Audio Interfaces: Behringer vs Focusrite

[Gary_101]

hi Folks,

I've been using an old Behringer interface for the optical (ADAT) input to my Pulsar 1 & 2 system for years now. it's not bad, but the pre-amps are pretty noisy. Looking for an alternative.

A local guy is selling a Focusrite Saffire Pro 40 interface that looks to be in decent condition; Focusrite has a good name to it. Anyone here have any opinions on what might be a good upgrade for me? The Saffire Pro 40 is going for $165 CAD, which is pretty cheap.

thanks for any thoughts!

Gary

[valis]

Firewire based, will likely need to be connected to host PC to enable proper routing of adat i/o to analog i/o's.

I'm guessing you have the gen1 Behringer ADA8000, my understanding is the Behringer ADA8200 fixed the noisy power supply issue and upgraded the pre's. You should check current prices on reverb.com for the ADA8200, I think it's comparable or cheaper depending on shipping.

[garyb]

the Focusrite products that made the name are WAY more than $165, just for one channel. the Saffire is about the quality of the Behriger, but it's whatever you like. the Saffire is definitely not "bad".

i would invest in preamps instead of an interface, or interface/preamp.

second on the current ADA8200, but the AD/DA isn't bad. better preamps would go a long way, even though the pres on the ADA8200 are decent, that's just where you could have the most gains. preamps that have bells and whistles have to be worse quality than just basic gain stages, if in the same price range.