I am looking for some suggestions on the appropriate 8 channels of A to D. It needs to be good, but not SOA. I will use it on multi-track pop dates, True P8 out to the AD out to a DB25 Digig card in the Yammy DM1000.

So it needs to be XLR input, DB25 AES out, 48/24 is probably okay.

Thanks.

D.

RME ADI-8QS is a great unit!

http://www.forsselltech.com/products/10/#!/products/10

What sort of price point are you looking at? For my session work when I need 8 channels of high-quality A-D, I use Lavry Blue converters. It is AES on XLR out, but the purchase of an XLR-Dsub cable should be a non-issue. When I needed 16 channels of A-D at a price point, I went with a Lynx Aurora. On a good system, though, the differences between converters are pretty audible.

There are tons of great boxes out there, but the big issue is how much do you want to spend. Do you want to spend Apogee or Lynx money, Lavry money, Prism money or Meitner money?

--Ben

Of course. But "good but not SOTA" puts it in the Aurora category I think. Seems like an eight channel Lynx will cost in the 1500 used range, probably perfect for what I need. Other suggestions are still needed tho.

D.

Sorry Douglas, didn't fully comprehend the "SOA". The Forssell is definitely SOA.

Lynx is OK but doesn't blow me away for the price. Nice stereo width, slightly grainy.

For $100 I'd get another Swissonic/Sonorus 8-channel AD24...if I could find another one. I use mine all the time with "SOTA" stuff. Sounds good, very straightforward design, very reliable.

There does seem to be an odd market gap for non-"SOTA" A/D converters (and even more so for 16-channel units with dual ADAT out) that don't have cheap preamps or other bothersome superfluous circuitry.

Creamware seems like it's the closest thing to fulfilling that market gap I'm talking about but I haven't heard or used one.

EDIT—Sorry, missed your AES requirement; browsing on the iPhone while in transit.

There is a brand new RME unit: ADI 8 DS MKIII, somehow mid-price.
The specs are VERY good, probably because the newest converter chips are the best ones...
It has also AES connectors (D-sub). Inputs are not XLR but phone jacks (symmetrical) as well as D-sub.

Lynx Aurora 8 would get my vote for good conversion at a reasonable price. This is why I am running an Aurora 16 in my studio.

Cabling with an Aurora 8would be nice and neat too:
- One breakout cable would handle analog (XLRs to DB25 to Aurora)
- One cable would handle the digital (DB25 on both sides). As an extra bonus, the Aurora uses the Yamaha pinout for DIGITAL ins/outs - this should help a little when running into a Yammy board.

If you go with an RME converter, you will need to get a Yamaha to Tascam DB25 cable. Mogami makes these, at a price.

-Tom

Excellence is acheived here with RME ADI-8QS. If you really want dabidnizz, move up to RME Micstasy. Both have what you require. Talk to Music Center in Kenosha, WI

Atelier HudSonic, Chicago