misterharrison

Sorry, just realised it doesn't meet your spec - it's firewire, not USB, and it doesn't have a remote. As you were.

I would at least try a Metric Halo Lio-8, spacey. It's 5 ohm output impedance would lap up your ATCs. Easy to find, too, being a well-supported pro piece of equipment. I haven't heard it myself, let me add, but I have it's little brother, the ULN-2, which I love and the LIO-8 is supposed to somehow be light-years ahead of it. Of course, it's not one of these boutique audiophile numbers but then I get the impression you're not too fussed about that...

Thanks for your replies. I really do appreciate the input from experienced users. I some more questions, I'm afraid. I've got my eye on a 2nd-hand Amarra Model 4, which is effectively a rebranded LIO-8. Is there a downside to going for the Amarra version? Is the software significantly different? Is there anything you can do with the LIO-8/MIO-Console that you can't do with the Model4/Sonic-Studio-Console? Can you run the Model4 with the MH MIO-Console software?

So I'm now torn between the ULN-2 and the LIO-8. I would be running them directly into active ATC SCM50s. My two primary uses would be: 1. Recording vinyl at no more than 96k and playing it back. I use an Ayre P-5xe phono preamp. 2. Playing back redbook 16/44.1 files ripped to the hard-drive from shop-bought CDs. I guess my questions are: a) I can afford the LIO-8, but would it's better converters be apparent if only used in this way? If I'm not using the higher sample-rates is it basically a waste of money or is the benefit of the newer technology easy to hear even at lower sample rates? b) Would the ULN-2 be a clear upgrade from my current sound card, an RME Fireface 400 or would the differences be minimal? I live in Portugal where it isn't easy to find dealers that will offer you a big-brand unit to audition, let alone a smaller more specialist brand like MH, so comments from experienced users on sites like this are very valuable!

Thank you - sometimes it's good to be wrong! And those links are great. I'm going to have a good read of that whole FAQ section tonight.

I could be wrong, but that sounds like a mod that can only be done to the ULN-8, as the LIO-8 has no mic preamps to boost?

Hi jtwrace - I don't suppose they told you exactly how much more gain that would provide? Obviously I don't expect it would get up to the 60dB I'm currently getting from my phono stage, but getting it up past 40dB might be enough if I'm recording at 24 bits.

Thanks for clarifying that, George. Any ideas on connecting the Apple TV to the LIO-8? It just occurred to me that I might be able to use my existing soundcard (RME FF400) to convert the optical SPDIF to coaxial/AES.

Hi all I've signed up here to ask a couple of questions about the LIO-8, which I'm very close to pulling the trigger on. It would be a replacement for my current RME Fireface 400. Firstly, I would be using it to digitise my vinyl collection. My current phono setup uses a low-output Benz MC cartridge into an Ayre P-5xe phono stage providing 60dB of gain, 1000 ohms input impedance, running balanced in and out. The Ayre is a pretty well-regarded phono stage, by all accounts, and I'm very happy with the sound I'm getting. However I'm intrigued by the possibility of using the LIO-8 for RIAA duties, but I'm a bit confused by where the gain would come from. Am I right in thinking that, without the ULN preamps, the LIO-8 can only provide +31.5dB of gain? This seems to be a lot less than what my Ayre is providing and could well be a problem, given the low output of my Benz cartridge (0.42mV @ 3.54cm/s). Maybe I would be better off with a ULN-2 as it has much more gain? I'm also unsure how the higher input impedance would affect the cartridge's response? My second question is about connecting an Apple TV to the LIO-8. I currently connect it to my Fireface 400 by optical SPDIF (Toslink) and it sounds good. The LIO-8 does not have an optical input, only AES/EBU, so is there a simple way to get the Apple TV to talk to the LIO-8? Again, the ULN-2 does have a Toslink input, so perhaps it's more suited to my needs? My only concern is that I've read so many people saying that the LIO-8's converters are a major step up from the ULN-2's converters and I want to get in on the action! Many thanks, and if these questions are answered elsewhere, perhaps someone could point me in the right direction! Will