Quote:
Originally Posted by LDS
I totally share the sentiments of disapproval of Focusrite's design choices. It cost me $400 USD to add a 64 channel audinate Dante card to my DAD DX-32R. I suspect most of Focusrite's Dante products are well equipped to handle 64 channels of Dante, but they are trying to leverage 32 channel limits to sell more hardware.
Just as an example, at Sweetwater today it will cost $4000 to buy 64 channels of Dante to digilink through Focusrite. An Avid MTRX on the other hand costs $4999, includes 64 channels of Dante, 64 channels of digilink, Adat I/O, 16 channels of first class AD/DA, full monitor controller and routing matrix, and SPQ speaker calibration.
If other manufacturers are anything to go by, the difference between a device offering 32 or 64 channels of Dante is a couple of hundred bucks... not a couple of thousand...
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It is an infuriating situation, and, I’m sorry, but all the attempts to justify it are nonsense. There is no correlation between Dante’s capability and HDX’s. It’s been years since anyone produced an interface with fewer than 2 HDX ports, and for good reason. 32 channels serves pretty much
no professional user’s needs.
It damages the reputation of a company like Focusrite to continue down this wholly unjustifiable path. The responses I’ve received from Focusrite support about this are, frankly, embarrassed and embarrassing. Their outstanding support team must cringe each time they are called on this.
I have the money to buy from Focusrite, but they simply refuse to build the product I, and many pro users, need. A 64 channel interface (their words, not mine) that can only support 32 on its most important professional connection, is a slap in the face to the industry they purport to lead.