Re: RME Babyface vs Babyface pro FS
 

Ha! I could do that!
Good idea.

RME Babyface vs Babyface pro FS
 

Not in mine (and I suspect many others) opinion. I’ve seen plenty of mastering houses using 10yo converters. Some of the Lavry and Lynx DACs you see in those places are over a decade old.


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Re: RME Babyface vs Babyface pro FS
 

I've come upon a possible deal on a NAD M51, NAD M51 review - What Hi-Fi?



New price ten yrs ago $1500+, about $600 used now, and I can perhaps get it for $350, because of a slight display malfuction. I'll just use it as a passive DAC so the display is no bother. Coax out from my focusrite.

Any thoughts are welcome

Re: RME Babyface vs Babyface pro FS
 

I have a NAD C368 receiver in my home system with some PSB speakers and I quite like it. I haven't used it for any studio specific duties or compared it to anything, but it seems to sound good on my home system that I mainly use for OTT streaming and occasional music playback.

Re: RME Babyface vs Babyface pro FS
 

Thanks, Scott. It seems they do make quite high-end stuff. I didn't think that before.

Re: RME Babyface vs Babyface pro FS
 

Well, for anyone interested, I didn't manage to get the NAD M51, someone got there before me, and I've just dropped about $150 on a Olasonic Nano-D1. New, in the box, even though it's a model from 2013. There's very little info to be found about it, but it's designed by a well known Sony audio guy, Yoshinori Yamamoto, and it went for $5-600 a few years ago. Very basic digital-in, analog-out. Haven't heard it yet, but I'll report back.

Re: RME Babyface vs Babyface pro FS
 

First impressions on the Olasonic:
Very nice. The sound is different from my Scarlett in that it sounds a bit fuller. Simply more low end, some would call it warmer. I like it, it gives more body to my Dynaudio speakers that are of the more linear, clinical type. Top end is fine as far as I can tell, and the mids, well not much to say.

I also notice some more 'punch' and solid stereo image.

I got this new in the box for $150, and it is a step up from the scarlett, which I will sell (as I no longer need inputs, for the time being) for at least as much.

Nothing wrong with the Scarlett, actually I think it sounds very good. Many will think; why bother with these cheap toys; well I don't care. I got a small upgrade in my conversion stage. For less than nothing.


Added: Looking forward to trying out sessions with higher sample rate.

Re: RME Babyface vs Babyface pro FS
 

I changed my mind; It sounds pretty awesome!
More detailed, open, even "3D"ish. Wonderful highs.
And a improvement at low level listening; fuller at low level.
My Focusrite was good.
This is a step up. No question in my mind.

Re: RME Babyface vs Babyface pro FS
 

Not sure if I'm too late here but I had the original Babyface, which sounded mediocre, with terribly noisy mic pres, and now have the Babyface Pro fs, which is great.
The Pro fs is hooked up (via optical S/PDIF) to an RME ADI-2 Pro fs for monitoring, but I also use the Babyface Pro fs outputs and the difference between BF Pro fs and ADI Pro fs is quite small. The old Babyface was pretty rotten IMHO.

The latest BF Pro fs has changed to ESS chips, which give an even better performance even though the official specs are the same.

I can't comment on the non-fs version I'm afraid.

Dominic

Re: RME Babyface vs Babyface pro FS
 

Thanks, Dominic. For the answer to my original question. Good to know.

Anyway, I'm really happy with my new Olasonic DAC. I thought my Focusrite Scarlett was good and it did sound good IMO. But this, I don't care what people might say, and if it cost me almost nothing; I really have a fuller, more defined sound now. I hear it everyday, and I'm shure it's not placebo. It's a significant change, which might not always be a good thing, but I actually find that I have a bigger 'pallet' of color to work with. My tools (plugins) have an extended reach.

Just saying to anyone; a change of output converters might do you wonders. Try it.


(Must be said; This sound I have now, is the sound of the box. It works as a converter and a output preamp for me, so it might well be the analog stage I'm liking. I don't know.)