Focusrite Saffire Firewire Interface User Reviews at zZounds

"Try a little harder to get this thing going, Because you might like it.." submitted June 27, 2007

By a customer from hotmail.com

Overall

Sound

Features

Ease of Use

Quality

Value

Manufacturer Support

The Wow Factor

Musical Background: LIVE and Recording Engineer

Music Style: Alternative in all styles

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Sound: The sound is in fact 9.5 because of the somwhat thin output.. The inputs are what you should expect of a focusrite, very good... Feature: Indeed 2 more inputs would have made everyone happy Ease of Use: Here it comes ...its not a friendly device, and im not a friendly guy, so we developed a love hate relationship (it works) The real comment from me is that when you buy this card, you got some bugs you wil have go thru, after some real messin around this soundcard is good value for money and has the quality you need... So this is not a soundcard for dummy's,. If youre not realy into drivers, asio settings and things where you might need a manual or need to go on the net or know how to think logicaly or whatever....Then Dont Buy it. buy a soundblaster... Quality: The quality is good enough to work on the road (it does by me 4 months) The front is plastic, that worrys me sometimes... Value: I got this thing at a very low price so im not complaining.. Manufacturer Support: what i heard of was not very good but i did not have real problems that where bad enough to call support The Wow Factor: Its a nice looking thing Overall: Im satisfied and im going to buy the rack version as an xtra card in my new on the road rack...

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"Unsatisfied at first, very at 2nd." submitted October 7, 2007

By a customer from hotmail.com

Overall

Sound

Features

Ease of Use

Quality

Value

Manufacturer Support

The Wow Factor

Musical Background: Hobbyist as a: producer and a musician

Music Style: Positive vibe, Rap and RnB

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Sound: The sound itself is hard to work with at first. In my case, after EQ'ing on the on board DSP, i find that the eq was not that noticeble after a vocal recording. The vocal was rather dry than wet, but i fixed this problem by EQ'ing the recorded vocal through cubases's direct x plugins, and under FOCUSRITE SAFFIRE>EQ, the problem was fixed, thus satisfying my ears :). Sound is very transparent if you have the right gears onboard (IE: a good condenser/tube mic... this is where it all matters) Feature: it served me well with all it had to offer: 1.) Compression 2.) AMP 3.) EQ 4.) Reverb which could all be projected at a 192KHZ. *compared to those of m-audio who has only 92khZ sample rate. Ease of Use: as i said, i did not have a lot of trouble understanding the "symbols" it had on its DSP. However, it took me a while to get use to them since sliders and knobs were too broad and inaccurate (interms of adjusting volumes, reverbs, and eq's). But, although it may seem that you may not be able to set an exact amount, the closest to accuracy with this product is by holding shift as you adjust your knob or slider. If your buying this product just for the sake of people telling you "THE PREAMPS ARE AWSOME", think again, although its preamp is awsome, you may have trouble working with this thing. so if you dont have a clue of the music symbols (ex: heart meaning cardiod which then means that only one particular side of the mic receives all the sound etc...) this product is not for you. Quality: awsome! very very pleasing to my ears. I believe that with the use of descent microphones (i have a neumann TLM 103, RODE NT1A, and apex 460) you will get your righteous sound that you strive to attain. note: a dynamic microphone (those handheld once) + focusrite saffire = not the perfect combination. this product is not for those who can relate to this example, but for those who owns a fairly decent CONDENSER/TUBE mic, BUY THIS!!!! you wont be disappointed. Value: i bought it $399 USD plus tax. I bought this toy in hopes to achieve that quality i'd like to hear. i took a risk, and finally, i achieved my goal!!!! i love my focusrite saffire, asside from its cost, it was all worth the buy. Manufacturer Support: i have yet to need their assistance. Never the less, ive heard bad forums about their support. take care of it properly, this will avoid alot of hastle of contacting them. The Wow Factor: when i read about its specs, "DAMN"... you should read it and see for your self. I WANT IT, I GOT IT!!!! my vocals are nice sampling at a 192khZ . Overall: overall, this product satisfy's my every taste buds for quality. the price was a bit high for me (im not those top music producers who can spend so much on their gears) but i am quite serious of my "HOBBY". never the less, it was all worth it after hearing my own creation through my earphones along with this interface. It was only 8 due to its poor ease of use and price, regardless, its sound is amazing !!!! if your like me, who requires critical professional sound quality with a little bit more budget to spend on a sigle toy (seeing that you already have a descent mic), then buy it. You wont regret you did.

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"Great quality, Great support ...and works with Vista" submitted June 23, 2007

By a customer from gmail.com

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Sound

Features

Ease of Use

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Value

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The Wow Factor

Musical Background: Active musician

Music Style: Blues, ambient

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VERIFIED BUYER

zZounds has verified that this customer bought this product from us.

Sound: Great sounding interface (from former M-Audio owner). Natural, clean, warm. You won't beat the FocusRite preamps in this price range. Feature: Has everything you could want in for a portable or desktop studio interface. Ease of Use: Like many complex, feature rich devices, there is a learning curve that you need to endure. The Saffire control gives lots of options on inputs and output mixes, which can get complex, but the capabilities are there if you need them. I'm still working out the kinks in some apps running on Vista, but I know I'll get there. Quality: Top notch quality. Value: The quality and pre-amps make this the best deal on a firewire interface (with Vista drivers)that I know of at this price point Manufacturer Support: The reason why I'm writing this review is because I have had GREAT support from Focusrite. I have had some issues getting up and running on Vista, then I saw the negative support comments and panicked! After a few emails I actually had support call me and help for an hour on the phone on an INTERNATIONAL CALL! I could not believe it, but they are truly committed to supporting their customers. (There is also a US based support staff through their US distributor. ) Overall: The Saffire will be the centerpiece of my home studio for the forseeable future.

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"Ideal for semi-pros" submitted February 19, 2009

By a customer from hotmail.com

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Sound

Features

Ease of Use

Quality

Value

Manufacturer Support

The Wow Factor

Musical Background: Active producer

Music Style: House, Breakbeat, Ambient

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Sound: Comparing it to my M-Audio 2496 which at the time sounded great this sounds 100 times better. I actually like the way this sounds. I think it sounds great and infact makes my songs sound better. Feature: I don't really use the onboard DSP but I can't complain about it not being accurate. Although holding the shift key while moving the knob will only reduce the sensitivity of the mouse and not the steps. Ease of Use: Easy as anything. Turn it on and go. Plug the guitar in, turn up the gain and there you have it. Quality: 9 Simply because of the plastic front. Value: Got mine brand new for 200 pounds. Worth every penny. Manufacturer Support: Not needed to find out so I'm leaving that neutral The Wow Factor: Looks nice in a bedroom set up but the plastic front again let's it down. Also it cannot be rack mounted. Overall: I don't know why people would have problems with this. As for clicks while playing back, maybe the person in question should increase the buffer size. Ok it increases latency but it's not that noticeable. It's one of the most important pieces of gear I have bought in recent years.

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"Great product, easy to use, and rock solid. Be sure to check this one out!!! See ya Presonus and M-audio!!" submitted September 9, 2006

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SPOTLIGHT REVIEW

Sound: I am very impressed with the sound quality of this product. I have owend a Presonus Firebox that also sounded very good, but had a lot of pops and clicks that I never could totally get rid of. I have had none of those things with this product. Very clean preamps. I think anyone would be please with this sound quality. Feature: I think the feature set is very strong. I think a 4 input interface would be better at a minimum, but I am still very happy with it. Really, the built in effects are very good and keep your processor from being drained as the basics like compressor, eq, amp sim, and reverb (foldback) are built into the unit's dsp. Ease of Use: Here is where the Focusrite really shines. It is simple to use and a total joy. No problems whatsoever with this unit. It really is rock solid like what you should expect from the others and never get. Like I said, I owned a Presonus Firebox (pretty good) and an M-audio audiophile (okay) and this one is by far the best thing I have ever purchased for my studio. Quality: It is only a week old so I am not sure about durability, but focusrite is not a new player in this market although the other interfaces have been built in partnership with digidesign. I think this unit should hold up well and quality seems to be well up to par. Value: I got mine for $350 after the focusrite mail in rebate. I think it was definitely worth it for the money. You really get what you pay for with this one. Manufacturer Support: I did contact support for a simple question and got a reply within 24 hours. No problems. The Wow Factor: You should enjoy working with it. I am not sure about "sexy". But, it does what it is supposed to unlike a lot of the cheaper priced competition. Overall: I bought it. I am hard to please and I love this one. I can't recommend it enough. Give it a try and I really think you will like it also.

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"The White Hat that you can rely on to get the job done." submitted January 7, 2007

By a customer from yahoo.com

Overall

Sound

Features

Ease of Use

Value

Manufacturer Support

The Wow Factor

Musical Background: Musician, recording engineer

Music Style: Rock, new age, classical

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VERIFIED BUYER

zZounds has verified that this customer bought this product from us.

Sound: I initially wanted to get the LE but it was not in stock. This unit has been very solid and the quality of the sound is very good. It is very transparent and has virtually no noise in the signal. The DSP effect are very good also. I had heard that they were not impressive but I have found them to be quite dependable and more than decent. Feature: As I said the quality of the DSP was better than I had expected and after using each one I have no complaints. Going direct with a guitar sounded pretty good, of course my dedicated guitar processor is better but that is its main job. I like the fact that this will do 192Khz sampling. The mic preamps are excellent and live up to the Focusrite reputation. I do wish it had more inputs and less outputs but the SPDIF makes up for this a bit. Ease of Use: The software is very capable and only took a day or so to get used to. It is a bit confusing but grows on you and does seem to make sense the more you use it. I found that watching the online videos were very helpful. I am seeing that with the increase of people getting into recording. More and more people seem to be having trouble with using the technology. This stuff is easy to use but it is not for someone who is not a "techy". You need to be into this kind of stuff. I think many of the bad reviews on many of these kind of products are not fault of the product but the users not managing the many details that go into using a product like this. Just neglecting one of the areas that are vital to a trouble free experience and the whole thing falls apart and this is just one piece in a larger chain. Dont fool yourself, this is complex stuff. Quality: The build is metal and feels solid. I think it would handle a drop pretty well. The knobs have a good feel and the only thing I would do different is that the metal case seems a little thin but that also keeps the weight down. Value: I believe that the price is about right but would like to see more inputs at this price point. The LE having more and costing less seems to be the one thing that is irritating. Manufacturer Support: I have had to use the online data base and it is alright but can be a little like chasing your tail if what you are looking for is not obvious. Most problems are covered well I believe. Drivers are easy to find. The Wow Factor: It has become a reliable back up to another interface. I think the LE has better looks but that is not the main reason one should buy a audio interface. Overall: It lasted as my main interface about 2 weeks and then became backup to a Fireface 800. Lack of inputs was the main reason. I did decide to let it stay as a backup since it does have many good things about it and the competition is lacking at this price point. The onboard DSP is a plus and sound is very transparent with no problems.

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"Good sound but horrible support" submitted February 5, 2007

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Features

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Sound: The Saffire sounds great and professional. Built in compressor on each input really gets a wonderful sound out of my guitar. Feature: You can set the compressor for electrical, acoustic guitar etc which I like a lot. T Ease of Use: The firmware updater is a total mess and Saffire Control occasionally loses connection with the interface. The Saffire Control interface is not very easy to understand. Quality: The quality of the box is perfect - looks and feels solid. The knobs are well made too. Value: All in all this is a good audio interface and performs well. Focusrite need to revamp their technical support department and try to act human. Manufacturer Support: If like me, you have a problem with the unit you're in for hell. I occassionally mailed Technical Support for help and when they were unable to solve my problem they refused to reply to my emails!!!! Beware. Unit was useless after 4 months. The Wow Factor: The Saffire looks fabulous on my desk. Overall: Unfortunately the Saffire broke down after just 4 months of use. Technical Support refuse to reply to my emails and I am still waiting for an answer as to whom I should send the unit back.

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"A Lot to Love About It, but Not Quite Enough to Marry It" submitted November 18, 2007

By a customer from gmail.com

Overall

Sound

Features

Ease of Use

Quality

Value

Manufacturer Support

The Wow Factor

Musical Background: Active Musician

Music Style: Alternative Pop Rock

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VERIFIED BUYER

zZounds has verified that this customer bought this product from us.

Sound: I recently bought one because my MOTU Ultralite won't let me use all 4 Gig of the memory I have due to a "known issue" with their drivers that they don't seem too worked up about solving anytime soon. I found the Saffire's preamps to be as advertised - very clean and high quality. Playback of commercial stuff was very impressive. But playback of working mixes in my DAW left me very disappointed in comparison to the MOTU, and caused me to return the Saffire and deal with the memory issue. As another reviewer put it, the audio output was 'thin' to my ears. Feature: It certainly has everything you need in a nice design. I wasn't impressed with the included DSP effects. The amp is garbage, the compressor and eq just okay. The headphone outs are just not loud enough. If you need any sort of level for tracking (especially for louder vocalists), you might as well add a headphone amp to your order, because these just won't cut it. Ease of Use: Very easy to use, great drivers, easy install, well-thought out interface. Quality: Very well put together. Value: Excellent value, all things considered. Manufacturer Support: I got great support from Focusrite before I even purchased the thing, which was pretty impressive. The Wow Factor: It's pretty, and it's a smart design. Overall: The combination of the thin sound and the weak headphone outs made it more trouble for me to deal with than a MOTU Ultralite with memory limitations.

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"AVOID THE FOCUSRITE SAFFIRE / SAFFIRE LE AT ALL COSTS" submitted August 27, 2006

By a customer from cox.net

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Features

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Quality

Value

Manufacturer Support

The Wow Factor

Musical Background: Part-time

Music Style: electronic

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VERIFIED BUYER

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Sound: This is where Saffire loses for me. Despite endless system tweeks, the purchase of a second firewire card, updating to the latest beta software, and even going so far as to reinstall my ENTIRE OPERATING SYSTEM, I still experience cyclical ticks and pops at regular 5-7 second intervals; due to this, Saffire is UTTERLY USELESS. This even occurs on playback of an audio file. Feature: There are some nice features, but what's the point if it is otherwise unusable? Ease of Use: Interface is manageable, but not particularly intuitive. Quality: See "Sound". Value: Worthless Manufacturer Support: This is where Focusrite sink themselves. They are now refusing to accept emails - they've removed the link for support from their website, ostensibly to curb spam, and leaving a "supportteam [at] focusrite [dot] com" text message in its place. Emailing this address, however, results in the email being returned, as does emailing Managing Director Simon Blackwood. For a major company to refuse email support in this day and age is DISGRACEFUL. The Wow Factor: I'll give the designers this - it looks great. Guess I'm a sucker for a pretty face. Now I'm the one getting screwed. Overall: The above says it all.

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"Not happy at all." submitted November 5, 2006

By a customer from msu.edu

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The Wow Factor

Musical Background: Home studio musician

Music Style: The Mars Volta, Tool, Sigur Ros

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VERIFIED BUYER

zZounds has verified that this customer bought this product from us.

Sound: The unit sounds just fine, but one of the main selling points is all the effects and EQ and amp simulation that is built into the unit. I found that none of these were really better than the effects built into my software. The reverb is nice and the compression is as well, but if you attracted to this unit for those "built-in" effects, don't be fooled. But, recording direct without any effect, the unit sounds fine. Feature: The thing is most of the accessories or extras on the Saffire turn out to not really be that useful. Sure, it's nice to have seperate mixes for the headphone monitors or stuff like that but I never really found situations where I needed this stuff. Also, 2 analog in and 8 analog out? Why did I go for that? i was constantly wishing I had a few ore inputs and I never once used all 8 outputs. Heck, I never used more than 2. Ease of Use: Ok, if you jsut want to plug it in, plug your guitar in and record that can be pretty easy but the Saffire Control software that comes with it is not intuitive and has weird arcane knobs and buttons with symbols that are hard to interpret. i found the Saffire Control software pretty much useless. Quality: Ok, here is my major problem. This thing is quirky! It randomly loses it's connection to my computer, it refuses to actually switch to a higher sampling rate for recording (shuts down whenever I try), and most frustrating is the fact that it will occasionally produce latency when it wasn't the day before. I've trouble shooted this latency thing from every angle and have determined it has to be the Saffire itself. It just all the sudden had latency issues that wouldn't go away. Value: Not worth the money. Manufacturer Support: I have been dealig wth support but they have yet to provide an actual solution to any of my problems. The Wow Factor: It's a good looking AI and it has that Focusrite name but it's "sex appeal" doesn't transfer to functionality. Overall: I would not buy this again. I would go for something that had less "oohs and ahhs" and more basic useful stuff like more analog ins and something that operated more reliably.

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"Don't get one I did and it's crap" submitted December 23, 2006

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Features

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Musical Background: DJ, Producer, Sound Engeneer

Music Style: Drum n Bass

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Sound: Sound is ok i has a tascam us122 before this and the sound is of comprable quality if not a little thinner sounding Feature: Onbord DSP is ok Dont like the saffire controal software though it's all virtual sliders and pots and you can not accurately enter values for stuff Ease of Use: It is easy enough to use when it works, but a total nightmare to get working when it goes wrong which for me is most of the time Quality: I have had so many problems with mine that I nearly threw it out on the compost heap. Construction on the unit is OK but with digital stuff software and drivers are what matters and if they crash constantly (my saffire controal software wouldnt reconise that the saffire was plugged in even if i was playing music through it from Itunes or Ableton) then they are usless Value: not worth any money considering it doesnt work properly. Manufacturer Support: Tossers Complained about the reliability then had one repley practically acussing me of not knowing how to use a computer and then no futher response to my complaints The Wow Factor: "Sex Appeal" I wanted to but the inputs are all to small. na serously it looks a lot better than it works. Overall: I was satisfied untill I used it. Now I would be satisfied to leave it in a bin and get someting better

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"Saffire LE" submitted January 10, 2008

By a customer from gmail.com

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The Wow Factor

Musical Background: Active Musician

Music Style: All

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Sound: I bought this from a well know German online music company. I had th IT guy from work install it on my G5 Apple and it kept triping out the Mac. I sent it back to get it relooked at by the company and they are telling me it is perfect and the problem is probably with my brand new dual processing Mac!!! What a dissapointment. Feature: I bought this from a well know German online music company. I had the IT guy from work install it on my G5 Apple and it kept triping out the Mac. I sent it back to get it relooked at by the company and they are telling me it is perfect and the problem is probably with my brand new dual processing Mac!!! What a dissapointment. Ease of Use: I bought this from a well know German online music company. I had the IT guy from work install it on my G5 Apple and it kept triping out the Mac. I sent it back to get it relooked at by the company and they are telling me it is perfect and the problem is probably with my brand new dual processing Mac!!! What a dissapointment. Quality: I bought this from a well know German online music company. I had the IT guy from work install it on my G5 Apple and it kept triping out the Mac. I sent it back to get it relooked at by the company and they are telling me it is perfect and the problem is probably with my brand new dual processing Mac!!! What a dissapointment. Value: See above Manufacturer Support: Takes forever to get stuff back from them and the company I bought it from ask me to contact the manufaccturer!!! The Wow Factor: unless you want a headache stay away from it!!!!

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Focusrite Saffire Firewire Audio Interface with DSP

User Ratings

"Try a little harder to get this thing going, Because you might like it.." submitted June 27, 2007

"Unsatisfied at first, very at 2nd." submitted October 7, 2007

"Great quality, Great support ...and works with Vista" submitted June 23, 2007

"Ideal for semi-pros" submitted February 19, 2009

"Great product, easy to use, and rock solid. Be sure to check this one out!!! See ya Presonus and M-audio!!" submitted September 9, 2006

"The White Hat that you can rely on to get the job done." submitted January 7, 2007

"Good sound but horrible support" submitted February 5, 2007

"A Lot to Love About It, but Not Quite Enough to Marry It" submitted November 18, 2007

"AVOID THE FOCUSRITE SAFFIRE / SAFFIRE LE AT ALL COSTS" submitted August 27, 2006

"Not happy at all." submitted November 5, 2006

"Don't get one I did and it's crap" submitted December 23, 2006

"Saffire LE" submitted January 10, 2008