Looking for suggestions on a 5.1 monitor controller

[Inglesworth]

Hello,

I am looking at some options in regards to 5.1 monitor controllers. I already have my speakers, and I am running PTHD 12. Also, this is for a small edit bay. No clients will be doing any reviews with me in this room. It is a home office. I typically edit and design here, and then take my session to the studio and make a pass through the session in the studio before presenting to clients. I don't need the biggest, baddest thing out there for this.

So here is my issue, I already own an Apogee Rosetta 800 with the X-symphony expansion card. My PCIe version on the other end is the old 32 bit card. So if I want to continue using this with my newer system, I will need to purchase the 64 bit version.

Here are the options I am considering:
1 - Purchase the 64 bit X-Symphony PCIe card. I will then have the I/O needed hooked up to my new system, and I would then literally just need a monitor controller that is capable of handling 5.1.

2- Sell/Trade my Rosetta 800, and go with something more simple, such as the Apogee Quartet. It is a usb interface with 5.1 monitor control capability.

My instinct tells me that option 2 is the most cost effective way to go, and I am leaning that way. I am just wondering if anyone knows of some piece of equipment out there that I am unaware of that will do what I need. Or any opinions on going one way or the other.

In a related matter... Is anyone out there willing to purchase a Rosetta 800 (192k version) with the X-symphony option card? My old 32 bit PCI card can be had with it. Alternatively, would anyone want to trade something similar to the Quartet for the Rosetta set up?


EDIT: It seems the MBox 3 pro is apparently capable of handling 5.1 monitoring, and it is cheap enough on the secondary market that I could purchase that and a firewire card for my computer to use it, and still keep my rosetta for if i want 192k conversion in the future. I may go this route if I don't hear anything better.

[epm]

They just end of life'd the Mbox 3, so i'd personally stay away from that. For simplicity's sake, the quartet or something like it, interface + volume control in one package is your best bet probably.

[reichman]

+1 to epm. Lots of audio interfaces do surround monitoring control in a simple but effective way. You'll save a lot of money that way.

MBox Pro 3 sounds good and will be supported out to March 2020. But of course there are other options, too.

[TVPostSound]

Originally Posted by Inglesworth

Hello,

I am looking at some options in regards to 5.1 monitor controllers. I already have my speakers, and I am running PTHD 12. Also, this is for a small edit bay. No clients will be doing any reviews with me in this room. It is a home office. I typically edit and design here, and then take my session to the studio and make a pass through the session in the studio before presenting to clients. I don't need the biggest, baddest thing out there for this.

So here is my issue, I already own an Apogee Rosetta 800 with the X-symphony expansion card. My PCIe version on the other end is the old 32 bit card. So if I want to continue using this with my newer system, I will need to purchase the 64 bit version.

Here are the options I am considering:
1 - Purchase the 64 bit X-Symphony PCIe card. I will then have the I/O needed hooked up to my new system, and I would then literally just need a monitor controller that is capable of handling 5.1.

2- Sell/Trade my Rosetta 800, and go with something more simple, such as the Apogee Quartet. It is a usb interface with 5.1 monitor control capability.

My instinct tells me that option 2 is the most cost effective way to go, and I am leaning that way. I am just wondering if anyone knows of some piece of equipment out there that I am unaware of that will do what I need. Or any opinions on going one way or the other.

In a related matter... Is anyone out there willing to purchase a Rosetta 800 (192k version) with the X-symphony option card? My old 32 bit PCI card can be had with it. Alternatively, would anyone want to trade something similar to the Quartet for the Rosetta set up?


EDIT: It seems the MBox 3 pro is apparently capable of handling 5.1 monitoring, and it is cheap enough on the secondary market that I could purchase that and a firewire card for my computer to use it, and still keep my rosetta for if i want 192k conversion in the future. I may go this route if I don't hear anything better.

Using a Quartet at the home studio, no issues here!!

[its2loud]

You might want to consider somthing that will handle bass management if you are working with smaller nearfield monitors. What is your budget?

[antonis]

I am selling an older Tascam DS-M7.1 that has almost NEVER been used, looks as good as new and comes with two expansion boards.

Genuinely unbeatable for the price, up to 7.1, can fold down, bass management, delay, send separate feed to meters/ stems recorder plus more.

Google it and feel free to PM me if interested.



Sent from my E5823 using Tapatalk

[Inglesworth]

Originally Posted by its2loud

You might want to consider somthing that will handle bass management if you are working with smaller nearfield monitors. What is your budget?

I am using the JBL LSR 4600 series. I have 3 8 inchers up front and a pair of the 6 inches in the rear and the 12 inch sub. They have the RMC mode and the sub has a switch to turn bass management on/off.

I was thinking of sucking it up and spending the $850 or so for a used Quartet (approximate price I found when searching around a couple of weeks ago). That really sucks for my budget in all honesty. But I was seeing the mbox3 pros around for $300 or a little less. And that is much more doable for me at the moment. But I am still internally weighing the cost vs. how long they will be supported.

But I'm not one to upgrade software and stuff just to say I did it. I am currently running PT 12.7.1 on OS 10.12.2 because it works, and I don't want to change that. I probably won't update anything for a couple more years at this point, so the $300 option seems much better to me in that regard.