lynx studio Aurora converters info needed?

Anyone ever use thse if so how do they compair to other converters on the market. Got a client about to venture into slow tools high disfunctional world and I'm thinking about getting him to try an aurora 16 with the semi new HD card. Will give him 16 I/O in a one rack space unit.

How are their converters?

From what I've read, and from talkign to the designer... they look to be awsome.

they are claiming performance thats blows the socks off Alsihad.

There's been some magazine reviews recently for them.

Don't forget to consider Mytek, Apogee, RME and Prism Sound. (I can't think of any more major names in that bracket of performance)

what do they do differently to get better performance then the next guy?

[quote author="Svart"]what do they do differently to get better performance then the next guy?[/quote]

well for one they offer 16 analog I/O for the price of a single 192. So when you think about it the price VS quality is totally there plus the amount of space that is saved being only 1 Ru, and also the fact I/O is back to being symetrical is nice. yes mytek and yes apogee are great converters but are mucho $$ and IMO the sound is not worth the $$. Prism is cool but again back to sound VS $$. From what lil I know about the aurora's the sound is mastering quality with price that is inexpensive. They are right around the corner in Costa Mesa, Maybe I can memo loan a unit from them to check out :?

I have two friends who own each one Aurora converters. I heard them but not in controled conditions, so I can't say anything for the moment.
In two or three weeks I will receive my new Cranesong HEDD192 and I will make an AD converter shootout with the Lavry Blue and the Aurora.

[quote author="Rochey"]Don't forget to consider Mytek, Apogee, RME and Prism Sound. (I can't think of any more major names in that bracket of performance)[/quote]

I wouldn't put the RME in the same league with the others. I had the RME ADI8DS and after a few weeks of use I sold it because it is an average quality converter. My hope was that for a reasonable price it will solve my needs, especially after reading that review where they compared it to the Apogee AD8000. Hilarious. You should never trust reviews.

Also after doing some DA converter shootouts IMHO Apogee (psx, minidac) is also not in the same league with Lavry, Benchmark, Cranesong (AVOCET). Not the same level of detail or transparency. Too much colour.

chrissugar

fair enough

BTW - #1rule of pricing a product:

Dont base the product on how much it costs to make, base it on how much people will pay.

There are many things that could effect the quality of an AD-DA... Power Supply, Clock/PLL performance, Analog front end design, Actual Converters used (Cirrus Logic, AKM, TI, Wolfson).

Digidesigns product is pretty well designed, but as they are market leader, they can charge a lot more for their product than a small designer starting at the bottom with an awsome product.

They are the same design as my Lynx TWO but with an upgraded powersupply and better clocking I believe.

My card is pretty great sounding for inside the noisy environment - if they offer more headroom and better noise performance in the rack it should be a great buy.

I have not done any concrete shootouts but anything that goes in/out sounds good, better than most converters I used IMO in the same price bracket.

They're good enough to make a record.

Stacked full of good BurrBrown opamps, Aromat TQ relays, looks like Panasonic SMT caps etc.

-Tom

apogee's are almost double for the smae amount of channels. As a single aurora does 16 I/O, you need one apogee AD16 and a DA16 to get the same amount. The price of the aurora is similar to one of those apogee's.

[quote author="buttachunk"]Pucho,
I guess my point is to listen to the convertors first, if at all possible.[/quote]

If guess thats your point then I guess that is a good point. All kidding aside that is the best point to make to anyone what do your ears tell you?
In this case $$ isn't a real issue but having symetrical I/O is and because it is being hooked into a console the more I/O the better. But in his case being pratical is so why fork over 6k+ for apogee's when one can get almost if not as good or better quality converters for half the price :wink:

I actually meant, how does the circuit differ between the lynx stuff and the others. I understand the clocking and parts difference but there honestly isn't a whole lot of parts to choose from out there that can offer a price-to-performance ratio that would allow lynx to offer something a lot different than the others.

[quote author="Svart"]I actually meant, how does the circuit differ between the lynx stuff and the others. I understand the clocking and parts difference but there honestly isn't a whole lot of parts to choose from out there that can offer a price-to-performance ratio that would allow lynx to offer something a lot different than the others.[/quote]

AD/DA boxes are one area where actual implementation owerweights
schematic. "Little" things like layout, PSU, decoupling and stuff are what
separate men from boys here.

cheerz
urosh

On more Aurora question here...

On the lynx site is stated that: all units shipped to North American Dealers are factory configured for 115V operation and cannot be changed by the user.

Anyone familiar with the procedure for 220V operation? For example, will there be two primaries on the power transformer which need to be connected in series for 220V?
Anyone had a peek inside yet?

Thanks!

Got one at work connected to a HD rig and its pretty damn sweet.

Piping out into a Toft console at the mo.

GREAT deal over the Digi 192...as they appear like two so you get full Digi external delay compensation, 16 analog I/O and 16 AES simultaneously.

If I remember I'll pop the lid off and take a few pics...I'll check out the power supply thing.

I thought it was switchable...maybe inside. Join the lynx forum, they are quick to reply and generally very helpful. All of mine/our lynx stuff sounds great.

-T

I'm doing my first mix through a summing box outta an 8 channel Aurora.
I like em :thumb:

But my only real experience with convertors is my mytek stereo ADC not any DACs, and all my old mixes were ITB PTLE, so I'm not surprised that it sounds better to me.

Mind you, running it through all my DIY gear probably helps :wink:

Thanks!

For what it counts.. I have a Lynx Two card, too, and the converters are very, very good. Comparing a DA signal to one that goes through DA-AD-DA, there is a tiny difference for sure, but it's not obviously worse. Been a happy user for years now.

I am going to upgrade next year, quite possibly to a Lavry Blue unit, beacuse I'd still like to have the converters out of the box.

Still, I could work from here 'till eternity with Lynx. You won't go wrong.

[quote author="TomWaterman"]

If I remember I'll pop the lid off and take a few pics...I'll check out the power supply thing.

I thought it was switchable...maybe inside. Join the lynx forum, they are quick to reply and generally very helpful. All of mine/our lynx stuff sounds great.

-T[/quote]

Hey Tom, Did you have a chance to look inside at the psu yet?

There are a lot of pictures to be found in Craig Andertons review over at the harmony central board. I think I see 5532 opamps. I've just ordered an Aurora16 myself.

[quote author="radiance"]Hey Tom, Did you have a chance to look inside at the psu yet?[/quote]

Sorry mate, completely forgot. Will try when I get time next week.
You could send me a PM to remind me on monday if you like!
I'm awful, I forget all sorts when I'm busy.

-T

no prob...no hurry. Just curious if it's possible to convert an 110V unit to an 220V unit without much hassle...