Used Digidesign 192 I/O gear on Ebay.

[ENS Audio]

Saw a few 192 I/O units on Ebay going anywhere from $250-$500, I remember back in the early 2000's when I first got into recording  these same pieces of gear were thousands of dollars! 

Is the reason they're so cheap now because thunderbolt is going to be introduced in the PC domain?

Would this be a good time to purchase some used Digidesign 192 hardware?  I'm sure it would still beat the hell outta the Focusrite Saffire interface I'm currently using right now.  ;D


Thanks.

 

[peterc]

Newer versions of PT will not support the  older hardware, so beware.

I am still running PT10 with the silverfaced units.

http://avid.force.com/pkb/articles/en_US/compatibility/Pro-Tools-11-Approved-Audio-Interfaces-and-Peripherals
http://avid.force.com/pkb/articles/en_US/compatibility/Pro-Tools-12-Approved-Audio-Interfaces-and-Peripherals

 

[pucho812]

yes they are inexpensive now because avid/digidesign has phased them out of the newer pro tools versions. There is no real reason other then they want you to buy more avid.

 

[mattiasNYC]

Well, actually the architecture could be somewhat different though, no?

If Avid was using converters with chips that were designed to receive up to 24-bit fixed point signals and now allow 32-bit float then it's a problem. And with the switch from TDM to HDX I wouldn't be surprised if there indeed was a technical reason behind it not being compatible. I could be wrong of course, and perhaps there would have been a way to code around it.

Either way, I've seen several 192's get corrupted processors and boards that crap out, so I wouldn't buy used anyway unless it was a very cheap system that I wouldn't rely on on a daily basis.

 

[KMB-AUDIO]

I'm using some Digital 192s  into PT11HD - and it works fine for me.

 

[PRR]

> $250-$500, ...back in the early 2000's ...these same pieces of gear were thousands of dollars!

In 2002 my car cost thousands (about 18 thousand).

Today an average selling price for a 2002 Accord in good shape would be $1,800.

(That's not counting heavy road wear. *MY* car is worth under $1K, maybe $500, because some jerk scratch/dented it nose to tail.)

You may say that audio gear does not wear out. I say a happy Honda engine is just broken-in at 135K miles, ought to retain much value. Doors, windows, seats work fine. And Honda *repeatedly* recalls my air-bag so it is always new (and less defective).

But a 2002 has no USB port, no MP3 decoder, no GPS, no lane-change, no back-up cam (I put one in the 1996 Honda and love it), no idea what a cellphone is, no BluTooth, only vestigial side airbags (Honda never even got the main one right), a truly primitive ECU interface (can't even read fuel duty-cycle), and the wheels are only 15-inch and already the selection of 15" rubber is shrinking. Maybe the car is not old, but the world is newer.

 

[mattiasNYC]

I'm using some Digital 192s  into PT11HD - and it works fine for me.

Which interface specifically, and used how? From what I can see the older 192 i/o's aren't supported and weren't tested.

 

[KMB-AUDIO]

I'm using some Digital 192s  into PT11HD - and it works fine for me.

Which interface specifically, and used how? From what I can see the older 192 i/o's aren't supported and weren't tested.

I'm using an HD Native card. It's true that they are not supported/un-tested by Avid - but that does not mean they don't work

Now that's just my experience with the Digital 192. I assume the analog I/O would work as well, but I can't say for sure.

 

[Rocinante]

They're fine. You cant use them with pt11 and on (I'm a happy pt10 user) and the pci format is no longer to be supported. So... avid won't help or support such systems. Thing is... they never really were very supportive to begin with. The 192 is a good converter.  The dsp of the cards though (you'll need about one core and two accell) are really the goods.
With pc's nowadays though its hardly as important as it was.

 

[Seeker]

My 192 works fine with my native card and pt11...  But soon they will force me to upgrade  I'm sure....

 

[Biasrocks]

192 Digital I/O working here with PT 12, HD Native.

My 192 works fine with my native card and pt11...  But soon they will force me to upgrade  I'm sure....

 

[fazer]

I love how Capital Records uses them (192's) and people think they have this new technology because it sounds so good.  It sounds good because you have great engineers with great gear in a great room with great players and singers.    Anyway I'm sure Avid will do what ever they can to stop supporting (or stop them from working with) 192's as soon as they can figure out a way.  Their stock is always on the brink of failure. 

If you know what your doing, I don't see the Digi 192 as  being the weak link in the chain.  However if you constantly update all your systems and software then you will run into the day where they will no longer work with Protools 13 ect.  software.  They still work with PT 11 and 12 to my knowledge.

I use a 192 with a HD Native PCIe card and it works fine.  I also have an omni I/0 and it works with the 192 but requires you to run to the mini digilink port on the Native card.  It will not work running from the digi link extender on the back of the omni I/O.  That limits how many I/O you will be able to run.  I currently run 20 inputs (analog) and 24 outputs.  The inputs are limited by the omni.  It only has 4 analog input but 8 outputs with a built in surround monitor controller for 7.1 mixing.  Very cost effective to avoid buying a controller.  I also have an Apogee I/O to get the extra 8 outputs out of a 192.  A 192 can give you 16 analog ins  with 8 out or 8 ins with 16 out.  The newer AVID I/O's can give you a full 16 in and 16 out.  The New Avids do sound good but to my knowledge Capital Uses Blue 192's and does beautiful work with them.  Just a thought to put things into perspective.   

I still have not upgrade to PT 12.  I'm not sure I want to keep going down this path with the awful management of AVID I'm sure things are going to get worst for PT-HD owners before they get better as far as the bending the customer over every chance they get.  They just are not showing the love for HD anymore.      I have 3 days to update to PT 12 HD  and still not sure I want to go that direction any further than what I have already. 

Happy New Years.

 

[ruairioflaherty]

The New Avids do sound good but to my knowledge Capital Uses Blue 192's and does beautiful work with them.  Just a thought to put things into perspective.

Capitol upgraded all of their Pro Tools systems to the newer Avid IO in the last year .  Your broader point stands though, many good sounding records have been made on the original 192io.