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Echo Audiofire 8 vs Motu Ultralite/828

I'm going to upgrade my audio interface here soon. I'm using a 2496 so anything will be an upgrade. I have cheap monitors, so I'm not looking for a unit with pristine sound quality, but I would like more inputs. I do record off of mics right now, so the preamps I suppose are somewhat important, and I plan on getting DSI Mopho and a Jomox Xbase888 in the near future.

For me it is a toss up right now as they both cost about the same, but having no experience with either I don't know how to make my decision. If the Echo quality stands up to MOTU I might consider getting the Audiofire 4 instead of the 8 since I probably don't need 8 inputs, but that would be nice.

Any comments? ideas? comparisons? I'm getting ready to just flip a coin here and leaning Audiofire for some reason.

I have an AudioFire 4. The mic preamps are great. Very low noise.
In my opinion MOTU and Echo are roughly on the same level.
You can't go wrong with either of them.

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Originally posted by Eldritch I have an AudioFire 4. The mic preamps are great. Very low noise. In my opinion MOTU and Echo are roughly on the same level. You can't go wrong with either of them.

You're in a good place with either of these but I think that the motu units just have the edge. The 828 is about as solid as it gets, the traveller still very good but the 828 just pips it in terms of quality.

However, if you don't need all those inputs, the value vs. performance issue comes up: with the audiofire 4 being a good $200 dollars cheaper than even the traveller, the Audiofire 4 wins easily because it sounds great, is very stable and a lot less money.

If you can stretch all the way, go for the 828 (make sure it's at least a Mk2 if not mk3) and if you can stretch but want it to be portable then go for the traveller.

Thanks. You said to stay away from the original 828. Should I stay away from older versions of the ultralite like the MK2?

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Originally posted by Zild Thanks. You said to stay away from the original 828. Should I stay away from older versions of the ultralite like the MK2?

Sorry - in my lat post everytime I said "traveller" I meant ultralite.

As I remember, the difference between the ultralite mk2 and mk3 is juse that the mk3 has built in DSP fx, which some people absolutely rave about, but others don't care for. Apart from that, they are both really solid and sound great.

The 828 has been about for years and the original 828's, while still good pieces of kit, are up to 10 years old. There were some issues with FW stability on the mk1, which were all sorted by the Mk2. The Mk3 has the same new DSP too and goes to 192 khz.

If you're happy working at normal samples rates then go for the mk2, but if you've got the cash and fancy the DSP (I hear the LA2A and mix routing option are great) then go for the mk3.

If you need it portable, and want the fx, go for the ultralite mk3 and if you just want a good portable solution then go for the ultralite mk2.

Thanks a lot. I'll probably try to pick up a used ultralite mk2 and if not go for the Audiofire 4.

I own the Ultralite. I was surprised to find it made of metal, and through all the abuse I've put it though, it doesn't have many scratches -- still sounds great too.

My only wish is I had a laptop with six-pin FireWire so I didn't have to carry around an external FireWire card and the Ultralite's power cable.

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Originally posted by Watts I own the Ultralite. I was surprised to find it made of metal, and through all the abuse I've put it though, it doesn't have many scratches -- still sounds great too. My only wish is I had a laptop with six-pin FireWire so I didn't have to carry around an external FireWire card and the Ultralite's power cable.

This is a good point but remember that all firewire interfaces should be used with a power supply whenever possible - in my experience it greatly reduces the chance of firewire port failure due to hot plugging.

i broke my audiofire 2 when powering from computer through firewire. use external supply whenever u can and if you are to disconnect or connect your device: TURN OFF computer first! also i had much more noise when powering up from computer somehow.

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Originally posted by palm i broke my audiofire 2 when powering from computer through firewire. use external supply whenever u can and if you are to disconnect or connect your device: TURN OFF computer first! also i had much more noise when powering up from computer somehow.

Exactly. I've seen this happen several times under normal careful operation, let alone tripping over the cable and unplugging it or having a worn out firewire cable that gives a loose connection.

The reason it was noisier is becuase computers often generate earth hum and when you use the supplied power suppply for the audiofire it's just a cleaner dedicated transformered DC feed, so threfore less likely to cause noise.

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Originally posted by palm i broke my audiofire 2 when powering from computer through firewire. use external supply whenever u can and if you are to disconnect or connect your device: TURN OFF computer first! also i had much more noise when powering up from computer somehow.

thanks for that, i just ordered one, will be wall-plugging it

i thought your one broke because it fell down or something...??
note this has also made me start trying to figure out some way to make it stick to my desk, hehe

Would it be stupid to use the line inputs on my xone mixer until I can upgrade my monitors and save up for a more professional audio interface (rme/lynx)? Would that even work?

A dj mixer isn't a substitute for a studio mixer, but sometimes you just have to make do with what you have.

Was just thinking using the DJ mixer I already have the ability to record the two instruments I'm going to buy, so would it make a bigger difference spending the money towards better monitors or should I upgrade my interface first?

I'm using RP5s. Which were the cheapest things I could find at the time.

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Originally posted by Zild Was just thinking using the DJ mixer I already have the ability to record the two instruments I'm going to buy, so would it make a bigger difference spending the money towards better monitors or should I upgrade my interface first? I'm using RP5s. Which were the cheapest things I could find at the time.

I thought about asking about your monitors at the start but refrained because a lot of recent soundcard threads have turned in to a monitor discussion.

Basically, the 2496 is not that bad at all. The $500-750 that you are considering spending is way better spent in terms of value vs performance increase on a better pair of monitors, if you're looking to better your quality for mixing, composing and recording purposes.

You won't notice a huge step up sonic quality from a 2496 to a motu, especially if your listening on RP5's (which aren't bad, just not great).

I'd say get better monitors and use the allen and heath until you can spare the cash later for new soundcard.

The pres on the A&H are actually alright for basic use. You're not going to be able to record quiet instruments but you can get decent results from it and a 2496 (i used to do the same with a vestax pcv 275 and 2496)

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Originally posted by EgosXII thanks for that, i just ordered one, will be wall-plugging it i thought your one broke because it fell down or something...?? note this has also made me start trying to figure out some way to make it stick to my desk, hehe

it fell down and the cable got loose making the whole shit exploding lol.

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Originally posted by palm it fell down and the cable got loose making the whole shit exploding lol.

Palm, contact ECHO, explain what happened (maybe without the dropping bit) - say it's normal operation and it exploded. I'm sure they'll do something for you....

I have already contacted them but sending it would cost me more than just getting a new one (norway to US) or a different soundcard. I plan to see whether it can be fixed easily localy here somehow. Im just glad it didnt happen to audiofire 12 which i had before this one!

Just poking my head in to say I've REALLY enjoyed my ECHO Audiofire 8. A coworker, who designs our amps and used to work for QSC, was impressed when I told him what I have. I trust his judgement more than mine.

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