Inside Focusrite Saffire Pro 14

[kongwee]

I got nothing better to do. I don't even bother to shut it down.

 

[locoy242]

Erm. Ok. So did you discover anything cool after opening it up?
Btw, it's a really nice machine to use...

 

[kongwee]

Nothing really impressive. However, didn't study that much as it involve dismantling the whole unit.One thing on the second picture. The capacitor tolerance value is the best. Either for clocking or power filtering.

 

[ezekielkok]

sorry to kinda hijack thread bro but wads the diff between this and the line 6 ux2? hope to hear from u n which is better for vocal audio interface?

 

[kongwee]

I never do vocal recording as I am more for music arrangement and mixing. I only can say the ADC and DAC is better than M-audio Firesolo that I used. It is clear and transparent. This help a lot in doing mix. For mic-pre, I only do a bit of recording, but not vocal. But I can say it is richer than Firesolo. For Line6, I have no idea about the sound. At sub $400 cat, I think Saffire Pro 14 is one of the better design. First it use the DAC found in Apogee. Second got jitter reduction.

 

[ezekielkok]

oh ok. do u hav any hands on with zoom h4n?
i understand from a fren tt u need to buy ur own cables after u buy the saffire pro 14 (is this true??)

 

[studio2105]

i understand from a fren tt u need to buy ur own cables after u buy the saffire pro 14 (is this true??)

Uh ..... isn't that the case with any piece of audio gear that you purchase? Whether professional or pro-sumer?

 

[ezekielkok]

Uh ..... isn't that the case with any piece of audio gear that you purchase? Whether professional or pro-sumer?

hi bro. sorry i didnt know coz i nvr bought an audio interface before. any one care to share with me? what else do i need to buy?

 

[kongwee]

I DIY cable. I alway find silver-coatled copper, Teflon insulation for cable(instrument and signal).EMI shielding ~95%. These kind of cable is rigid so it is not so good for mic cable or instrument which you need to be flexible. Of cos, if you are running a few meter cable than no harm for mic or instrument. This kind of cable has the minimum impedance across the cable as the insulation is very thin. But if you really care about impedance matching, a DI or mic pre with input/output transformer will do the job. Lastly they cost a few tens of dollar for a meter.

Note that your "SCV" cable RJ6 or RJ45(I think I get the type right) is better than your guitar/instrument cable in spec. But it physically challenging to use.

Note that pro 14 input/output are all balanced. You monitor must be true balance, servo balance do not count. If you wanna pluck guitar cable to Prp 14's mic pre than you need to switch the line to instrument in the software mixer.

For plugs or termination, I only use Neutrik. Especially XLR type, they make the best filling. I have touch even the exotic silver core XLR. Neutrik still the best.

 

[ezekielkok]

=kongwee

ok i really didnt get what you were saying lol. is there a shop where i can view all of these to see the differences?

 

[kongwee]

You can't test the difference in all the cable I mention. I make a mistake on RJ6 and RJ45. It should be RG6 or RG45. It is like your SCV cable. You type RG6 or RG45 in google to see look. It is also call coaxial cable too. If you have SCV, you can feel the cable between the box and the socket. But if you need unbalance type of cable and don't mind the stiffness then these two type of cable is better for signal transfer. The reliable brand of these kind of cable is Belden. In fact Belden made all the cable I mention. Better coaxial ones got double shield or two core with single shield. That for "guitar"/unbalanced/signal-ended cable. For XLR, at least three core with a single shield. The only place I can find is Sim Tower's LHS. You can find Neutrik connector there too.

I think you can't comprehend this. It is becos it is not easy to explain in words. You can go for the brand call Mogami. It got quad core with a shielding is the product you can buy. No silver coated or Teflon insulation. But it earn its name for reliability. There is a dealer here but dunno where.

 

[Kaye]

sorry for hijacking this thread! I'm thinking of getting the 2nd hand saffire pro 14 at $350. Is it worth the money? Or should I go for a 2nd hand UX2?

 

[kongwee]

350? Do you really check the price? I bought new at $390, I think. Anyway, that product is not even one year old, so the 2nd hand stay high. Recently I tried to record my pro 14 with my neumann KM 183 in a short a.guitar recording. I get reasonable good sound from player perceptive(that me!). That the mic level in front of my head fire down to the guitar. From low to the high is pleasing. In fact this make me wanna train guitar cos no software can perfect the articulation. No wanna spend too much on soft synth too. I only pick up guitar from last two weeks, self taught.

I have no idea about UX2, in fact I have no ideal about pro14. The dealer say it is much better than my M-audio Firesolo. I buy his story and never complain.

 

[blueprintstudios]

..........

 

[Kaye]

kongwee: yeah I realised luthermusic is selling at only 380. Seems like there's quite some positive reviews on the net. Maybe I should consider. Thanks!

blueprintstudios: neaaaaat formula! Yeah I'll most probably try to bargain if possible. Thank you!

 

[58explorer]

Hello! you must either really bored or very curious to open this up, and your yamaha msp7's as well. But it's interesting to see though!

Anyway, I'm thinking of getting the Saffire pro 14, been seeing alot of good reviews online lately. I got a question about the FW and what computer you're using. Are you using a PC or MBP? 'cause I know this is Firewire 400, and the newest MBP's are 800, and that means you'll need the 400-800 adapter right?

Right now I'm using ye' old macbook, the core 2 duo one with a firewire 400 socket, but I'll be buying a new MBP in the last quarter of the year when I ORD.

 

[kongwee]

My is iMac 8,1 so got FW400. Yup, I like to open up my stuff after the warranty gone especially. Think FW400 -> FW800 adaptor should work.