Nuendo/RME 8-channel converter

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

In article <SBNUc.183552$eM2.122489@attbi_s51>,
Al <descriptor@comcast.net> wrote:
>Is anyone here currently using the Nuendo 8 I/O-96 eight-channel A/D/A
>converter, also known as the RME ADI-8DS?
>
>I recently heard one for the first time and was impressed by the improvement
>over the converters in the run-of-the-mill PC audio interface.
>
>I am considering buying one unless a lot of issues surface in response to
>this question. I want a multi-channel converter, and this particular product
>sells for little more than many stereo units (about $1000 used). What does
>it trade off?

I will say that the older 48 ksamp/sec ADI-D8 model sounds better than the
newer 96 ksamp/sec one, if you are running at 44.1. But the new one is not
bad.

The front end is not perfect at all, and it could benefit from some capacitor
upgrades at least. And the gain control is crude at best so you need to be
using preamps with reasonably fine gain adjust. But for the price it is
surprisingly clean, and I think a lot of the low price has to do with the
whole digital section basically being on a single FPGA.
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

Thanks, gentlemen...

Food for thought. It's the age-old story: I'd love to have the
cost-is-no-object product... but cost _is_ an object. So I've gotta weigh
this thing on its merits, and take it or leave it.

Alan



"5016" <huwgareth@my-deja.com> wrote in message
news:663e5397.0408181416.4b5e39a@posting.google.com...
> "Al" <descriptor@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:<SBNUc.183552$eM2.122489@attbi_s51>...
> > Is anyone here currently using the Nuendo 8 I/O-96 eight-channel A/D/A
> > converter, also known as the RME ADI-8DS?
> >
> > I recently heard one for the first time and was impressed by the
improvement
> > over the converters in the run-of-the-mill PC audio interface.
> >
> > I am considering buying one unless a lot of issues surface in response
to
> > this question. I want a multi-channel converter, and this particular
product
> > sells for little more than many stereo units (about $1000 used). What
does
> > it trade off?
> >
> > Thanks in advance for any guidance on this.
> >
> > Alan
>
> I have two of the previous version (the 48kHz one). I paid $500 new
> apiece when they were being discontinued.
>
> It has been pretty good. I have had no problems at all with either
> unit and it was simple enough to configure and get working. I have
> used it in a number of settings - through ADAT inputs into Nuendo,
> monitoring and as a 24 bit front end onto 16 bit Tascam DA38s.
>
> Frankly, I don't know how good it is because I haven't A/B'ed it
> against competing units. But it sounds fine, and works, which is all I
> ask.

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

Al wrote:

> Is anyone here currently using the Nuendo 8 I/O-96 eight-channel A/D/A
> converter, also known as the RME ADI-8DS?
>
> I recently heard one for the first time and was impressed by the improvement
> over the converters in the run-of-the-mill PC audio interface.

Yes, and after a few mods it can sound even better.




> I want a multi-channel converter, and this particular product
> sells for little more than many stereo units (about $1000 used).
> What does it trade off?

IMO the A/D section is quite good, the D/A section is good. Both are far better than anything else I could afford when I bought mine.

There have some handy features that I find myself missing on other affordable converter sets. The front panel controls are quite flexible, the bidirectional ADAT-TDIF conversion comes in handy from time to time, and I really like the way that all outputs are driven in parallel: If you're doing 44.1/48k on the ADI-8DS, you can use both lightpipe outs and the TDIF out, making it easy to feed a safety recorder.