cletus monroe
Well-known member
I just got me a 2192 and wanted to share my 6 hrs. of A/B experience with it. Before deciding to purchase, I did a little internet searching. I researched and have used many of the usual suspects (Apogee, Mytek, Benchmark, Prizm). I went with the 2192 for a variety of reasons. The analog front end and design philosphy was appealing. I also felt like, unlike Apogee whose users and company seems to say with each new product, "better than that old stuff!", that the 2192 would with its 192K sampling rate, have a longer life span. Poop, with it's class A circuitry and my feelings on audio above 96k, this thing could age like a gibson. Nah, they're probably already designing thte next version. But I lament. Although I came up with a few helpful posts about the 2192, thanks gearslutz members, the pool was a little slim. So I go swimming
Business:
I hooked the 2192 up from my 002r via spdif in and out. My 002 main outs were sent to my Mackie Big Knob (DAW MIX). The analog outs from the 2192 were also sent to the big knob (2-Track A). NS-10's, KRK V6's and MCS 8320's were used for monitoring. Commercial CD audio tracks ranging in the style of Speed Metal to R&B were imported into Pro Tools and used as reference material.
Right off the bat, the 2192 analog outs are louder than the 002r's analog outs. How much? It ain't that type of party yet. I'm still gatewayin' this thing. But the 2192 was more than a few dB louder. Both are factory +4dbu. Upon noticing the obvious, I decided tests should be done with the 002r's and 2192's outs at the same volume. A little adjusting later at the big knob and the volumes seem the same so now the testing continues.
With the 002r clocked internally and running out its own 1/2 main outs VS. the 002r clocked to the 2192 receiving a Spdif feed andrunning out its main analog outs, the difference is much more drastic.
The stereo image of the mix seems to spread with the 2192. The transiets seem sharper. The high end is definitely clearer. Everything is clearer or less blurry to use a visual analogy.
When the 002r is clocked to the 2192, the difference is less drastic. The 002r's, and I believe to its credit, d/a converters don't sound to shabby against the 2192's d/a converters. There's a difference, but I had to go back and forth more often to really say I could hear it. Same stuff, more pleasing stereo image and high end, but it wasn't anything I would stand up and say, "Can't you hear that?".
What I noticed the most was the clock. When the clock is set externally to the 2192, the difference between it and the 002 is there, but not smacking you in the ears. When the clock is switched to the 002's internal and out its outputs VS. external and out the 2192's outputs, the difference is kind of dramatic.
I have to say that after hearing it back and forth, forth and back, it is a definite improvement in the overall sound of my setup. How much? I could return this and I ain't. We all strive to improve our recordings, it's why we spend Saturdays soldering. For those of you who got into this audio thing when Pro Tools was still in its infancy, remember the first time you put a Waves L1,L2,Sony infiltrator, etc... on your mix and was like, "This is cheating but I'm never letting a client leave with a ruff mix without this sh#%!". This ain't like that. If you've got an 002, clocking to this unit will definitely improve your overall audio quality. I will say this though, for those of you that ain't got the bread to spend on this unit, or any external clock for that matter, that's cool 'cause it still sounded good without it. Meaning, you don't need air jordans to play b-ball, and you don't need this to make a rockin' record.
But, I gotta admit it does sound "better"! Just wanted to share.
Take care,
Cletus
Business:
I hooked the 2192 up from my 002r via spdif in and out. My 002 main outs were sent to my Mackie Big Knob (DAW MIX). The analog outs from the 2192 were also sent to the big knob (2-Track A). NS-10's, KRK V6's and MCS 8320's were used for monitoring. Commercial CD audio tracks ranging in the style of Speed Metal to R&B were imported into Pro Tools and used as reference material.
Right off the bat, the 2192 analog outs are louder than the 002r's analog outs. How much? It ain't that type of party yet. I'm still gatewayin' this thing. But the 2192 was more than a few dB louder. Both are factory +4dbu. Upon noticing the obvious, I decided tests should be done with the 002r's and 2192's outs at the same volume. A little adjusting later at the big knob and the volumes seem the same so now the testing continues.
With the 002r clocked internally and running out its own 1/2 main outs VS. the 002r clocked to the 2192 receiving a Spdif feed andrunning out its main analog outs, the difference is much more drastic.
The stereo image of the mix seems to spread with the 2192. The transiets seem sharper. The high end is definitely clearer. Everything is clearer or less blurry to use a visual analogy.
When the 002r is clocked to the 2192, the difference is less drastic. The 002r's, and I believe to its credit, d/a converters don't sound to shabby against the 2192's d/a converters. There's a difference, but I had to go back and forth more often to really say I could hear it. Same stuff, more pleasing stereo image and high end, but it wasn't anything I would stand up and say, "Can't you hear that?".
What I noticed the most was the clock. When the clock is set externally to the 2192, the difference between it and the 002 is there, but not smacking you in the ears. When the clock is switched to the 002's internal and out its outputs VS. external and out the 2192's outputs, the difference is kind of dramatic.
I have to say that after hearing it back and forth, forth and back, it is a definite improvement in the overall sound of my setup. How much? I could return this and I ain't. We all strive to improve our recordings, it's why we spend Saturdays soldering. For those of you who got into this audio thing when Pro Tools was still in its infancy, remember the first time you put a Waves L1,L2,Sony infiltrator, etc... on your mix and was like, "This is cheating but I'm never letting a client leave with a ruff mix without this sh#%!". This ain't like that. If you've got an 002, clocking to this unit will definitely improve your overall audio quality. I will say this though, for those of you that ain't got the bread to spend on this unit, or any external clock for that matter, that's cool 'cause it still sounded good without it. Meaning, you don't need air jordans to play b-ball, and you don't need this to make a rockin' record.
But, I gotta admit it does sound "better"! Just wanted to share.
Take care,
Cletus
