Solid competition for any price point, unless you really need more than 48khz (pro-tip, you don't & please use 44.1 or 88.2 anyway), there's no reason to spend more.

Wanted to mic a 7-piece drum kit, however, not only did my UMC1820 not have enough mic preamps, but is also on the other side of the room. Got an ADA8200 & couple of 30-foot Toslink cables and both problems were instantly solved!

I bought the ADA8200 as a companion to the Behringer UMC1820 audio interface to expand the inputs with the extra 8 channels that I am using for other synths, so that I have everything plugged in and won't need to deal with a patchbay for my setup. The ADA8200 works when the connected audio interface is used in a DAW - the computer is needed to hear the inputs on the ADA8200. If you plan on using it with the UMC1820, check that the front button on 1820 is set to ADAT - it's a small button, easy to accidentally press without knowing it. I had this very issue - didn't notice that I touched that button, and it was on the S/PDIF mode, so no wonder that I wasn't getting sync from the UMC1820, I tried other Toslink cables. So I thought that something was wrong with my ADA8200 - I submitted a support ticket. Sweetwater was excellent and quick about sending a replacement unit, a new ADA8200, it got here the next day via FedEx Express at no charge. My email and phone call to Sweetwater the day before about figuring out the problem were too late; the package was already on its way. I will be returning this replacement unit they sent, as the original one works fine.

I can't for the life of me figure out why people would want all their instrument/mic cables coming in through the front. All my other rackmount stuff has I/O at the back which means I have to loop patch cables from the back to the front of the case and deal with cables dangling over other gear.

If you're specifically using these for mics, then you should buy two of them since you can only control phantom power for the whole unit. I basically have one for phantom power and label it that way on the front, and one for condensers and instruments and label that. I still live in fear that I will hit the phantom power button by accident and blow out everything connected to it at once. I wish there was a little safety cover or something.

In terms of function and quality, they have never let me down. It's only been a year so still early days, but so far, zero issues.

That said, I've had it with the front cabling thing so they will likely get replaced when the opportunity arises. Cable management sucks enough without that additional challenge.

I'm a fan. The preamps seem rather quiet and the unit, as well as its "parent" (the UMC 1820) seem reliable.

That said, bear in mind that this is a "bare bones" eight channel expansion module; there' no pad available, and P48 switches ALL inputs at once. For me, these are not the least bit concerning as the UMC 1820 switches P48 in banks of four. So...you may have to plan your mic allocation in advance as things like the pad ARE found on each pre on the UMC 1820.

Anyway, put this together with a UMC 1820 and you have a nice 16-channel system. This is my 2nd UMC 1820 - the other is interface to an older pre that has ADAT, and like the ADA200 it is used as an eight-channel expansion.

I have had zero issues running it with Reaper as well as CuBase, and it worked right from the get go.

No, this isn't for everyone, but I would strongly suggest the AD8200 to those looking to get very clean audio on a comparatively low budget. If the AD8200 had pad and individual P48 it would likely be another $ or so. Anyway, it's basic, but good, and reliable.

Purchased the ADA8200 to amplify microphone and instrument signals on stage before connecting to the analog mixing board. Plugged the inputs (after the DI box, for the instruments) into the front panel and plugged the connection to the mixer into the output ports on the rear. NO SIGNAL output. Read a review on another site, purchased an optical cable and used it to connect the ADAT IN and OUT ports on the rear. Success!

Three stars because the Quick Start Guide does not address this issue clearly. Otherwise, satisfied with its performance and price point.

Paired with my Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 for additional ADAT channels. Had issues initially setting up, due to my own ignorance, and called sweetwater's support team. They walked me through quickly and got everything running as intended. Meets my needs for additional channels for live recordings. And as always sweetwater's customer service is on point.

Bought this to add a bunch of extra inputs to my SSL 12. The preamps in the ADA8200 are good, but definitely not AS good as the ones in my SSL 12. For drum mic preamps, I bet they would be fantastic, but I haven't done that yet. That said, I really only use the ADA8200 for line inputs (synth, guitar modeler, CD/Cassette player, etc). For that it works amazingly well. Solidly built, no issues, solid connection via ADAT cable. I like that all the inputs are on the front. Eliminates the need for a patch bay when I want to patch things in. Solid mains power connection too. Really is pretty amazing at that price.

The product is perfect if you are trying to add via ADAT more channels to your current audio interface. I previously worked with an Scarlett 18i8, which only has probably 8 analog inputs. If you want to use all of its 18 channels, you will need to expand the inputs via ADAT. This product is so affordable and works flawlessly. I now have an Apollo Twin X and an Apollo X6, and so I added a second ADA8200 to my system. Again, perfect. I truly recommend. The quality of the preamps is good for my application which is basically connect my synthesizers. It's my only Behringer product, but it's perfect for this application. All other options in the market are way more expensive and for my application does not make sense. Go for it.

I I'm not using the inputs at all. I am running the outputs (someone else's complex QLab show) though the eight outs into tha mains for him to mix, and the sounds is quite pristine using the ADAT IF on my Focustie Scarlette 18i16 Gen4. . Zero problems. I'm sure the mic-pre's are exactly what I paid for, but it matters not on iota to me.

CANT BEAT IT. 8 ins & outs with close to UA quality Converters. its a no Brainer for under $

Satisfied Customer. so impressed i got 2 of them behringer came a LongWay

Loop the ADAT in to the out and it unofficially functions as a standalone 8 in and 8 out mic pre. Just remember that phantom power is for all channels or none. I haven't had a chance to use this unit the way it was designed since the interface that goes with it is backordered. Hopefully I get one soon enough to know if this expansion pre/interface is a dud. But I used it by itself through a compressor, ran to a scarlett interface and it sounds really good. The main concern I have with this unit is that the gain knob needs to be cranked nearly 70% in order to get a loud enough signal from it. It's like gain hardly works until you get up to that point. Not a big deal, maybe that is how they all work. I'm new to using more than just a mic and interface for my music and podcast recording. I plan to record praise and worship bands through this unit when my interface arrives. I rate this only 4 stars because like I said, I haven't used it fully featured yet. And it requires a weird way of using it like any regular mic pre. When I first bought this unit, I just assumed that a preamp works like a preamp. No this thing is simply an expansion interface. For lack of better words, its an accessory. You will not get the outputs to work unless you run the ADAT out to the In port, or unless you connect this to a compatible ADAT interface. That is really strange but yet the thing still works and sounds good. Better than the scarlett solo preamp I was used to. I'll leave another review when I get the interface.

I bought of these after looking at the back of my S32 stage box and realizing I could access returns 17-32 via the two ADAT ports on the back. BOOM! Now I can use the outs on the S32 for wedges and PA... and use the additional outputs on the ADA8200s for IEM when necessary. I leave two 8ch XLR fan cables attached to these units and pull them out to hit my IEM racks. Perfecto!

I needed additional inputs in order to record my band's practice sessions and the ADA8200 has proven satisfactory in nearly every respect. I have the ADAT cable running from the Behringer into a Focusrite Clarett+ interface. There was a minor issue getting the devices' clocks to sync and stay locked but once that was resolved, this configuration has been completely stable.

Despite its price, which is far lower than other eight channel strips, the preamps are clean with plenty of gain on tap. It would have been nice to have had a couple of channels designated as instrument inputs, suitable for direct guitar or bass signals. A direct box would work for that but I'm using the instrument inputs on the Clarett for guitars with everything else running through the ADA8200.

One major advantage of the Behringer vs. similar units is that all the input connections are located across the front of the unit. I mounted it just under the front edge of a big desk and it's much easier and more flexible to plug mic and 1/4" cables right into the front rather than fishing around in the back.

If you need moreinputs, and you have an ADAT / lightpipe equipped interface, the box is definitely worth your consideration. Thanks, as always, to Todd Cotten for his advice and support.

What better way than to get the extra channels I needed to my MBOX by getting this Behringer ADA8200. Now I can have my extra keyboards, samplers, drum machines, guitar pre plugged in all the time ready to go for those inspired moments when I do want to spend time patching cables. Mic and line inputs with phantom power that sound great for an incredible incredible price $. With both ADAT cables in/out hooked up I can use the 8200 as a master clock or a slave. That you Sweetwater and Cameron for the suggestion.

I've been recording with the Behringer UMC1820 for the past 3 years and it has been miserable. Terrible headroom. Everything that comes thru it is flat and muddy. I was just constantly fighting to get half-decent recordings.
Then I added an ADA8200 to it and immediately noticed that it had much more headroom. The UMC clipped on the preamp LED before clipping in the DAW, but the ADA was clipping in the DAW before clipping the preamp LED. I did some comparison recordings and the same 8 mics on 4 guitar speakers sounded better thru the ADA than the UMC.
I recently got a PreSonus Quantum 2626 Thunderbolt 3 interface and a new PC. I did comparison recordings of the Quantum vs UMC1820 the Quantum blew it away. More clarity and much louder/stronger recorded signals without clipping.
Then I put the ADA8200 on the Quantum and recorded the same mics thru the Quantum preamps and the ADA preamps running thru the Quantum... They don't sound much different and have similarly higher headroom than the UMC. So I got a 2nd ADA when they went on sale recently, and now have 24 inputs thru the Quantum interface.
I was getting ~50ms round-trip latency in Live 12 with the UMC and now 5ms on a 128 sample buffer with the Quantum.
I know the preamps in the UMC and ADA are all supposedly the same Midas preamps, but the ones in the ADA are so much better. Maybe running them thru the Quantum is helping them out, but even when it was running thru the UMC, it was providing higher headroom and better sound.
I can't give it 5 stars because it's not perfect, but you won't get anything better than this without paying at least 3x as much.
It doesn't have any instrument level inputs or 1/4" outputs, so you'll need a converter from XLR to do any reamping, and you'll have to use an instrument level input on your interface to plug a guitar straight in.
Also, if your interface has direct monitoring, you won't be able to use it with the ADA inputs. There's no way to hear what's plugged into it without routing it thru a DAW.
It's limited to 24-bit and 44.1k or 48kHz, so if your interface can do 96k or 192kHz, you have to use it at 48kHz if using the ADA thru it.
And phantom power is on or off for all 8 preamps, it doesn't even have 2 banks of 4 each on a switch like the UMC does.
I've been disappointed with just about every other Behringer device I've had, but this one is surprisingly good, especially considering how bad the UMC1820 is. Thr UMC does perform well, though, handled large projects with much less skipping, glitching, and dragging, than a Focusrite Clarett+ 8Pre I returned.
The ADA8200 is the cheapest way to add 8 more decent preamps to your ADAT-capable interface.

Behringer strikes again with a killer piece of gear for the price. 8 awesome mic pre-amps ready to connect to your system via ADAT. What's not to love?

I purchased this on sale and am blown away by the quality! This is exactly what I needed to expand my studio.

It was an easy decision when I needed to expand available channels on my interface.

Sweetwater's staff knows there stuff!
Kevin listen to my problem and he had the solution.

I was looking for something to expand on my SSL12 and I couldn't be happier! If you are looking for more inputs this is a no brainier at this price point. I connected via ADAT, and I was recording a full drum kit in no time. Super simple. Everything worked as it should right out of the box.

Amazing piece of gear easy to connect brilliant sounding no second thoughts of buying it , solid build tidy rack space the manufacturer has done a great job,

You can't beat this thing for the price! I had low expectations, but this thing works great! Used it to add 8 more mic inputs. The Mic Pres are very clean, and the unit seems to be a quality build. 5 Stars!

I do not have a critical listening/recording environment, and so cannot claim that the ADA8200 can or cannot deliver upscale results. I merely needed more analog input to expand my Scarlett 18i20 for the purpose of recording drums with four mics + multiple vocals and mic'd instruments. I find the Behringer preamps to be compatible with the Scarlett pres; and I am enjoying the freedom and flexibility it gives me to track what I want when I want with minimized hassle.

Very happy I made this purchase choice. I do wish it had all inputs in the back panel -- but that will always be a pro/con issue.

This unit did not require a whole lot of configuration. I set the sample rate to 48k on the rear panel, plugged in the ADAT cables to my Focusrite 18i20 and I was in business.
It doesn't come with ADAT cables so buy some. Also, the manual doesn't specify what color the phantom power switch/indicator means. But green means Phantom power is off, Red means Phantom power is on.
I tried a few mics, no preamps, one WA-47jr, and one Fathead ribbon mic. I had to crank the gain up almost all the way to get a decent signal level with phantom power on. At least with the gain cranked it was still pretty clean, not much noise. With an SM57 I had to turn it up about 75% to get a good level and put my mouth really close to the mic.

I love(d) these little work horses but I bought 4 of them in 2017 and the THIRD ONE THIS YEAR (2023) just crapped out on me so, buyer beware, they clearly have a 6 yr shelf life!

FYI, They never leave the studio and are mostly using synths, just a few mics.

We bought the Behringer ADA8200 preamp to help us boost mic levels for a group podcast we're doing. There are five of us on the podcast, 3x a week, and we frequently have additional guests. To us, it just didn't make sense to spend over $ per line when we could possibly get something that could give us up to 8 preamps for the cost of 2 individual mic preamps.

When we first received the product, we were initially disappointed to learn that the analog inputs only go to an SPDIF output and not straight to the analog outputs. Likewise, the analog outputs only come from the SPDIF input port. After doing a little research, we learned that connecting the SPDIF output and SPDIF input ports with an optical cable will bridge this gap, thereby creating the 8-channel analog input to 8-channel analog output we desired.

This piece of equipment works flawlessly! We get great additional gain on our dynamic mics with absolutely no extraneous noise. Now if only Behringer would add the circuitry to automatically go from the 8 XLR inputs to the 8 XLR outputs automatically, it would be completely perfect! Buying one additional optical cable provided an elegant and easy solution, though.

I'm in the process of buying a house and I have a studio all of me studio equipment is in storage this and other equipment I have brought are waiting for the house purchase I trust behringer products when I get the house and set everything up I can write a true complete review

This is our second ADA8200, which we bought to add another eight output channels to a much more expensive Ferrofish Pulse 16 master clock and converter. In initial tests, we that the ADA8200 didn't sound quite as good as the more expensive Pulse 16. We found that the Pulse 16 had better clarity, a tighter low end, better imaging, and better reverb tails. These are all the usual sales points you hear when you're told that you need to spend more money on better converters. In a later test, I performed a null test by reversing the polarity of one of the identical outputs from the two units. They didn't null. I didn't expect they would, but they weren't even close. This revealed a huge difference between the two converters, which led me to suspect a clocking issue. I then changed the ADA8200 clock source from word clock to ADAT and after that, the signal nulled almost completely. Happily, I could no longer discern any audible between the two converters. The null test doesn't lie. The ADA8200, when clocked properly, is practically indistinguishable from the Pulse 16. That doesn't mean that the Pulse 16 is junk or that the ADA8200 is just as good. It means that proper clocking is way more important than the cost or perceived quality of your converters. If you have a decent master clock and everything is clocked correctly, an affordable product like the ADA8200 will provide outstanding results.

I didn't purchase this unit for the eight microphone preamps. Those are a bonus. I actually bought the ADA8200 because I needed the eight channels of ADAT to analog conversion to supply four stereo mixes from Cubase to a headphone distribution system. This is one of the few products to do that and as far as we've found, the only product in this price range to do so. Our main converter is a FerroFish Pulse 16, which we interface with our DAW using a RME Digiface USB interface. We're moving to analog summing OTB so we'll need all sixteen of the Pulse 16 outputs for that. The ADA8200 gives us the eight outputs we need for those cue mixes, without requiring that we repatch the Pulse 16 every time we want to record.
How do those eight outputs sound? They sound amazing. I'm not going to caveat that with the standard "they sound great for the price range." No, they sound great at any price range and are certainly more than adequate for cue mixes. But how about the preamps? They sound amazing too. They're as good or better than most stock interface preamps, and I'd venture so far as to say they sound just as good as the Audient ASP800 preamps we have. They difference is that they have less available gain that some interface or clean multi-channel preamps and no features, such as low cut filters, pads, or individual phantom power. But those are features you shouldn't expect in a product like this. It's basic. It does the job. And it does so very well.
These are clear, clean preamps with no character. You put a signal in and you get an unaltered signal out. The converters are decent and when we ran line level program music directly into the XLR mic inputs, the preamp and converter held up quite well, with no noticeable clipping or distortion. But when we raised the gain we got the expected clipping and could drive them into complete oblivion. Happily, even that wasn't horrible and for some applications, that kind of clipping might even be useful. But this preamp isn't designed to be clipped. If you have a strong signal and keep away from the red light, you could make a decent record with this unit. It even passed the bluegrass torture test, which will always reveal the mid-range qualities of any equipment. With this test, the sound got a little edgy when we pushed it. But that may be just the kind of bite we may want for a certain sound. Is that sound because of the preamp or because of the the converter? Don't know and don't care. Used properly, this is a serious piece of kit with a mondo bang for the buck!
Besides the lack of front panel features you might find on a more expensive preamp, the sample rates are limited to 44.1 KHz and 48 Khz.

I couldn't have asked for a better way to gain extra inputs into my DAW. The option for ADAT Outputs fit my situation perfect.

this is a good purchase straight up 8 quality mic pres! simple, solid, straightforward. such a good price too. i'm using one to track a drum set and have it connected via ADAT to a cranborn 500R8 that is occupied with EQs and compressors. can't say enough good things about that either but the ada8200 is great and solves my issue until i can fill up another 500 series rack with my desired pres.

Needed more i/o for my Focusrite Scarlett 1820, this works great! Highly recommended.

Rivals anything converter wise, I have tried many, Prism to Universal Audio... So clean and full and warm, crazy price for this... Just be sure you slave it with something that is good aleady and you'll have 8 clean, full and warm conversion. I run mine to a analog board and back from direct outs to a Prism Atlas, the Atlas is the clock and I really cant believe the price for this little guy... Hmmm

Needed more inputs to record a band in my studio. it is working great and sounds great. easy to setup and works well with Cubase.

What a value. I hooked the ADA8200 up and it was operating flawlessly within minutes. Expanded my analogue output in a jiffy. Sounds great. Looks great. Priced great. Shipping was amazing. The product was in my hands in less than 48 hours. Sweetwater service is legendary.Behringer is killing it with this product.

I purchased the ADA8200 to expand my inputs for my home recording and it is working great. It was easy to install and is very compatible with my UMC1820. It also works well with Studio One. I have not yet encountered any issues or problems with any gear I have purchased through Sweetwater. The service has always been great.

I use this to add eight more channels of digital audio to my Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 3rd Gen USB Audio Interface, and it works like a charm. I used to use a line mixer to bring multiple keyboards and other sound sources into the Focusrite after running out of inputs, but that solution had lots of downsides. The ADA8200 lets me add eight more discrete inputs for my outboard gear, separately addressable within my DAW (and the Focusrite control), and without noise. Behringer has come a long way. I have had previous experience with products from Behringer having poor build quality and waited about seven years since my last purchase. But the ADA8200 changed my mind. Although the price is very low, the quality is very reasonable. Good job, Behringer!

Just received this unit a few months ago from sweetwater. Shout out to Mark Bruhn. The unit is on par sound wise with my presonus interface as far as preamps go. Sound almost identical. Now I have all my guitars bass and drums ready to go and armed to record. With many to spare for vocals or anything else needed. For the price these are awesome. So far so good. ADAT works great. Just have to know how to route and configure. I use studio one 5 and was a breeze to configure. However now I'm looking at the new evo 16 from Audient as my master interface as soon as they drop. If you are a home recording or even sub pro and need more ins then this behringer unit is a steal. Also using a behringer beta 98 clone for kick drum and also that thing is a beast. Sounds identical as the site for way less. Built like a tank. Thanks Mark and thanks sweetwater. Next time hook me up with more smarties!!

Instead of buying another interface the ada8200 saved me. It was exactly what I need with my Apollo twin x to give me more outs

Have to admit I really didn't have high expectations about the unit but, it works flawlessly for what I need it for. It's highly underrated!

Worked fine on my older OS but once I upgraded the behringer is no longer recognized by the Apollo as an external source. Don't buy.

Great unit for the price. My go-to input expander, I use 1 of these per Apollo unit.

Previous reviewer said that you can't use this as a standalone preamp. You can--you need to connect ADAT out to ADAT in to connect inputs to outputs.

Just did a small live theatre sound design/audio production job, micʻing 11 actors on 8 wireless (3 swapped pacs) and 4 area mics,
A-D in the ADA8200/UMC1820
USB to MacBook Air
mic switching and minor DSP (noise gating the area mics to reduce excess reverb tail, and compression/limiting on some actors) in QLab,
USB back for D-A on the ADA8200/UMC1820
routed out to house and SDI for live-streaming.

(with buzillion thanks to Robert Koch at Sweetwater for staying on top of the backlog situation to make sure i got the ADA8200 in time for load-in/sound check.)

I use this piece to add 8 more outputs to my S32 stagebox. Just a single optical cable and BAM... 8 more outputs. works great for when I'm running stereo ears and need more I/O.

This is a really good product even though the cost is really cheap. Way worth it.

Handy rack for adding 8 microphone channels to an ADAT interface. Audio is sent out through ADAT lightpipe (standard toslink connectors) and has return channel for 8 outputs in rear.

Before you buy, note that audio *does not* pass through from front to rear. Audio is piped directly to ADAT. If you want to use this unit so it does pass through, use a toslink cable to connect ADAT OUT to IN - this loops back the signal with no loss.

Pros:
- Minimal setup before use
- Individual gain control for each channel
- Toggleable phantom power

Cons:
- No option for internal passthrough

I got this guy to take over my little mixer that was connecting 5 synths to my Audient ID14 interface. I started using Logic a lot and needed/wanted more inputs in additional to the 2 for my interface. Now everything is connected in its own stereo input and it works very well. The unit itself is a bit light weight, but for the cost and immediate expansionist input, it's hard to beat. I am a home hobbits so the 40s sample rate work fine for me (especially since if you go up to the 90s you know get 4 inputs due to ADAT limits). Since I don't use a rack of any sort I've built some mahogany end cheeks to replace the rack ears and create some space below the unit to route all the audio cables. It makes it look like a real high end unit. I would highly recommend for anyone looking for an affordable ADAT expansion.

Tried to use this to expand my inputs for my Tascam US-16x08. XLR outputs produce no signal. Only compatible with ADAT apparently. Will have to return after waiting months on the order.

I have owned 4 of these over the years. Every last one of them died. One was covered under warranty but it took a lifetime to replace and that is why I owned so many of them. I bought two, one died, sent it in, took forever, bought the third, second one was replaced by a new one... 4 total. All of them died after about a year and a half.
So, 2 stars because while they lasted, they had fair preamps (for the price) and good converters (again, for the price).
I will never buy another one but if you need something cheap to take care of a short term setup, these probably will be a good deal for you. If you want quality that will last, don't buy one.
I have owned many Behringer products over the years. Several have died early deaths being used only in a studio. Others have lived very longs lives. I think it is a roll of the dice with Behringer. I have mics that seem to last forever (and great for the price). These things, after 4 that died in less then 2 years, in a studio environment, being used part time..... expect to come up snake eyes.

The Behringer ADA8200 has been a nice addition to my workspace. The ADA8200 price point and it's clarity via ADAT was great purchase. I'm now able to expand my Apollo x4 interface inputs from 4 to now 12 by using the ADAT Toslink functions with the ADA8200.

I was a little skeptical when I first bought this product thinking it was too good to be true. I'm using an Apollo Twin mkii and needed more input channels, since the Apollo has only 2 channels. After researching, I stumbled upon this product which later went on sale. I took a chance and I'm glad I did. Now I have 10 channels, and I can have the band jam with me on my livestreams. If you're on a tight budget, need to expand your input channels, and want a good sound — this is the best value preamp on the market (in my opinion).

Paired this with my presonus 1824c.
Now I have 16 channels of recording.
All with a single optical cable.
Very clean preamps.

I needed to include my drum set so I am not constantly re-patching. The ADA8200 works perfectly. Midas pre amps, easy hook up (2 light pipe cables), and the price was really good.

Absolutely The Perfect Solution To My Studio Situation.
After A Consultation With My Sales Representative Paul Rowan, I Learned I Didn't Have To Spend As Much Money Aa I Thought.
That's Why I Shop At Sweetwater.
IHave A Sweetwater Room.
I Will Continue To Do Business With Sweetwater & Their Team.
My Sales Associate Paul Rowan Checks On Me & My Progress.
I Recommend & Support Sweetwater. You
Leslie LeStyle Johnson
GlassHeart Productions inc

This Behringer pre amp unit is very easy to use and has a pretty good sound too. It is pretty much plug and play with my UA Apollo x4. I'm using it to track and stream drum machines and synths.
The biggest draw for this product is the price and I can't find any other brand new product that even comes close for 8 ins and outs for less than $400

Just plug in BOTH digital ADAT lines, set sync to ADAT and works with no issues and your audio rate is set from your DAW. I don't use the outs on it, but you still need the ADAT out to get the clock from the Behringer 1820 to the 8200. This allows your DAW to set the audio rate and nothing else has to be set up. I use he extra inputs to remotely connect a rack of vintage hardware synths.

Got this for the home CoVid studio. Awesome. 8 pre-amps. Elevated our inputs to real studio sound. Great value for 8 pre-amp inputs and outputs. Unlike the FAQ info, you can optical out to optical in with an optical cable and get the 8 analog out into a board. Low noise and clear signal. Highly recommended.

Professional results! I used this to expand my inputs on the scarlett 18i20 that im using rn, but i got plenty of outboard analogue preamps and now i am running them through this without a problem... The only thing i can complain of is the TRS 1/4 inputs, they´re worthless, dont even try connecting something there, it says they´re balanced but when i tried to connect my preamps there, the audio signal was lowered, and poor in quality, i just switched cables for XLR and close the Behringer midas preamp fader to 0 and my preamp is working flawlessly, so if you have a setup like me Focusrite 18i20 or one of those 8 channel interfaces that come with the adat option, go for this! On time you will have better preamps that you will be able to connect here and do whatever you want with your drum tracking, great unit! I would say is a must for studios that record drums professionaly and amateur as well!

Have been using an audiobox 1818vsl in my home stufio and just wasnt happy with the sound of my drum recordings. I wanted more channels and better pres and this unit delivered! Not the best pre's ive ever heard but unbeatable for the price tag! My drums now sound punchy and my overheads are crystal clear before any processing

Expanded inputs on my Apollo. Now I can spend more money at Sweetwater on gear! Only person who doesn"t like it is the wife.

I purchased this to work with me RME UFX, wow, plugged it in & it went to work right a way, no issues! It sound fantastic with every instrument! Vocals sounded great. WOW, great price, great sound!

I'm very pleased with this item. I own two so I can add 16 channels to my Focusrite Claret 8Pre X. Works beautifully.

This preamp/ADAT converter beats everything in its price range, full stop. I'm using it together with RME UFX and Focusrite Clarett ADAT and believe me - in everyday use you won't find any difference in sound quality if you need it for backing vocals, synths or bass. For vocal/acoustic instruments work, I would still go for my RME plus vintage tube preamp, but take a look at a price tag and admit - it is unbelievable!

Deeper loop converting processes show slight degrading of the material, but who to hell is going to re-convert the same material over and over for 10 times?

If your budget is limited and you still want to go big, just go for ADA8200!

With a simple Optical cable, I added 8 channels to my audio interface. This makes multi-track recording a drumset alongside a few amps and vocals so much easier. The Mic-Preamps sound great on the drum mics we used too, no complaints about that at all! Only annoying thing is that the inputs are on the front, so it's not too friendly sitting on my desk with 8 cables running into it, but that's a personal issue.

For the price, these can't be beat. I use them with my UR824 to get 24 channels of I/O, and they work very well.

Pros:
• Price
• Reliability (been running over a year with no issues)

Cons:
• Noisy - if you have to crank the gain up for any reason, they are not clean
• Gain knobs are not detented, so it's a pain to adjust stereo channels to the same exact level

If you need to expand your I/O on a budget, these will do the trick.

Very impressed with the quality and simplicity of this rack device. Needed to add a few more XLR channels to my Apollo 8 setup, and this does this trick very well. I called Sweetwater as I needed it last minute, and Scott was awesome at not only getting it to me with time to spare, but mentioning the need for the word clock cable since I had no idea if it was necessary or not. Setup was easy, just plug it in to my Apollo via ADAT and the word clock, tell Apollo to look for it, and done! I didn't think it would be as good as it is... but I'm pleasantly surprised. For a home studio guy doing some light recording/engineering at work, this fits the bill nicely. Recommended for those on a budget who need to expand their inputs.

I agree with the other positive reviews. Super price to quality ratio.

What I wanted to suggest is that if you already own high-end converters like my 20 channels of Lavry Blue DA and AD (that cost over 30 times as much, and do in fact sound better than the ADA8200) you can still successfully integrate the Behringer into your system. I suggest running your most exposed channels (vocals, lead guitar, bass, kick, snare, kit overheads, stereo acoustic guitar, etc.) through the best converters you have, and then assign "lesser" channels (occasional backing vocals, toms, low level percussion, etc.) through the Behringer ADA8200. I defy most people to hear the resultant "loss of quality" on those "secondary" tracks in final mix. The ADA8200 is good enough to really only be of obvious lesser quality (not as open and deep on stereo sources, not as tight a bottom end, etc.) if doing an upfront A/B comparison on one instrument at a time.

The bottom line is that I've added 16 channels of ADA8200 to my high-end rig to give myself more channel count "headroom" to expand when I need more overall channels input or output, at the same time, without any obvious loss of overall quality. Cool!

Conversely, if you're just starting out with your first DAW rig, consider using the ADA8200 now, since it may not become obsolete if and when you upgrade to more expensive converters.

Final note: I've also used the ADA8200 for separate monitor mix sends from my DAW; the talent have never been happier with their pristine stereo headphone mixes!

What more can be said of the ADA8200? 8 channels of AD and DA with mic preamps at this price point is a great deal. I needed 16 more mic ins for a mobile rig and wanted to keep the price down so I purchased two. Nothing else in this price range with these features and I"m pleased with the performance on non critical tracks.

I paired this with my 1st Gen Focusrite Scarlett 18i8. 1 ADAT cable to connect from the unit to my interface and VIOLA! that was the installation. I am extremely impressed with the build quality of this unit. At this price point I was expecting it to be chinsy. Well, its not chinsy. This thing has a metal case and is put together very well. I just plugged it in, made it the master, chose ADAT on my interface and it was up and running in less than 30 seconds!! Now I just wish my Focusrite had an ADAT out so I could utilize the 8 outputs for out of the box mixing. If this thing holds up it will be the deal of a lifetime!!

Used twice at home to test... Took to gig and could not even use it for a paperweight. All lights flashing, no way to reset and nothing can be done to fix it. Waste of money.

This unit does exactly what I needed it to do. I needed to add analog inputs to my recording rig, and I wasn't using the ADAT optical inputs on my 828mk3. This was just what the doctor ordered, and to works great! It's a bonus to have 8 analog inputs on the front of my audio rack! I bought two of because I also have an Apollo Twin Duo that i use primarily to record guitar and bass. Now I can take advantage of the the Apollo's ADAT optical inputs, and add 8 more analog inputs when I need them!

Thanks again to Ryan Murray, my sales advisor and Sweetwater!

I purchased one of these after quite a bit of research,for use as an extra 8 tracks with my Focusrite 18i20.I am extremely pleased,the preamps sound great.I was concerned before I bought it that I wouldn't like the sound of the preamps as much as on my Focusrite(which is a great unit),but they sound fantastic.Clean!And,of course Sweetwater had it to me in a few days,in perfect condition.

Had the earlier version of this (x4 for the studio) and was not impressed, the stepped gain pots made finessing the gain impossible and almost always, ALWAYS was either a little too quiet or just a bit too loud. They also crapped out on me after a while and I was dubious about re investing in teh same brand till I read the reviews on the upgrade.

The new Mic Preamps (from Midas) are audibly better and I can adjust the gain smoothly. So far they have been solid as a rock. I have 4 of these running through a Focusrite Rednet3 into cicso gigaport ethernet switch and on to Dante Virtual Sound Cards on up to 4 computers at a time (Dante Controller) accepting all 32 channels of audio with the least amount of latency I have ever (not) heard. Dreamy. Oh, and they are red now. ;-) Insanity. Seriously, look into Dante. Audio over ethernet. amazing.

I am giving this a 5 star rating based on the price,functionality,performance. These units were upgraded from the older ADA8000, use Cirrus Logic converters and MIDAS designed preamps. Basically, Behringer did the equivalent of the BLA ADA8000 modification for their ADA8200, creating a "cleaner"signal path. You will have to pay MUCH more money to get a higher quality conversion DAC and upgrades to internal signal path S/N ratios, and while you can buy other preamps in a similar price-range that have better metering, hi-z inputs, etc.,they still use Cirrus Logic components(DP8 or the MkII Octopre's come to mind, good devices too). Having said that, the CL's are very decent, no dissing from me. If you need to add 8 preamps to your interface at 24-bit 44.1/48kHz AD/DA conversion, this is an excellent way to go. Otherwise, consider models with Burr-Brown converters(Audient) or go big-time with high $ tube/FET units from Universal Audio. The ADA 8200 is a steal of a deal for the small studio set-up,and if you add in the super high quality service from Sweetwater, it's a no-brainer. Do not hesitate to purchase if you are on a budget.

It's a great/affordable way to add 8 analog ins and outs to my MOTU 896 via lightpipe.

I think this Mic Pre is great. Not expensive and it's exactly what I was looking for to record drums at home. The service I received from Sweetwater was very good also. Fast and Friendly. I'll definitely be shopping with them a lot!!!!

BEST VALUE IN AN 8-UNIT MIC PRE + INTERFACE FOR THE $ ON THE MARKET! Clean, transparent Midas mic pres in a useful, clean package. I needed 8 inexpensive mic pres for an Avid 192 with an extra 8 digital inputs that I needed to use where I'm running Protools 10HD. This ADA8200 does the job nicely. Probably the best $ I've spent since I started building my studio. Sweetwater YOU ROCK!!!

I easily connected it to my Apollo dual twin interface. It works great with no complaints.

I connect the adat to a Focusrite Liquid 56 for home use and this item is quite and a good line in with above average headroom for the money this thing cost.

We rated it on Sweetwater scale as GREAT. Had a problem with our high $, 8 mic ADAT I/O preamp-converter, so in a pinch we ran this in tandem with an Audient iD14. Pro gear,got the job done,huge WOW factor. We were glad to get the high $ back in-line, but the ADA8200 impressed us enough to warrant a shout out. Highly recommended.

Use this baby every time we fire up the studio. Midas pres on this are crisp and clean with plenty of headroom. Used in tandem via optical light pipe and give my FCA1616 addition of 8 more channels - especially nice for tracking drums and larger bands. Great Behringer quality yet again!

You couldn't ask for a better way to expand your interface.

My band self-records. This handled our eight mic drum recording setup like a champ, with great tone coming from the Midas preamps. $200 is a steal.

I bought the Behringer ADA 8200 because my Motu 24Ao has no analog inputs. This with two optical ADAT connectors, now gives me 32 channels of analog outputs for my new Presonus 32 channel digital mixer, and 8 analog inputs, microphone or line. 32 channels is more than enough.

Bought a pair of the ADA8200 to add to a rig with a Samson PL1602 line mixer. After I got everything hooked up, no worky. I was attempting to use the Analog input / preamps and sending the Analog outputs from each channel to the line mixer. What is not clear in the documentation is that the ADA8200 is technically two separate components, an A->D piece which takes your analog XLR/TRS inputs and converts/sends them to the digital optical output, and a D->A piece which takes an 8-channel digital optical input and converts/sends those to the 8 Analog XLR outputs. In order to use these as A->preamp->A components, all I needed to do was to bridge the digital optical out to the digital optical in, and it worked perfectly as an A->A preamp.

TL/DR; it's an A->D, and a D->A, and it can also be an A->A if you bridge the optical out->in. The sound quality is excellent and I'm a happy camper.

I've owned a fair amount of Behringer gear and I've actually never had any issues with any of it. Granted, it's "bargain" equipment, with some gear noisier than others, but still a really good value for the price. The ADA8200 is perhaps one of the best pieces of Behringer gear I've ever purchased.

The set up is so simple, it's almost hard to mess up! In my setup, I'm using an M-Audio 1814 FireWire interface. I set the Sync switch on the back of the ADA8200 to Master 48.0 Khz, plugged the optical cable into the Out of the ADA8200 and into the In on the M-Audio 1814 and that was it. Of course, I had to check the settings in the audio control panel for the M-Audio to ensure that it was set up to sync to external clock.

I've only been using the unit for a couple weeks, but it's been flawless so far. The preamps don't seem to offer quite as much gain as the built-in preamps on the M-Audio, but they still offer plenty; more than enough for my needs. I haven't needed to use the outputs yet, so I have no comment on those.

The red finish on this unit is really nice to look at. It's a well put together piece, but is standard fare for Behringer, meaning it's not the most rugged unit with the highest quality parts. The knobs are sturdy enough, but not as "solid" as on something like the Focusrite Scarlett 18i20. As with the rest of the Behringer gear I've owned, however, with proper care, I expect it to last for years. I still have a rack mount mixer and a headphone preamp that are both over 12 years old and still work fine.

Overall, I don't think you can beat this unit for the price and features and I highly recommend it to anyone looking to add 8 channels of ADAT to their setup.

There is a reason why this product and its predecessor are the most popular products by Behringer ever to be sold. It's a great unit for expansion for any USB audio interface that has ADAT in and out functionality. I pair it with a Focusrite 18i20 for a total of 16 inputs at 44.1 kHz. Most 8 mic pre ADAT preamps like this cost higher than the original price of the interface, so if you are looking for a budget solution that will get the job done, buy this. Thank you Behringer for a great product, and thank you Sweetwater!

I purchased the ADA8200 to add more inputs to my Presonus 2626/Studio One rig. The newest driver for the 2626 will not work with the ADA8200. You will need the original driver that was shipped with the 2626. I have the ADA8200 linked via TOS slave and CLOCK. I am tracking live band rehearsal 15-16 tracks at a time without issue. I placed the instruments on the ADA8200 and left the vocals and keys on the 2626. The sound off the ADA8200 if pretty darn good with detail, perhaps a little better than the 2626. Since I can't A/B higher end interfaces $200 was a safe investment. I am using MXL for drum overhead and room, Behringer XM8500 for bass, vocals, e109 guitars, Audix D6 kick, SM57 snare....the regular Joe basement equipment. This setup will do well for basic demos and recording ideas.

Because of the price I could have just as easily have given this 5 stars, but that would leave no room for the next version. I compared the inputs to Focusrite Saffire Pro 40 just for kicks. I used a Cascade C77 Ribbon Mic Plugged in directly and just talked into it to see what the signal to noise ratio was like. It had more noise than the Focusrite in this setup. However, when using a FedHead filter with Phantom Power, I couldn't tell the difference. What this tells me is that this device is most appropriate for things like Live Drums, Miked amplifiers, and anything with a preamp on it like a keyboard, guitar processor, vocal preamp, etc. Phantom power is on all 8 channels at once when activated. However, if you have XLR to TRS cables, you could work your way around this limitation. Just be sure they're TRS not TS. I was surprised at how well this was able to sync and expand the Focusrite. I'll do more testing once I get it connected to an old MOTU 828 Mk II.

A great inexpensive way to turn a Digi003 (or comparable device) into a 16 analog input recording setup. Once you connect a Digi003 to your Protools rig it does not allow any other devices to be accessed simultaneously. But it will recognize the ADAT light pipe connection which is where this unit comes in. I use this in my portable rig for recording live musicians and for that the converters are fine. I have not done an A/B comparison with other devices. But I bet you'd be hard pressed to find anything better in this price range.

We've been using 4 of these for about 4 weeks in conjuction with the RME HDSPe RayDAT to multitrack our church services into Sonar and have had zero issues. These are cheap units so the preamps aren't amazing, but perfectly fine for our purposes.

there is no better or more cost effective way to add 8 pristine mic pre's to your system - period. Hook up a couple fiber-optic cables and your ready to rock... it's a no-brainer... why are you still reading this... hit the add to cart button and get back to making music.