AKAI EIE Pro or Digidesign 003 Rack?

[Andrew_Anakin]

Hey guys! Need some words from the real users of these two interfaces!
I don't have a big budget but need to sell my NI Komplete Audio 6 (mine is noisy, idk why) and i wanna buy AKAI EIE Pro new or Digidesign 003 Rack used.
Or maybe someone can advice a better one for near $300?

Upd. I've been searching for MOTU audio for now. Wanted also to ask you guys how the MOTU does it's job.

 

[superfreak]

You have better options than the AKAI for $300. For example...

PreSonus AudioBox 44VSL
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/AudioBox44

Steinberg UR44
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/UR44

 

[dominus_malas]

Avid/Digidesign has a habit of dropping support for hardware, I'd avoid them. (Not to mention, their driver support is just barely adequate when they do support them.) If used is an option, see if you can find an RME Multiface in that price range. (You'll need the PCI or PCMCIA card as well, try to get both together.) You'll get amazing performance, and RME is still supporting them 10 years after they came out. You'd need a mic preamp, but you can find something in the $30-$50 range to tide you over.

 

[mva801]

You have better options than the AKAI for $300. For example...

PreSonus AudioBox 44VSL
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/AudioBox44

Steinberg UR44
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/UR44

I'd tend to agree with this. That sucks about your NI Komplete 6. That's what I use for my home rig and I LOVE it.

I would avoid the 003 rack too. Also avoid the new m-boxes if they were on your radar. My buddy has one and had to replace/ repair it three or four times because of noise and clocking issues.

 

[Andrew_Anakin]

Avid/Digidesign has a habit of dropping support for hardware, I'd avoid them. (Not to mention, their driver support is just barely adequate when they do support them.) If used is an option, see if you can find an RME Multiface in that price range. (You'll need the PCI or PCMCIA card as well, try to get both together.) You'll get amazing performance, and RME is still supporting them 10 years after they came out. You'd need a mic preamp, but you can find something in the $30-$50 range to tide you over.

For real, i need to read more about RME cause now i don't understand how do many of them work (except external firefaces def, but they're pretty expensive).
If i find multiface-it just have 8 inputs without preamps, so i'll need a preamp, but in that case i could buy fireface 400.
Thanks for the warning about Digidesign.
And what about AKAI?

 

[Andrew_Anakin]

I'd tend to agree with this. That sucks about your NI Komplete 6. That's what I use for my home rig and I LOVE it.

I would avoid the 003 rack too. Also avoid the new m-boxes if they were on your radar. My buddy has one and had to replace/ repair it three or four times because of noise and clocking issues.

Thank you! and yeah, i thought of m-boxes a bit, just while searching)

 

[Pursuance]

Anything RME is amazing. Such a great company, very solid construction and the quality of their software drivers is amazing. Purchasing a RME UFX was such a good move for myself.

But in that price range this is my suggestion http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Scarlett18i8

Focusrite is killing the budget interface game. Not too fond of Akai's build quality.

 

[Jarkko Mattheiszen]

Avid/Digidesign has a habit of dropping support for hardware, I'd avoid them. (Not to mention, their driver support is just barely adequate when they do support them.) If used is an option, see if you can find an RME Multiface in that price range. (You'll need the PCI or PCMCIA card as well, try to get both together.) You'll get amazing performance, and RME is still supporting them 10 years after they came out. You'd need a mic preamp, but you can find something in the $30-$50 range to tide you over.

PCI is getting obsolete, so if hardware support is a concern, that's pretty much the worst route to take. And for what it's worth, I've never ran into a $50 preamp that's halfway decent.

What comes to Avid, well yeah, you're kinda right, but then again I still have an old Mbox 2 Mini that's in daily use with zero problems so far

 

[Andrew_Anakin]

Anything RME is amazing. Such a great company, very solid construction and the quality of their software drivers is amazing. Purchasing a RME UFX was such a good move for myself.

But in that price range this is my suggestion http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Scarlett18i8

Focusrite is killing the budget interface game. Not too fond of Akai's build quality.

I didn't like focusrite so far. But nowadays i've heard that they're getting way better then earlier.

 

[dominus_malas]

PCI is getting obsolete, so if hardware support is a concern, that's pretty much the worst route to take. And for what it's worth, I've never ran into a $50 preamp that's halfway decent.

What comes to Avid, well yeah, you're kinda right, but then again I still have an old Mbox 2 Mini that's in daily use with zero problems so far

You can still get current generation motherboards with native PCI. Yes, it's on the way out, but you'd still be able to get at least 2-3 years out of it. Then you can always get the PCIe card. I almost grabbed a Multiface but found a killer deal on a Fireface 400, and I'm on an i7-4790k. The Multiface would have been fine for me, on PCI.

As for preamps, I think I paid $80 for my DMP3. That was all I needed, any sweetening can be done inside the box.

 

[dominus_malas]

I had a Focusrite Scarlett 18i6 when they first came out. The driver support was a joke, it wasn't ready for prime time. Went RME and I'd never use anything else.

 

[Andrew_Anakin]

Hey Guys! I've found many MOTU interfaces for pretty much ok price.
I', looking a bit higher, to $400. And wanted to ask you, maybe MOTU Ultralite mk3 (or Audio express or 4pre) will be better choice for my price range?