Topic: Focusrite Saffire Pro 26 I/0 vs. Presonus FireStudio

[joeybyron]

Hello, first post here....I search the site earlier to get information on the prosonus FireStudio and came accross a post comparing the presonus Fire Pod to a Saffire Pro. The poster said the focusrite pre's were better quality than the Fire Pod. I had never heard of focusrite and just looked it up. It seems pretty similar to the FireStudio....so my question is if anyone has had a chance to compare the pre's of the Saffire PRO angainst those on the FireStudio?  My goal is to get a small setup for live recording. Thanks much for any input.

[stirinthesauce]

Hello, first post here....I search the site earlier to get information on the prosonus FireStudio and came accross a post comparing the presonus Fire Pod to a Saffire Pro. The poster said the focusrite pre's were better quality than the Fire Pod. I had never heard of focusrite and just looked it up. It seems pretty similar to the FireStudio....so my question is if anyone has had a chance to compare the pre's of the Saffire PRO angainst those on the FireStudio?  My goal is to get a small setup for live recording. Thanks much for any input.

Well I'll chime in since I'm about to pick up the Saffire Pro.  I have played with the firestudio and I also own a digimax lt.  The one thing I dislike about the firestudio is the xlr inputs on the front.  Really don't like that aspect which is a big reason I am not considering it.  The software that comes with it is pretty cool though, really good stuff.  Played around with it one night and really liked it.  The pre's are pretty good, on par with any of the other presonus gear.  I haven't tried the focusrite saffire pro but supposedly they resemble sonically their old pre's instead of their new ones.  If you like their classic sound, this could be a good thing.  I haven't played with this yet so I will have to judge them in the field to give an accurate description. 

For the price point though, either of these is good buy.  Just depends on your purposes.  For field use I would definitly recommend any unit with rear xlr inputs, in this case the saffire pro.  If this is strictly for home use, well, that would be a toss up.  Really would depend on what your needs are. 

Good luck in whatever purchase and welcome to TS.   

[joeybyron]

Thanks for the input, the inputs being ont he front is something i noticed right away and doesn't look user friendly for recording mobile live recording.  But since I am newbie at multitracking I have a question about the pre's on both the saffire and the FireStudio.  The Presonus touts the firestudio's Class A inputs...I know a little about classes i.e. class A amps and have a general sense of the physics behind it.  Are Class A pre's on the presonus unusal on a product that only costs 799, or is this just a marketing thing.

As for my needs I just want a small setup, laptop 3u rack, mic's cables yada yada to take to record at small local venues, nothing major.

I have a feeling much like everything else it comes down to taste, just wish I had an opportunity to hear both..Thanks Again

[TNJazz]

Thanks for the input, the inputs being ont he front is something i noticed right away and doesn't look user friendly for recording mobile live recording.  But since I am newbie at multitracking I have a question about the pre's on both the saffire and the FireStudio.  The Presonus touts the firestudio's Class A inputs...I know a little about classes i.e. class A amps and have a general sense of the physics behind it.  Are Class A pre's on the presonus unusal on a product that only costs 799, or is this just a marketing thing.

As for my needs I just want a small setup, laptop 3u rack, mic's cables yada yada to take to record at small local venues, nothing major.

I have a feeling much like everything else it comes down to taste, just wish I had an opportunity to hear both..Thanks Again

Class A really isn't much more than marketing hype, as far as I'm concerned.  There are plenty of class AB preamps that smoke class A ones (the Mackie Onyx preamps come to mind immediately).

Remember, a class A device draws continuous current and will run hotter than an AB or B device.  They tend to be higher quality sonically, but that isn't always the case.  It's a buzzword designed to make you think you're getting something that's of higher quality (it might be...then again, it might not be!)

A nice sub-$2000 setup would be the Saffire Pro and a pair of Presonus Digimax LT preamps.  24 channels of very useable preamps and a firewire interface to a laptop.