Feature:
Most of the stuff is controlled only via software. This isn't a problem with me as I have external pres and a separate volume for my monitors.
HOWEVER, it has basically every other feature you could ever want.
Quality:
THIS is why I like the product. It is THE best quality in every respect for this type of unit (2 mic, 6 line, adat, half rack types). EVERYTHING is top notch.... MADE IN GERMANY by the way (like neumann, sennheiser, BMW, and anything else worth having) so it's really sturdy. The clock is high-end, the ad/da is better than motu (not quite as good as Apogee) and blows everything else (at least on this website, except for the fireface 800 of course) out of the water. It is really fast too by the way - it has the lowest latencies of any comparable firewire interface, and is almost PCI-like. Excellent drivers and software control - no gimmicks and fancy-shmancy stuff, just plain, powerful, and professional.
Value:
Very expensive for the features.... but you get what you pay for. You're getting quality over quantity in this unit. If you want more I/O, just buy another pre strip like I did (despite my bad experiences with the two Firestudios I tried, the digimax fs actually worked out great!).
Desirability:
For its size it's cool/retro looking.
Sound:
This thing sounds so awesome and clean.... it's almost like it's turned up louder but it's not. Before this, I went through two Presonus Firestudios and couldn't stand the digital noise and crappy D to A. It sounds a little better than my previous card, the EMU 1820m, as well.
Ease of Use:
Very powerful, and thus a little confusing. The owner's manual is like a novel. For a geek like me, it's awesome, but I dunno about the layperson.
Support:
I haven't had any problems, but they have been releasing drivers (both firmware and software) pretty consistently, and I'd say that counts for something. As I said before, the manual is VERY in depth and could be used as a textbook pretty much.
Overall:
It'd be nice to have an easier time with the headphone volume control... but, I'm sticking with this for a while :)
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