Help with Sound Quality , Mbox Mini VS 002 - 003

[RickyRae]

Hi guys,
I haven't been active on the forums for a while so g'day and all that!
Just have a rather stock question that I couldn't find an answer for in the search,
I guess it's going to be pretty up for dissection as far as answers will go but it's bugging me so here goes.

Current situation is I have a Digi 001 , great unit and I've used it for a long time .
I am a user of Cubase SX for a lot of my production and sound design and I typically mix down in pro tools. My issue is I have outgrown my 32 track limit and I would really benefit from upgrading to a piece of hardware that can support the Music Production Toolkit for 48 chans .
The situation really is , I can only afford to drop about 500 dollars on an interface .. so I could buy the mbox mini for example .
My question is , would I be stepping up in the world by buying the mini and retiring the 001 , or would the mini not have as much power / headroom ?
I guess what I'm asking is do all the hardware products have the same essential elements or do they differ in sound quality (despite the obvious 002 vs a TDM system). Do the new era LE compatible units all have the same output specs and essentially sound as good as eachother ?
Because if buying the Mini is a step up from the 001 then it would be a good option , but if the mini far less in quality than say the 003 rack , then I'm silly to buy the mini and just hold off till I can afford something else .
Sorry for the long post but you get my jist , if I buy the mini will I be upgrading my sound quality and is that sound quality comparable to the 003 with input and output , or does the 003 far outperform (in sound quality) the mini .
If anybody perhaps knew the exact build specs of the inputs / outputs and if they were the same ?

I rest my case!

Thanking you all in advance my friends!

[RickyRae]

I think I may have just answered my own question:

MBOX mini:
MONITOR OUTPUTS:
Frequency Response: +/- 0.25 dB
Dynamic Range: 105 dB / 107 dB A-weighted
Output Sensitivity: +6 dBu maximum

003 Factory:
MONITOR OUTPUTS:
Frequency Response: +/- 0.5 dB, 20 Hz - 20 kHz
Dynamic Range: 110 dB / 112 dB A-weighted
THD + N: 0.0008% (-102 dB)
Output Sensitivity: +18 dBu

DIGI OO1:
SPECS:
Main Output: ch. 1-2, +4dBu, balanced (1/4" TRS) outputs
Monitor Output: ch. 1-2, balanced (1/4" TRS) outputs w/ gain control
Line Outputs: ch. 3-8, -10dBV unbalanced
44.1kHz/48kHz sample rates
Dynamic Range: 98dB (DAC Output Ref. = 0dBFS)
THD + N: 0.003% (relative to 1kHz @ -0.5dB, 20Hz - 22kHz)
Frequency Response: +/- 0.5dB (relative to 1kHz, 20Hz - 22kHz)
Output Impedance: Ch. 1-8: 20 Ohm
Monitor Outputs: 50 Ohm
Headroom: 14dB




I guess the dynamic range is better on the Mbox mini , but it's better on the 003 too .
I can't see a huge benefit , am I wrong ?????
Perhaps saving up for the 003 is the best bet.

Thoughts ?

[PRS4LIFE]

I also think you should consider the number of inputs that you can use at once as well. you say your using the 001 which is capable of up to 18 inputs, and then wanting the mbox mini, which will give you only 2. i dont know what you record or how many you need, but its something to consider. FWIW you can always try to get your hands on a used 002 or 002rack for around $500 or so and not have to wait to save up for a 003 and still not lose any inputs by moving down to the Mbox series. although there is improvement to the sound quality to the 003 over the 002 i dont think its by much. so just options you have to weigh.

what would i do???....if it was at all possible to just wait. then id get the 003 just cause that's what is current and will ship with the latest version of pro tools. and if i couldnt wait then id search around for a used 002 rack.

[RickyRae]

Thanks heaps for your reply mate , much appreciated .
I guess you're right about the 002.
I'm not really concerned about ins and outs to be honest , 2 in and 2 out is fine for me , if I needed more I'd be looking at recording professionally anyway .
I guess I really just want the extra tracks so that I can stop compramising my arrangements due to the limit on tracks (having to share tracks with other things and do sub mixes etc etc ... real pain). I dont' like to commit my mixes until I hit bounce basically so the extra tracks would be awesome .
I guess it's better to try and go for the 002 but I don't htink I'll get one for 500 where I live!
Have to have a scope around.
I guess the other side of the argument could be that the componentry in the mbox mini is far newer and probably better than the 001 , but still the specs don't lie , the dynamic range is not as good , and that's a problem ...... eventually I plan on bypassing the card I use all together with a set of converters but that doesn't solve my interim problem if I'm compramising my sound quality .
Any other thoughts ?