Okey dokey, the text did go weird. Here is the data in sentence form.
At max gain, the USBPre 2 (U2) clips with an input level of -60dBu. The ADA8000
(A8) clips at -41dBu.
At min gain, U2 clips at -7.5dBu, A8 clips at +13 dBu.
The RMS noise floor of the U2 at max gain is -67dBFS, for the A8 it is -85dBFS.
The noise floor of the U2 at min gain is -106.5dBFS, for the A8 it is -103dBFS.
The gain range between min and max gain is 50dB for the U2, and 51dB for the A8.
--- In "doctorobotnik" <>
wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Back again. Here are the numbers I've got from my rudimentary testing.
> Apologies in advance if the text formatting goes wierd.
>
> USBPre 2 ADA8000
>
> max input level at max gain -60 -41 dBu
> max input level at min gain -7.5 +13 dBu
> noise floor RMS at max gain -67 -85 dBFS
> noise floor RMS at min gain -106.5 -103 dBFS
> gain range 50 51 dB
>
>
> The figures in my original post were off by a few digits due to memory
> leakage. It's important to note that this isn't some kind of stealth attack
> on the USBPre 2, and I don't consider the ADA8000 a piece of field recording
> gear, and that I'm not taking into account the 'sound' of the two units, this
> is mainly about dynamic range. I swear I'm not trolling!
>
> The main thing that concerns me is that at max gain, the Behringer can handle
> a higher input level while simultaneously having a lower noise floor. It
> would be good to hear from someone that could state situations in which this
> would be beneficial. Honestly, it would make me feel better about this box of
> mine with the lovely metering...
>
>
>
>
> --- In "doctorobotnik" <cookcommaben@>
> wrote:
> >
> > Hi all,
> >
> > This is my first post after lurking for several years.
> >
> > I'm a recordist/audio engineer who mainly does audio post and sound design.
> > I'm currently planning a trip to Darwin in northern Australia to record the
> > tropical wet season, specifically the thunderstorms.
> >
> > I made a similar trip last year and there wasn't much storm activity during
> > the period I was there so I ended up with mostly frog and insect tracks
> > (not a bad thing).
> >
> > On that trip I was running 2 x AT4022 > MixPre > PCM-M10. For this year's
> > trip I've bought a SD USBPre 2 which will probably be paired with a Tascam
> > DR680.
> >
> > Some preliminary tests I've done on the USBPre are concerning me slightly,
> > particularly in that my Behringer ADA8000 mic pre/adat interface seems to
> > outperform the USBPre in several important respects. (bear with me on this!)
> >
> > I don't have the measured figures handy (they're at home), but the crux of
> > the matter is that at max gain, with a dummy load (a SM58 with its capsule
> > leads shorted), the USBPre's RMS noise floor is about 25dB higher than the
> > Behringer (approx -60dBFS USBPre vs -85dBFS Behringer).
> >
> > The max input levels show a similar difference. I fed a 1kHz sine wave out
> > of my Emu 1212m, peaking at -1dBFS (which I believe equates to an analog
> > output level of +19dBu), over balanced lines into both devices' mic inputs.
> > By lowering the software master fader I could see the max level each device
> > could accept. At max gain the USBPre clipped at about 20dB lower than the
> > Behringer (can't remember figures, will post later if people want)
> >
> > So it would appear that at max gain the USBPre has a far lower dynamic
> > range than its cheapo comparison box.
> >
> > Does anyone know why this would be the case?
> >
> > I haven't done a direct test with my main mics yet but initially these
> > results are a bit disconcerting. I've seen Raimund's excellent recorder
> > tests and am interested to see how or if my results fit into his framework.
> >
> > I'm interested in hearing your opinions, and thanks for reading this far!
> >
> > Ben
> >
>
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