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Post by Johnkenn on Aug 14, 2018 21:02:11 GMT -6
Kind of a sidebar from our 16a thread...but since I’m returning the faulty 16a, I’m thinking why the hell not the new 828es with the es 9038 pro chip? It’s freaking $995. 10 analog outs...and if I decided to ever expand to more Sumbus channels, I could add another one and still be less than what I paid for the Symphony. Upgraded DA...hmmm
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Post by matt on Aug 14, 2018 23:01:08 GMT -6
I didn't know it had the 9038 Pro. Verrrrry interesting. And the price is right!
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Post by Deleted on Aug 15, 2018 1:37:54 GMT -6
Kind of a sidebar from our 16a thread...but since I’m returning the faulty 16a, I’m thinking why the hell not the new 828es with the es 9038 pro chip? It’s freaking $995. 10 analog outs...and if I decided to ever expand to more Sumbus channels, I could add another one and still be less than what I paid for the Symphony. Upgraded DA...hmmm
This is what really confuses me: "New in the 828es, renowned ESS Sabre32™ DAC technology delivers 123dB dynamic range and the same proven, award-winning audio quality as MOTU's flagship 1248."
Can't be a flagship if they're pretty much all the same.. Anyway, I doubt you'll notice a difference in AD / DA, the other issue bar the somewhat convoluted nature of their mixer routing is the drivers.. I've just firmware'd up to the latest version with latest drivers and now I can't get it below 128 samples again without the damn thing cracking / popping. Even my Soundcraft desk did 64 samples without batting an eyelid..
If you're on MAC and don't need too much I/O it might be worth look into an Apogee Element 88 (which has the same DAC but even better DA) plus an actual decent headphones out or maybe even an Apollo?
Seen as I'm not using a desk anymore + never track more than two channels at a time I might crack out my Apogee Duet 2 and see what the score is. Latency wise it seems on par with a HDSPE AIO..!
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Post by jeromemason on Aug 15, 2018 1:41:37 GMT -6
I like the 828es...... A control room and the same sound as the 16a at your fingertips...... If you can manage on 8 outs to the sumbus, then having your dedicated monitor outs, HP cues...... Might be the perfect box for you, and that price I still can't get over. Plus two mic inputs that I would bet don't sound bad at all.
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Post by BenjaminAshlin on Aug 15, 2018 4:42:38 GMT -6
Order quickly and report back.  I am trying to decide between this and the Clarett. |
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ericn
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Post by ericn on Aug 15, 2018 6:39:09 GMT -6
828 has always been one of the most popular interfaces, always a great set of features, if the Sonics have caught up with the feature list this thing is a winner.
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Post by Johnkenn on Aug 15, 2018 7:20:05 GMT -6
Seriously though, shouldnt this sound better than the 16a? Is it a question of whether the analog path is the same?
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Post by indiehouse on Aug 15, 2018 7:39:08 GMT -6
Seriously though, shouldnt this sound better than the 16a? Is it a question of whether the analog path is the same? Are you sure it's using the 9038's? |
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Post by M57 on Aug 15, 2018 8:05:22 GMT -6
Funny, I just unboxed mine yesterday - threw it in the rack haven't even had a chance to fire it up yet. I'm hoping it configures easily enough. It checked off all the boxes for me. I wanted thunderbolt because I just bought a new iMac. I picked up another P1 preamp so now I have a pair of those for stereo recording plus a couple of other nicer pres, which is more than I need - so the two extra pres on the 828 are gravy. My 8 year old Focusrite still works, but I'm hoping the better A/D and latency improvements make the 838 worth the investment. I could have used that money to buy something like a matched pair of Soyuz 013s to replace my Rode NT5's, which I'm thinking would probably have made more of a sonic impact than the 838, but then the Motu is going to have an impact on ALL of my tracks, so maybe that'll even out. I'm thinking maybe I can save up and buy the Jolly capsules for the NT5's down the road. Then I'll be done and never need to buy any more gear for the rest of my life, right?  |
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Post by Johnkenn on Aug 15, 2018 8:06:15 GMT -6
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Post by Deleted on Aug 15, 2018 8:12:35 GMT -6
I had a search around earlier and it mentions nothing about the ESS 9038, although it's not MOTU's conversion quality I'm concerned with (because for me at least I prefer the MOTU 1248 to the Apogee Symphony). |
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Post by subspace on Aug 15, 2018 8:24:20 GMT -6
What desk is that in the background of the splash page? Is that a Tascam with the 1/5, 2/6 shared bus VUs? Have they gone and modeled the vintage sound of a Tascam M-320? Selling everything, big rack of 828es incoming.... |
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Post by Johnkenn on Aug 15, 2018 8:48:01 GMT -6
Er...it’s like the biggest part of the entire page.
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Post by Johnkenn on Aug 15, 2018 9:00:54 GMT -6
You’re right. It doesn’t say “9038”. I’ll email motu to find out.
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Post by Johnkenn on Aug 15, 2018 9:12:14 GMT -6
I could have SWORN I read that somewhere...but maybe I’m making that up.
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Post by kcatthedog on Aug 15, 2018 9:23:13 GMT -6
In Canada ,they released it with the 9O3 eh : maybe that's the problem ? |
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Post by Johnkenn on Aug 15, 2018 9:39:07 GMT -6
Got a reply from Motu:
“The 828es employs the ESS Sabre32 Ultra™ DAC.”
Clear as mud. Actually, reading the descriptions on the ESS it’s, it looks like the Ultra is the 9016...whomp whomp.
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Post by M57 on Aug 15, 2018 9:58:53 GMT -6
Got it fired up and opened up an existing track. First impressions - I opened up an existing project, and though I haven't run it through speakers yet, through headphones it has noticeably more headroom on playback than what I had before - but that could be the headphone amp for all I know. Got to start recording so see if I notice differences. The chip may not be the holy grail chip you guys were hoping for - but I have a feeling I'll be very happy considering it's under $1k.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 15, 2018 10:59:08 GMT -6
What's the obsession with audio chipsets (I noticed this on GS as well)? What exactly do people believe they will hear between X and Y? (genuinely curious), quantization errors are placed in a summed voltage integrator and filtered into non-audible spectrums / decimated, SNR's / noisefloors are inaudible below roughly 96(ish) dB.!
Jitter rejection, sure I could get that but nowadays not much of an issue.
If you had 130dB of dynamic range popping straight at you, well lets say it wouldn't be pleasent. It's really cool that something like an ES9016 only uses a 100mw's worth of power but I'm not sure that many care about it.
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Post by jeromemason on Aug 15, 2018 12:07:45 GMT -6
Got a reply from Motu: “The 828es employs the ESS Sabre32 Ultra™ DAC.” Clear as mud. Actually, reading the descriptions on the ESS it’s, it looks like the Ultra is the 9016...whomp whomp. It's the ES9016..... They have a D/A schematic they use for all the ESS boxes, they use that same schematic for the DAC section and just incorporate it into the main board, so it wouldn't make sense for them to redraw for the 9038 without announcing a new line of other boxes..... It'd be kinda dumb for them to do that. But, here's the main point, the ES9016 is still a 32bit hyperstream chip. The sound of it is really incredible and for all the features that box has, and to have the ES Sabre Dac's along with the CL ADC's...... It's just a no brainer. The biggest no brainer though is this; if that box will do everything you need, it incorporates all the features you need and them some, you enjoy the sound of the DAC, and is it going to allow you to work and provide your client the quality fitting the bill then again it's a no brainer. I believe these boxes present to your ears what is going to be presented to your listeners ears. If there is ear fatigue because you can hear more of the spectrum that means you can hear what would give your listeners ear fatigue...... If the Apogee is softer in the top, yes, that's pleasing, but, that also means you're not going to work on problematic areas of the mix (this does depend if you bounce ITB or use a standalone ADC.) Bottom line, I'd go get that box, sell that Apogee, put money in your pocket from the sale and keep on working. |
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Post by jeromemason on Aug 15, 2018 12:10:23 GMT -6
What's the obsession with audio chipsets (I noticed this on GS as well)? What exactly do people believe they will hear between X and Y? (genuinely curious), quantization errors are placed in a summed voltage integrator and filtered into non-audible spectrums / decimated, SNR's / noisefloors are inaudible below roughly 96(ish) dB.! Jitter rejection, sure I could get that but nowadays not much of an issue. If you had 130dB of dynamic range popping straight at you, well lets say it wouldn't be pleasent. It's really cool that something like an ES9016 only uses a 100mw's worth of power but I'm not sure that many care about it. The newer technology chipsets are exponentially getting better with today's technology. In the same footprint of the legacy versions they're able to include things like distortion compensation and digital filters, along with more precision in making the chips which definitely makes them sound better. |
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Post by the other mark williams on Aug 15, 2018 12:49:10 GMT -6
I could have SWORN I read that somewhere...but maybe I’m making that up. I could have sworn I had, too, and then I realized I'd probably read it from you, Johnkenn! |
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Post by the other mark williams on Aug 15, 2018 12:56:04 GMT -6
I'll say this, too: the fact that it has a "monitoring section" including a volume control, an A/B speaker out, a mute, a mono button, and a talkback section is hella cool. Wish they had a remote control for it, but still, very cool. I guess the A/B monitors would eat up two more outputs, though.
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Post by LesC on Aug 15, 2018 13:07:41 GMT -6
I recently sold my RME UFX while I could still sell it for more than I bought it for, so I'm looking for a new interface. In the interim, I have an RME ADI-2 Pro and a SvartBox, so I'm not suffering for conversion. The 828es has absolutely every feature I'm looking for, but I'm worried about the Win 10 drivers. Both here and on GS I keep reading about problems that may be related to drivers. The alternative I'm considering is the UFX II but it's more than twice the cost of the 828es. I've used RME for many years and I appreciate stability and love the flexibility of TotalMixFX, this is making the decision really hard for me.
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Post by jeromemason on Aug 15, 2018 13:33:18 GMT -6
I recently sold my RME UFX while I could still sell it for more than I bought it for, so I'm looking for a new interface. In the interim, I have an RME ADI-2 Pro and a SvartBox, so I'm not suffering for conversion. The 828es has absolutely every feature I'm looking for, but I'm worried about the Win 10 drivers. Both here and on GS I keep reading about problems that may be related to drivers. The alternative I'm considering is the UFX II but it's more than twice the cost of the 828es. I've used RME for many years and I appreciate stability and love the flexibility of TotalMixFX, this is making the decision really hard for me. I recently setup a semi complex system for producer in town. He uses Win 10 and we set up two 16a's, AVB'd into each other and one TB cable to the comp. At first I will admit it was not easy getting it up and going, but it didn't seem to have to do with the drivers as more it was to do with understanding how to route in the AVB section. Mac does it different, it seems like you plug these to a Mac and they just go, but Win, because of all the updates it can cause problems. One way we fixed that for him was to just turn off auto updates for his Win machine and then he just checks once a week I believe to see if Motu's drivers are in line with Windows updates. If not you wait until they are. I think eventually all interfaces are going to face this issue because of how more and more companies are going to the virtual patchbay and setup. Since we got him up and running I believe he's only had one issue that caused him downtime and to fix it, it was simply uninstalling Motu's drivers and reinstalling them. All the routing is saved on board but I would back it up to an external flash anytime you change just in case. Honestly if you have to completely remove Motu from you rig and reinstall the saved routing scheme puts it right back and you're up and going. I run Mac, so that's all I know right now, but it seems like from what I'm reading it's all the same thing, it has to do with updates. Also I think Motu uses basically a generic driver with Windows, but still, he is running all his I/O and from what I understand his is rock solid. |
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I am trying to decide between this and the Clarett. 
