperability were the reasons for my switch.

Having said that...

If what you have is working for you, keep working with it! No need to sell off your gear. There's a reason both MOTU and RME thrive -- they're both good.

You can also always go the external converter route, too.

Phil Jeffers · Post by **Phil Jeffers** » Sun Apr 01, 2007 10:35 pm

Hey, If (or when) I upgrade from the MOTU gear, it'll be to Digi 192's. In the meantime, I'd spend the money on a nice clock; in which case I••™d probably buy Apogee something.

Cheers, Phil J.

davedempsey · Post by **davedempsey** » Sun Apr 01, 2007 11:11 pm

Phil Jeffers wrote:Hey, If (or when) I upgrade from the MOTU gear, it'll be to Digi 192's. In the meantime, I'd spend the money on a nice clock; in which case I••™d probably buy Apogee something.

Cheers, Phil J.

Hey Phil,
Another clock worth considering is the new GENx192 from Lucid - it'll cost less than the Ben and has better jitter specs and more connectivity.
http://www.lucidaudio.com/index.php?Bra ... Template=N

Cheers,
DD

Frodo · Post by **Frodo** » Sun Apr 01, 2007 11:25 pm

Has anyone heard of any improvements/updates with the REM PCI cards? I've not found any info on Intel/PCIe compatibility, and drivers for OSX have not been updated in two years, to the best of my knowledge. Have they left cards for firewire entirely on the Mac platform? Or can it even be said?

davedempsey · Post by **davedempsey** » Sun Apr 01, 2007 11:47 pm

Frodo wrote:Has anyone heard of any improvements/updates with the REM PCI cards? I've not found any info on Intel/PCIe compatibility, and drivers for OSX have not been updated in two years, to the best of my knowledge. Have they left cards for firewire entirely on the Mac platform? Or can it even be said?

I was looking at the RME stuff last night and thought it was pretty much a Firewire option at this time. I've been thinking about the Symphony system and a couple of other options too and as I get closer to an Intel box I keep coming back to a pair of HD192s and the GENx192 as the safe bet. I want to mix OTB into a TubeTech SSA and resample into my Rosetta200 on the current G4 box. Staying with Motu hardware just feels a little better at this time, not to mention a lot less expensive.

mhschmieder · Post by **mhschmieder** » Mon Apr 02, 2007 12:09 am

I thought RME announced a new PCI card at MusikMesse? As I do not have a PCI-capable computer, I didn't bother looking at the details.

Phil Jeffers · Post by **Phil Jeffers** » Mon Apr 02, 2007 1:27 am

davedempsey wrote:
Phil Jeffers wrote:Hey, If (or when) I upgrade from the MOTU gear, it'll be to Digi 192's. In the meantime, I'd spend the money on a nice clock; in which case I••™d probably buy Apogee something.

Cheers, Phil J.
Hey Phil,
Another clock worth considering is the new GENx192 from Lucid - it'll cost less than the Ben and has better jitter specs and more connectivity.
http://www.lucidaudio.com/index.php?Bra ... Template=N

Cheers,
DD

OK, thanks Dave! I don't really have the budget right now anyhow since I just blew thouasnds on some SLS speakers!!!

Cheers, Phil J.

PeterMcCStrat · Post by **PeterMcCStrat** » Mon Apr 02, 2007 9:32 am

I used n 828 MKII for a about a year and a half, great bang for buck, great unit.
I used it on a PC, the drivers were good but would do strange things once in a while,. nothing a restart wouldn't fix.

When I got the RME Fireface I noticed a much tighter low end and smoother top to the tracks I had done on the 828,. I think this is due to better a-d/d-a conversion but probably more because of the clock which is tighter.

It is noticable when you try it.

my 2 cents

Peter

Resonant Alien · Post by **Resonant Alien** » Tue Apr 03, 2007 7:38 am

Except of the MOTU HD192 (which is actually more expenisve than the Fireface 800), the RME stuff has better converters and a better clock. I switched from an 828mkII about a year ago and am very pleased. Some say the preamps in the FF800 are better also, but I don't use them much, and never used the 828 pres, so I can't say.

The MOTU HD192 is supposedly really good (on par with RME), but is priced about the same (couple hundred more actually).

RME is actually the "middle ground" of interfaces. Apogee and Benchmark are 2X more expensive than that.

RA

MOTUnation.com

whats the hype about RME..?

whats the hype about RME..?

Re: whats the hype about RME..?