Avid HD I/O 16x16 Analog Audio Interface Reviews
The next generation of Pro Tools | HD is here! The HD I/O from Avid picks up where the 192 I/O left off, offering improved fidelity and lower latency than its predecessor. Avid also endowed the HD I/O with a slick, soft-knee analog limiter. This dynamics processor, named Curv, catches fast transients, letting you track hotter. No amount of processing power can muscle past poor A/D conversion or clipping. The HD I/O manages both tasks for you, and it handles them beautifully. This version of the HD I/O is equipped with 16 channels of analog I/O.
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Showing All 5 Star Reviews
Still the best
I purchased this almost 10 years ago from Sweetwater. I went with this because of the stellar reviews and how transparent it is. 10 years later it is still the best IMO. I have other AD convertors but none seem to sound as clean as the Avid. The Apogee Symphony make look like a spaceship compared to the Avid but I still think the Avid sounds better!
Heart of our Studio !!!
This is a superb unit !!! AD/DA converters are some of the best I've heard & worked with, very open sounding and has headroom for days!! A critical piece of gear in our studio & a must have for any professional studio.
You'll Be Suprised
In the past you'd buy your Pro Tools rig, and then go get Apogee or some other 3rd party converter so it wouldn't sound like "Pro Tools". Not anymore.
I'm absolutely blown away with how good the 16x16 sounds compared to the converters Digi/Avid used to make. Compare it to Symphony or Orion yourself, and you'll be just as surprised as I was that you'd rather go with the Avid.
THE ABSOLUTE BEST OF THE BEST
I have tried Lynx, Apogee (symphony i/o), so many others but once I got my Avid HD I/O 16x16 I was amazed. I don't know if the sound is so good because of the d-box which serves as my summing mixer and more importantly monitoring via monitors and headphones. This sexy beast gives you 16 Analog I/O 8 Optical I/O, AES/EBU, S/PDIF - compare that to the symphony i/o don't make the same mistake I did. Secondly the Symphony I/O is built cheap this Avid HD interface is built like a tank absolutely amazing. Whatever you do don't go with Apogee. Lynx would be my second favorite and add a D-Box onto it and you have one sexy monster. Trust me I've been searching for HD I/O's for a LONG time now. And don't think the converters and word clock on the Avid I/O are like the old blue and white 192 I/O. ALSO Keep in mind that if you want to continue to upgrade PT HD (i.e. v11, 12,13, et. al) you HAVE TO HAVE an Avid HD I/O. Also when Avid comes out with even better I/O's in the future you can trade this one in and get a discount. JUST STAY AWAY FROM SYMPHONY SYSTEMS!
You Get What You Pay For
I've had quite a few converters throughout the life of my studio. From Digidesign (older Protools gear) to Alesis, to Mackie to Yamaha, Tascam and even Apogee. This, BY FAR, is the best sounding converter I have ever heard. In a side by side comparison between this an my newer Apogee converters, this just sounds more open and clear. The detail is just unbelievable.
Since I'm using a slew of outboard gear, this was the obvious choice for integrating my analog equipment. In addition to the 16 channels of analog i/o, the unit also has ADAT i/o, SPDIF (coax) and AES i/o as well. Keep in mind you can only assign 16 channels of individual i/o at a time, so some creative mapping will come into play if you plan on using the digital i/o with the analog. (you can, however, map digital i/o and analog i/o simultaneously, ie AES out 1&2 and Analog out 1&2 can mirror each other without "using up" another pair of ins and outs).
Worth every cent!!
