RME FireWire 800…. Thoughts and experiences.

[xrekcor]

Hey folks,

I have sold my TF5 and are looking for a new interface. I have a chance on a fairly reasonable deal on a secondhand RME FireWire 800 so are looking to hear of peoples experiences with this interface. It would be only for my home studio and don’t need a massive array of input but 4 mic input would be great.

I’m running the same system as in my signature below.

Thanks in advance.

[Darryl Ramm]

Firewire for anything... I'd normally run away. Ancient old technology. Even with RME's good long term support for drivers I'd still just not go there.... usually...

BUUUTTTT.... What model RME Firewire interface exactly? You mean the Fireface 800? If so then the saving grace of that is it has ADAT output and will last forever as a ADAT mic preamp. Maybe making picking them up very attractive.

It has previous generation somewhat less nice/slightly noisier preamps than current RME gear, but how much that matters to you I have no idea.

You can pick up a clean Fireface 800 for ~$400. There is always a lot of fantasy used RME product pricing on Reverb and EBay.

OTOH maybe spend the money and look at current RME USB interfaces. If you can live with two onboard preamps the UCX II is a very nice compact interface but ~$1,500 new.

[xrekcor]

Yes the FireWire 800…. Not real sure if I can plug it straight into my USB-C port or I need another adaptor.

The UCX II looks promising $2k here and within my budget. Anything else in that price range I could consider?. At least two mic inputs I could probably live with.

Thanks for your thoughts.

Cheers

Originally Posted by Darryl Ramm

Firewire for anything... I'd normally run away. Ancient old technology. Even with RME's good long term support for drivers I'd still just not go there.... usually...

BUUUTTTT.... What model RME Firewire interface exactly? You mean the Fireface 800? If so then the saving grace of that is it has ADAT output and will last forever as a ADAT mic preamp. Maybe making picking them up very attractive.

It has previous generation somewhat less nice/slightly noisier preamps than current RME gear, but how much that matters to you I have no idea.

You can pick up a clean Fireface 800 for ~$400. There is always a lot of fantasy used RME product pricing on Reverb and EBay.

OTOH maybe spend the money and look at current RME USB interfaces. If you can live with two onboard preamps the UCX II is a very nice compact interface but ~$1,500 new.

[Darryl Ramm]

Fire*face* 800 You need to connect to it via an Apple Thunderbolt to Firewire adapter. https://www.apple.com/shop/product/M...rewire-adapter At least it has a Firewire 800 port so no additional Firewire 400 adapter needed.

I really like RME interfaces, esp. the quality of drivers and ongoing support. Unfortunately the large models Fireface 802, Fireface UFX II, and Fireface UFX+ get you into the $2k-$3k price range, but personally If going there I'd jump all the way to the Fireface UFX+ (what I actually have)... but check them out for yourself. Mic preamp quality/remote control, Thunderbolt support (really not needed with USB 3.1 in these), and MADI support are the large difference across that product range. The 802 even includes FireWire (and USB) support... it's literally described by RMW as a modern version of the FireFace 800 you are looking at.... the 800 was a well loved box and RME is trying to leverage that

[Darryl Ramm]

Oh and I should have made the obvious point before about why I was saying ADAT stand-alone made the Fireface 800 interesting...

I don't think this old series of interfaces is getting driver support on Apple silicon, you can check with RME to be sure. But if so may not be a good choice as an interface (depends on your Mac plans), maybe a great choice as a cheap ADAT mic-pre... especially is prices fall more as folks dump them as Mac interfaces. I'll buy some if the price craters enough

[xrekcor]

Thanks very much for that…. Yeah maybe just go with something more current. Just want something to hook up to my lappy that isn’t too shabby. The UCX II looks promising again.

Thanks for your thoughts, muchly appreciated

Cheers

Originally Posted by Darryl Ramm

Oh and I should have made the obvious point before about why I was saying ADAT stand-alone made the Fireface 800 interesting...

I don't think this old series of interfaces is getting driver support on Apple silicon, you can check with RME to be sure. But if so may not be a good choice as an interface (depends on your Mac plans), maybe a great choice as a cheap ADAT mic-pre... especially is prices fall more as folks dump them as Mac interfaces. I'll buy some if the price craters enough

[xrekcor]

Yup lol “Fireface” my bad…. Need new glasses…. We’ll that’s my excuse and I keeping wif it.

I can get a fireface 800 for $1200 second hand, a UCX II for $2k brand new, Fireface UFX+ is getting out of my price range unfortunately. I’m thinking the first option Fireface 800 for the more features as in more mic inputs. It’s more home studio than pro production at home so thinking the “ nice/slightly noisier preamps” than current generation prolly won’t be an issue in my situation.

Cheers

Originally Posted by Darryl Ramm

Fire*face* 800 You need to connect to it via an Apple Thunderbolt to Firewire adapter. https://www.apple.com/shop/product/M...rewire-adapter At least it has a Firewire 800 port so no additional Firewire 400 adapter needed.

I really like RME interfaces, esp. the quality of drivers and ongoing support. Unfortunately the large models Fireface 802, Fireface UFX II, and Fireface UFX+ get you into the $2k-$3k price range, but personally If going there I'd jump all the way to the Fireface UFX+ (what I actually have)... but check them out for yourself. Mic preamp quality/remote control, Thunderbolt support (really not needed with USB 3.1 in these), and MADI support are the large difference across that product range. The 802 even includes FireWire (and USB) support... it's literally described by RMW as a modern version of the FireFace 800 you are looking at.... the 800 was a well loved box and RME is trying to leverage that

[Darryl Ramm]

You mean used 802? Yes that is the lowest cost 4 x preamp interface RME makes and has a USB support and will have long term support on macOS. All these newer interfaces have had limited supply for a while so check with your dealer... but that may make a used 802 with instant delivery an even better choice.