RME FireFace 400 or 800, decisions.

[Ionei]

Hey,

So I am getting a new interface(tax time, woo!).
I am tossing up between these two(although i AM open to recommendations for others up to $2000 AUS maybe a LITTLE more)

The 400 runs around $1200
The 800 runs around $2000 - $2200

On one hand the 400 has(supposedly) better pres.
On the other hand the 800 has four.

If I get the 400 i can put the saved money towards some new mics or towards a few SCA pre's which i've been gasing for for a very long time.
If i get the 800 i won't NEED extra pre's(although i would WANT them, regardless, one day i WILL have some SCA's :hotjump

Both probably have as many inputs as i'd ever need(15 i could see MAX for a kit).
Both have the awesomeness of inputs on the front(back inputs are a tad annoying)

Portability of the 400 is cool, although i doubt i'll do much with it outside of the studio, and even if i did i would have no problem taking my rack to where ever it needed to be.

I'll be using my ADA8000 for 8 extra channels via ADAT(mainly for triggers etc)
With the 800 i can run all my OH's through the FF pres and then everything else through the ADA.
With the 400 i can only run main OH's and then i would have to run china/hats through outboard pres or ADA's pres.

I really wish i could just get a 800 from the US
DAMN YOU DIFFERENT MAINS VOLTAGE!

I know this question has been asked a million times, but I dunno haha, I just need to ask it, as it is a fair wad of cash I'll be dumping on it either way.

Also considering a Multiface or some such due to the low latency.


Cheers,
Ionei.

EDIT: Also, anyone who uses a FF 400/800, how low can you get your latency while running a few amp sims?
I'm worried I may not be able to get it low enough to not be annoying whilst tracking.

 

[laszlozsolt82]

My ff400 is 4 year old now, rock solid stable wery happy with it, but i got the chance to work with the 800 to. you can t go wrong with either. but my opinion is that you better pick the ff400 and save the money for other things that are next in your list.
I use vst ampsims for monitoring when i track guitars, sometimes 4 tracks with them is active realtime and no problem at all,but i think the PC plays an important role in this to...

 

[JeffTD]

I went with the 800 because I wanted the 4 onboard pres if even just for scratch pres, and so I could have 2 ADAT ins. The Fireface is such an awesome interface that you should think of expandability around it in the long term - I don't plan on changing interfaces until something really awesome comes out or I go completely modular with an RME PCI + ADAT setup, but even then I might keep the FF around as a standalone AD/DA, since it's pretty solid for that!

I also really like how I can run an FW800 HDD off of it, daisy-chained - noticeably faster than FW400 for mobile work, especially when bouncing/consolidating tracks.

*Edit* Just looked at the back of my RME, looks like the IEC connecter will take 100-240v just fine - you won't need a stepdown transformer or any kind of converter, just a normal IEC power cable.


As far as latency, the FF will get you as low as you can get on a FW based interface, assuming your PC can handle it.

 

[ahjteam]

Both probably have as many inputs as i'd ever need(15 i could see MAX for a kit).

I can easily fit 20 without being an overkill:

01 Kick in
02 Kick out
03 Snare top
04 Snare bottom
05 Tom 1
06 Tom 2
07 Tom 3
08 Tom 4
09 Hihat
10 Ride
11 China
12 Overhead L
13 Overhead R
14 Room L
15 Room R
16 Trigger kick
16 Trigger snare
17 Trigger tom 1
18 Trigger tom 2
19 Trigger tom 3
20 Trigger tom 4

 

[Ionei]

*Edit* Just looked at the back of my RME, looks like the IEC connecter will take 100-240v just fine - you won't need a stepdown transformer or any kind of converter, just a normal IEC power cable.


As far as latency, the FF will get you as low as you can get on a FW based interface, assuming your PC can handle it.

So i can run a FF800 i buy from the US?
If so, this just fully sealed the deal on a 800
So stoked.
So so stoked.

Means i save a fair mass amount of cash as i can purchase one used from the US and save nearly $800!

Triggers and mics fully slipped my mind when i wrote up that mic estimation.
But hey it was 6 in the morning and i hadn't slept haha.

I spose my pc will be able to handle very low latency, if i have any problems i'll just upgrade(was looking to anyway, towards the end of the year)

800 is looking like the best option at the moment.
Unless i can find a super good deal on a used 400 I think it is out of the race.
Or unless someone can talk me into wanting a 400 more, which i doubt will happen as all i've read says they are very very similar.

Cheers guys for the help!

Still open to opinions and recommendations on other interfaces.

 

[JeffTD]

What's pretty lame is that while the 400 costs 500 less than the 800 new, the difference used is rarely more than 200.

 

[Ionei]

Very very lame.
If only the used difference was that much.

 

[jangoux]

For live usage the 28 on the FF800 goes fast! The 18 on the FF400 can go quick, but i never used them all. I have the FF400 at my home studio and the 800 at the studio i work on...their quality is EQUAL, absolutely equal. This talk about the pres on one being better is bullshit. Just buy the one that fits your needs better and be happy

 

[DeclanWhite]

dude, i thought i told you about me getting my 800 from us cos of the voltage self adjusting feature whatever.

get it from these guys http://cgi.ebay.com.au/RME-FireFace...tem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item335e6f6334

free shipping, and make them an offer, like i did

 

[Ionei]

Nah man, I thought you picked yours up in Aus.
Although you may have told me..

You get a good deal on it?

I was thinking of just picking up a second hand one.