in my opinion the best is Prism Titan - Rich, warm, detailed, wider. Cranesong HEDD 192 is well too for those looking for something neutral between clean and character
I've been coming to this comparison for several years, through several sound systems, several studio upgrades, this is a GREAT reference. I'd love the files.
prism sound ad 124 suena increíble muy limpio preservando una estereofonia muy rica y gran profundidad con el ingreso de las cuerdas de la guitarra cargadas con todas las emociones propios de un conversor de alta calidad
I was about to buy a Prism, I was able to compare it with several converters and in the end I stayed with DAD. I even liked Merging more than Prism, but DAD is another story. More transparent, deeper and with a more natural frequency range.
Dream AD has a great midrange warmth so it's pushing male voice a little. I love that sound at this song. HEDD has a great stereo image and high/low-end and neutral and pristine sound.
I Transferred the UA-cam test on my computer matchbook air and I listened separately each DAC and I did not see heavy differences among them, including the cheaper RME
My impression: HEDD sounds nice, very “warm” and “soft”. I always find it a tiny bit muddy or covered, especially in the lower area. Transients are a bit softer, but spatial information can be heard very well. A few details are slightly lost, but it also glues everything together a bit. Sounds somehow very slightly compressed. I've never heard the MADA before, it sounds a bit thinner, but shows more details. Low end is perhaps a touch too unclean. Something bothers me about the stereo image, I can't say exactly what. It sounds slightly unnatural, maybe a bit too wide, or like a slight phasing, it's hard to describe. Overall, a bit too “HiFi” for my taste. I'm missing some "sharpness". Dream-AD sounds nice, not exciting but pleasant. I would like a sharper separation and a little more detail. Titan is similar, but a little less warm, transients seem a little clearer to me. With both Prism DACs I have the impression that quiet details, such as the space of the guitar, are a little lost. Fireface is very analytical, very stable stereo image, sharp separation, clean transients. The details in the bass range are clearer, the cymbal can be heard and located clearly, nothing is obscured. The space on the guitar can be heard well, but I would have expected it to be more noticeable. I think an RME ADI would have an advantage here. Very honest, not very exciting. Spider sounds pretty good to me, I'm hearing it for the first time. Sounds quite nice, a bit warmer, quite detailed, but also a bit "hard". Somehow a little louder and more spatial, as if the music was slightly compressed. A bit like HEDD, slightly more open, but without the "glue". But also tends to have slightly muddy low-mid and low-end. The stereo image sounds a tiny bit narrower. At least that's what I hear today... ;) I prefer to work with RME because of the analytical reproduction. But the HEDD sounds the most beautiful (or perhaps the most musical) to me.
To me the HEDD sounds 'familiar', for lack of a better word. Same thing more or less with the Spider, they both sound highly euphonic and have this not-quite-hyped but still there 'sweetness' to them with the lows and highs, like I'm hearing how my mind's eye might envision playing the song in my head. If anything it sounds like a cartoon in the best way possible. I thought the Forssell sounded flat and more sterile, though highly detailed and has this clinical nature on the bass that might suit other genres better. The Prisms were interesting, the Dream I felt was deep and dynamic but not as musical as the HEDD, it had this effect where the low end of the sound felt like it was extending infinitely below, or at least much deeper compared to the others. The Titan I liked the most, it had everything the Dream had in the lows, but had this depth in the midrange which emphasized the space of the room around the vocal. It came to life in a 3D way, and had a midrange that just sounded natural and beautiful to my ears. The highs were alive and airy but also not hyped, like a smooth sweet and smoky finish on a fine wine. Lastly the RME had some depth and 3D-ness for sure, but felt like it had less of everything characterful that all the other converters had, and hence felt very subdued.
So If I was to send the mixbus out DA into an interface back to the DAW into a channel or a real-time export, would it change the audio / impart their characteristics? Trying to thing of a way to use the converters to full advantage in mixing.
what you are describing wouldn't be the DA it would be the AD. I do what you are describing with a Burl B2 which has a transformer. So you are taking line outs of your interface, into the AD. then a digital from the AD back into your interface (spdif, aes). the way i do it, i create an output and an input for my AD. the output goes to a stereo pair of line outs. those go to the DA and then comes back in with the digital input. i then create an audio track with the input of the AD. i route all my mix elements to that track instead of the stereo out. turn on the monitor and you are then bypassing the AD of your interface and mixing through the external AD. once you are happy with your mix, you can arm the track and record a pass to print. to make it an easier switch i will send everything to group busses even if i'm not really doing group buss processing just so it's an easier rout back and forth if i'm going to need to jump back and forth for any reason.
Call me crazy but always seem to prefer the RME converters for the individual separation and precision (I like that and use an ADI-2 fs and have had the UFX and UCX) but the HEDD (and Spider) are the most saturated/analogue sounding. In fact, now I’m thinking of trying one of those with my HiFi:)
Oh my god I really love the detail of Cranesong! Nothing here as open as this one.. RME sound soo closed with a so much less dimension.. seems like HEDD 192 somehow helps the emotionality cause it allows you to 'receive' those subtle details therefore drags you in to the song more. Beautiful, thank you so much for this. Waiting for my new Aurora (n) to arrive so I hope it will sound as good as the ones from here from an upper price range)
AD124 very nice for this, sound close and warm ... RME sound more "in space" and clinical - but for price ??? ... song very nice btw! Very nice test thank you !
At first I felt that HEDD gave me the 'emotional warmth' of the song but MADA hit the spot.. wider sound, I think more natural and the low end is rounder. Beautiful song btw... congrats
i downloaded the audio, aligned them in my daw. tried to null them by flipping the phase, and couldn't. but i looped many sections and soloed them - and couldn't hear a difference. beforehand i was convinced RME sounded worse than the others... try it yourself. tell me what you discover.
The others sound great but the rme sounds clean and precise. You can add dynamics and color with your amps compressors distressors and such. You will get a more predictable sound if your converters convert without adding or subtracting from the source.
Absolutely! Everyone says that RME stuff is bland etc but that isn’t the case. There isn’t any colouration by design! RME is transparent and that’s exactly what you want in preamps and convertors. Thing is like you say, you can add all the colour and saturation etc you want after the event but if your gear has ‘a sound’ it’s very difficult to remove it. I use RME and I really do think they have absolutely nailed it in their interfaces. The conversion and latency alone is worth it but also, their digitally controlled preamps are the best I’ve used, even against the Prism stuff costing twice the price! Plus, if you are using Windows then absolutely no company makes better drivers. They didn’t rate ASIO and made their own drivers from the ground up whereas most other companies just go with generic ASIO. The latency is practically non existent and they are rock solid! I use a Mac but I recommended RME to a friend of mine who uses PC and he said his guitar amp simulator software works whereas before with his previous interface (Scarlett) it was unusable. RME are the best hands down!
Such a beautiful, haunting song, and equally great recording! I only checked the RME vs the Spider (on my humble B&O h9i). I wanted to hear the difference between cheap vs expensive, and the difference is much bigger than I thought. The general sense of space, and the timbre of the instruments - especially the texture of the acoustic bass and its subtle, but beautiful early reflections... On the RME, these qualities are non existent compared to the Spider. People talk about microphone preamps all the time, but to me, upgrading the converter should be the number 1 priority. A comparison between these boutique converters and the more reasonable RME ADI 2 and Merging Anubis converters would be very, very interesting.
Totally agree with you, the converter is the heart of your studio. You can have the greatest gear of the world but if is not translated sonically at a 100% you don't get the quality that you are expecting from your investment. I'm currently saving money to get the Prism Titan which is one of the best out there.
While I own the HEDD and Prism converters I prefer the Forssell for its ability to expose micro details on this example. Thank you for doing this high quality comparison!
In detail, realism: Forssell, HEDD follows. Prism Dream, very musical, but a little less detail and opens the stereo image so it gives that feeling of depth, these three are followed by Titan, and finally RME. If you have to choose the one that has a bit of all these characteristics, I would say the HEDD. If you are looking for the most neutral I go for Forssell
@@pranzou RME is a top notch interface, the converters as a whole are at a level that the differences became irellevant and very subjective. I tried to fault it, but I can`t.
I'm curious to hear the comparison between these devices and the original. What i think, is that RME can do transparent conversion. I think all these high end convertors colour the sound, although in a very nice way that we love. But otherwise, yes i hear what you refer to.
@@bontempo1271 I'd like to make clear that I have a 24 I/O RME conversion setup and RME usb interface that never gives problems. My observation was purely descriptive of the type of sound as you also have pointed out. Sometimes I think about trying other converters but then I just forget it
Forssell sounds best here, something about the Titan seems to invoke an uplifting momentum to each phrase. I really liked the Spider here !! No-one seems to pick it. A little heavier on the low end maybe, but i like that on these bass notes.
Listening on focal solo6 + sub6, with an RME UFX . I think the RME sounds the worst in these examples, and the prisms sound the best. Not sure if I'm biased because I know how much they cost. But the RME sounds significantly flatter and not as dynamic as the rest of them. I think all of them would do
Dammit. I wish I hadn't sold the Dream AD-124 to Petter... CAN I GET IT BACK? Was mostly using it with an Earthworks preamp to record podcasts though...
1. Spider - quality and best musical texture 2. hedd 192 - quality all around 3. Forssell - good tingle upper mid 4. two Prism - no charming point but better than rme 5. rme - not usable.
Hey! Amazing recording! Which version of hedd are u using to capture? Is the most recent version (quantum) or an older version? Also what cranesong da converter is in your egret?
@@thedevilsadvocate5210 when you are doing the playback of the same song on different converters it's nearly impossible to hear any difference worst in mp3 with the same dynamic range in youtube , when choosing a converter the specs are important and you need to record different takes to compare the input of the adc's with the same preamp to determine the difference
I think this test methodology is flawed, since I don't know what the original sounds like. I want a converter that sounds as transparent as possible, so ideally I'd want a loopback recording over many generatation and see which converter changes the sound the least.
I m surprise to see how many people can hear this much difference between all this converters. I have a great headphone (DT 880 pro) and i train my ears from long time but i see no difference. Can you explain how you do to hear difference? Can u do the same ranking in a blindtest?
Ive been there before, no worries. You just have to know what to listen for .... Upper Midrange 1-6k region, stereo width / dimension, the shape of transients (pluck off the guitar, the diction of words), General openness 9K + .... If this was dance music then the same would apply with the addition of listening to the transient of percussive bass elements. Hope it helps
Example listen to the detailed fluctuations on the sustained string in the back .... 0:35 compared to 04:23 , also listen to the sense of depth front to back in this section which is very dynamic. And general openness of the HEDD compared to Prism Titan on this part. You can hear and feel how it swells more on the HEDD, where as it sounds levelled out on the PRISM
I can't hear a big difference with DT 880, I can hear a big difference with DT 1990 Pro. You are not the problem, but the listening system. And consider that the 1990 DTs are not even the best ...
Your assessment of not hearing any difference is the most accurate one. If you do a null test, its quite hard to know if what i hear is from the converter or just the youtube compression. I cant hear a diff when I play these side by side in a daw. I doubt people who listen to it in youtube, will hear anything objective. I don't deny that there technically might be a difference somehow, but honestly, its just so negligible, that my adam A7X-s wont show them. As it is, this test itself is actually really awesome. It was almost even perfectly level matched.
I always have to think from a practicality standpoint, must be me becoming an old man, but imo 1. Titan 2. RME (only because bang for buck and it’s close to Titan with a little less detail) 3. Forssell: it does sound good but I think Titan beats it in regard to largeness and warmth, and the forssell is ridiculous on price and not worth the money pound for pound. In my humble opinion
The cranesongs were bottom of list for me. I come from using Burl Motherships and their mastering cards so I’m very biased, and I must say I was pleasantly surprised with the RME and Titan. Especially for the price point
what defines the best in this situation? is it the overall sound to be milky or sorta delicious or is it the overall projection capability of the frequencies and their optimum behavior potential to be observed and simply to be put into the desired mixing outcomes. I mean for instance if hedd is good or the best, is it not the way a sound designer thinks like to sound the overall mix like with an rme to make it sound like the exact hedd copy. I mean is it normal to have favourites out of these choices, is it not the idea making any of them to sound like the other. Just curious.
Prism Dream is absolutely outstanding when it comes to clarity and round low end phenomenal width, Crane Hedd also very impressive
I call bs.... you would never know the difference in a blind test.... you guys crack me up ...
100% makes me want to sell my Titan and get it!
For me just by fast listening throuout all of them, Cranesong Spider and Hedd were the most pleasent to listen too
Prism Dream AD-124 was listened best in my ears.
Yes!, without phases problem in the stereo image like the others
in my opinion the best is Prism Titan - Rich, warm, detailed, wider. Cranesong HEDD 192 is well too for those looking for something neutral between clean and character
I've been coming to this comparison for several years, through several sound systems, several studio upgrades, this is a GREAT reference. I'd love the files.
Forssell best to my ears!
prism sound ad 124 suena increíble muy limpio preservando una estereofonia muy rica y gran profundidad con el ingreso de las cuerdas de la guitarra cargadas con todas las emociones propios de un conversor de alta calidad
0:35 1:51 3:07 4:23 5:39 6:53
What a beautiful song. Amazing!
I was about to buy a Prism, I was able to compare it with several converters and in the end I stayed with DAD. I even liked Merging more than Prism, but DAD is another story. More transparent, deeper and with a more natural frequency range.
Forssell veeeeery musical, wow. Natural, that's my converter.
Me too, and I mentioned in another comment that I’ve owned the Prism Atlas and I still own the RME UFX.
What a beautiful recording for testing.
I do wish that the RME ADI-2 FS (or higher) had been present for comparison
Dream AD has a great midrange warmth so it's pushing male voice a little. I love that sound at this song. HEDD has a great stereo image and high/low-end and neutral and pristine sound.
That Forssell is unmatched in the realism department but the Prism really adds a nice cohesion.
!you have a very good musical ear
agree something really beautiful about the mada
Thanks for doing the test! Maybe its just me, I feel like Prism dream is head and shoulders above others.
The HEDD had a sprinkle of brilliance to my ears, I personally preferred this.
I Transferred the UA-cam test on my computer matchbook air and I listened separately each DAC and I did not see heavy differences among them, including the cheaper RME
You should do this again with Dance/Pop/Urban music!
My impression:
HEDD sounds nice, very “warm” and “soft”. I always find it a tiny bit muddy or covered, especially in the lower area. Transients are a bit softer, but spatial information can be heard very well. A few details are slightly lost, but it also glues everything together a bit. Sounds somehow very slightly compressed.
I've never heard the MADA before, it sounds a bit thinner, but shows more details. Low end is perhaps a touch too unclean. Something bothers me about the stereo image, I can't say exactly what. It sounds slightly unnatural, maybe a bit too wide, or like a slight phasing, it's hard to describe. Overall, a bit too “HiFi” for my taste. I'm missing some "sharpness".
Dream-AD sounds nice, not exciting but pleasant. I would like a sharper separation and a little more detail. Titan is similar, but a little less warm, transients seem a little clearer to me. With both Prism DACs I have the impression that quiet details, such as the space of the guitar, are a little lost.
Fireface is very analytical, very stable stereo image, sharp separation, clean transients. The details in the bass range are clearer, the cymbal can be heard and located clearly, nothing is obscured. The space on the guitar can be heard well, but I would have expected it to be more noticeable. I think an RME ADI would have an advantage here. Very honest, not very exciting.
Spider sounds pretty good to me, I'm hearing it for the first time. Sounds quite nice, a bit warmer, quite detailed, but also a bit "hard". Somehow a little louder and more spatial, as if the music was slightly compressed. A bit like HEDD, slightly more open, but without the "glue". But also tends to have slightly muddy low-mid and low-end. The stereo image sounds a tiny bit narrower.
At least that's what I hear today... ;) I prefer to work with RME because of the analytical reproduction. But the HEDD sounds the most beautiful (or perhaps the most musical) to me.
Thank you for this test! For me the best is HEDD. Great song!
Gracias !!! Prims AD - 124 excelente pero con algo de color pero genial y RME mejor de lo que esperaba.
To me the HEDD sounds 'familiar', for lack of a better word. Same thing more or less with the Spider, they both sound highly euphonic and have this not-quite-hyped but still there 'sweetness' to them with the lows and highs, like I'm hearing how my mind's eye might envision playing the song in my head. If anything it sounds like a cartoon in the best way possible. I thought the Forssell sounded flat and more sterile, though highly detailed and has this clinical nature on the bass that might suit other genres better. The Prisms were interesting, the Dream I felt was deep and dynamic but not as musical as the HEDD, it had this effect where the low end of the sound felt like it was extending infinitely below, or at least much deeper compared to the others. The Titan I liked the most, it had everything the Dream had in the lows, but had this depth in the midrange which emphasized the space of the room around the vocal. It came to life in a 3D way, and had a midrange that just sounded natural and beautiful to my ears. The highs were alive and airy but also not hyped, like a smooth sweet and smoky finish on a fine wine. Lastly the RME had some depth and 3D-ness for sure, but felt like it had less of everything characterful that all the other converters had, and hence felt very subdued.
Intro: 0:02 1:18 2:34 3:50 5:06 6:22
Vocals: 0:35 1:51 3:07 4:23 5:39 6:55
Cranesong Hedd sounds beautiful
It has a dynamic to it that is not present on the AD or Titan.
The Forssell is amazing!!!
First place share with Prism Dream and Cranesong Hedd
Second Frossell
Thank you for sharing. I only have Dangerus AD+ if I can will buy next the Hedd.
I like AD124 the best, followed by Titan. But shouldn´t they sound the same?
Prism dream and titan all the way!
HEDD very very fitting for this song. I guess it was probably connected when the mix was done. Then the others were used for comparison?
The Cranesong sounds unreal and personal
So If I was to send the mixbus out DA into an interface back to the DAW into a channel or a real-time export, would it change the audio / impart their characteristics?
Trying to thing of a way to use the converters to full advantage in mixing.
what you are describing wouldn't be the DA it would be the AD. I do what you are describing with a Burl B2 which has a transformer. So you are taking line outs of your interface, into the AD. then a digital from the AD back into your interface (spdif, aes). the way i do it, i create an output and an input for my AD. the output goes to a stereo pair of line outs. those go to the DA and then comes back in with the digital input. i then create an audio track with the input of the AD. i route all my mix elements to that track instead of the stereo out. turn on the monitor and you are then bypassing the AD of your interface and mixing through the external AD. once you are happy with your mix, you can arm the track and record a pass to print. to make it an easier switch i will send everything to group busses even if i'm not really doing group buss processing just so it's an easier rout back and forth if i'm going to need to jump back and forth for any reason.
thanks alot for this comparison
Call me crazy but always seem to prefer the RME converters for the individual separation and precision (I like that and use an ADI-2 fs and have had the UFX and UCX) but the HEDD (and Spider) are the most saturated/analogue sounding. In fact, now I’m thinking of trying one of those with my HiFi:)
unless you want your certain hifi system, yes you are crazy as you’ve wished.
Forssell MADA-2a and Cranesong HEDD sound natural, clear, and with more dynamic response.
Oh my god I really love the detail of Cranesong! Nothing here as open as this one.. RME sound soo closed with a so much less dimension.. seems like HEDD 192 somehow helps the emotionality cause it allows you to 'receive' those subtle details therefore drags you in to the song more. Beautiful, thank you so much for this. Waiting for my new Aurora (n) to arrive so I hope it will sound as good as the ones from here from an upper price range)
i'm eyeing the Aurora (n), heard amazing things. What are your impressions thus far?
Thank you for the test. But why not include the test files for download? It would make this test so much more valuable
Hello! Can you please do u another converter comparison using a Pop, Dance, or Hip Hop record, please? Thank you!
I wonder which one made the final cut. Listening on spotify now. What a sound....
AD124 very nice for this, sound close and warm ... RME sound more "in space" and clinical - but for price ??? ... song very nice btw! Very nice test thank you !
RME was left in the dustbin on this one. Wow! The Cranesongs and Prisms are difficult to choose between. The Forsell was great also
To be fair, the RME is a) not the latest model and b) half the price of its competitors
the RME isn't marketed as a converter
At first I felt that HEDD gave me the 'emotional warmth' of the song but MADA hit the spot.. wider sound, I think more natural and the low end is rounder. Beautiful song btw... congrats
HEDD sounded the best for this material but to find which one is least coloured he should have included a raw file with no conversion as well.
Beautiful song. It's hard for me to choose, but I think I liked the HEDD the best. They all have slightly different sounds! Thank you for doing this.
What's the unusal noises 1:40 - 1:44? I noticed it more on the MADA?
i downloaded the audio, aligned them in my daw.
tried to null them by flipping the phase, and couldn't.
but i looped many sections and soloed them - and couldn't hear a difference.
beforehand i was convinced RME sounded worse than the others...
try it yourself. tell me what you discover.
what do you mean 'couldn't' ?
The others sound great but the rme sounds clean and precise. You can add dynamics and color with your amps compressors distressors and such. You will get a more predictable sound if your converters convert without adding or subtracting from the source.
Absolutely! Everyone says that RME stuff is bland etc but that isn’t the case. There isn’t any colouration by design! RME is transparent and that’s exactly what you want in preamps and convertors. Thing is like you say, you can add all the colour and saturation etc you want after the event but if your gear has ‘a sound’ it’s very difficult to remove it. I use RME and I really do think they have absolutely nailed it in their interfaces. The conversion and latency alone is worth it but also, their digitally controlled preamps are the best I’ve used, even against the Prism stuff costing twice the price! Plus, if you are using Windows then absolutely no company makes better drivers. They didn’t rate ASIO and made their own drivers from the ground up whereas most other companies just go with generic ASIO. The latency is practically non existent and they are rock solid! I use a Mac but I recommended RME to a friend of mine who uses PC and he said his guitar amp simulator software works whereas before with his previous interface (Scarlett) it was unusable. RME are the best hands down!
Such a beautiful, haunting song, and equally great recording! I only checked the RME vs the Spider (on my humble B&O h9i). I wanted to hear the difference between cheap vs expensive, and the difference is much bigger than I thought. The general sense of space, and the timbre of the instruments - especially the texture of the acoustic bass and its subtle, but beautiful early reflections... On the RME, these qualities are non existent compared to the Spider. People talk about microphone preamps all the time, but to me, upgrading the converter should be the number 1 priority.
A comparison between these boutique converters and the more reasonable RME ADI 2 and Merging Anubis converters would be very, very interesting.
Totally agree with you, the converter is the heart of your studio. You can have the greatest gear of the world but if is not translated sonically at a 100% you don't get the quality that you are expecting from your investment. I'm currently saving money to get the Prism Titan which is one of the best out there.
Forssell❤
amazing music ! APOGEE Symphony MK2 SE is the best on Earth BTW ; ) . Hope that helps your Lovely Voices
While I own the HEDD and Prism converters I prefer the Forssell for its ability to expose micro details on this example. Thank you for doing this high quality comparison!
In detail, realism: Forssell, HEDD follows. Prism Dream, very musical, but a little less detail and opens the stereo image so it gives that feeling of depth, these three are followed by Titan, and finally RME.
If you have to choose the one that has a bit of all these characteristics, I would say the HEDD. If you are looking for the most neutral I go for Forssell
I love how RME sounds next to others. 3d and crystal clear, no mushiness, just perfect.
mushiest of them all
@@pranzou RME is a top notch interface, the converters as a whole are at a level that the differences became irellevant and very subjective. I tried to fault it, but I can`t.
you are right , in this test RME sonic quality is actually best sounding of those , it provides cleanest signal and lowest harmonic distortion .
Great review! I want to know whether to use silk simulator or tube in Hedd.
I did not use the HEDD’s there magic knobs.
Always seems to me that RME devices can't deliver properly the dimension of the low end of the upper "air". Great video and song
I'm curious to hear the comparison between these devices and the original. What i think, is that RME can do transparent conversion.
I think all these high end convertors colour the sound, although in a very nice way that we love.
But otherwise, yes i hear what you refer to.
@@bontempo1271 I'd like to make clear that I have a 24 I/O RME conversion setup and RME usb interface that never gives problems. My observation was purely descriptive of the type of sound as you also have pointed out. Sometimes I think about trying other converters but then I just forget it
@@LB-pp7pu yes i'm in a similar position. One day i really should borrow a high end unit to do some comparisons !
Forssell sounds best here, something about the Titan seems to invoke an uplifting momentum to each phrase.
I really liked the Spider here !! No-one seems to pick it. A little heavier on the low end maybe, but i like that on these bass notes.
Prism Titan and Forssell are the best ones.
Cranesong HEDD 192 is best. Clean and Clear.
Where is the referenz / original file? :) Thx for the upload.
No Pacific Microsonics Model 2?
to my ears the forssell MADA is the best then the prism dream then the titan then head.
Hi, could you add a link for the uncompressed audio file maybe? That would really help us hear the subtlest of details with better clarity. Cheers.
Crane song HEDD 192 is most beautiful !!
Listening on focal solo6 + sub6, with an RME UFX . I think the RME sounds the worst in these examples, and the prisms sound the best. Not sure if I'm biased because I know how much they cost. But the RME sounds significantly flatter and not as dynamic as the rest of them. I think all of them would do
Prism is best indeed
How did you color the sound of the HEDD? were all the knobs at 12 o clock position?
crane song took the cake
Listening on an Apollo x16 Black Lion Mod.... The cranesong HEDD 192 wins
Can you share the files, please?
Dammit. I wish I hadn't sold the Dream AD-124 to Petter... CAN I GET IT BACK? Was mostly using it with an Earthworks preamp to record podcasts though...
got audio samples of that recording chain? (earthworks preamps + Prism AD)
1. Spider - quality and best musical texture 2. hedd 192 - quality all around 3. Forssell - good tingle upper mid 4. two Prism - no charming point but better than rme 5. rme - not usable.
What Is about the Crane Song HEDD The Crane Song EQ
HEDD is the least obtrusive at the start of syllables. and warmest in the lower mids.
Hi, I was wondering if you or someone you know who has a Forssell mada 2a and I’d love to make an offer, thank you
Hey! Amazing recording! Which version of hedd are u using to capture? Is the most recent version (quantum) or an older version? Also what cranesong da converter is in your egret?
Very difficult to judge because I am listening with my own DA converter :).
Can we download the files? Hard to compare over UA-cam..
Prism dream hands down
comparing should be with recorded sounds not only the playback of a song
what sounds are best for comparison?
@@thedevilsadvocate5210 when you are doing the playback of the same song on different converters it's nearly impossible to hear any difference worst in mp3 with the same dynamic range in youtube , when choosing a converter the specs are important and you need to record different takes to compare the input of the adc's with the same preamp to determine the difference
HEDD all day every day, i can clearly hear reverb details only on HEDD, none of other devices give me that.
that song is crazy whats the tracks name ?
Thanks for this!!!
I own the RME I was rooting for RME, but the spider won in my opinion.
strange, i am the same, i own a RME and i liked the Spider, although the Forssell was the best imo.
the grass is always greener on the otherside
Prism all the way :)
Forsell is by far the best sounding. 2nd Prism Titan. You’re welcome.
Thank you!
Were this samples normalized to the same listening level?
to me forssell mada-2a is the most neutral sound among 6 of them.
Best #1
1. prism dream, 2. cranesong - youtube compression, microlab solo, internal soundcard)
I hear presence and breathy highs and balanced body in prism.
the Forssell...wow. the rest sound like recordings, the Forssell sounds like its happening in front of me. sad to learn he's recently retired.
HEDD without doubt..
I think this test methodology is flawed, since I don't know what the original sounds like. I want a converter that sounds as transparent as possible, so ideally I'd want a loopback recording over many generatation and see which converter changes the sound the least.
I m surprise to see how many people can hear this much difference between all this converters. I have a great headphone (DT 880 pro) and i train my ears from long time but i see no difference. Can you explain how you do to hear difference? Can u do the same ranking in a blindtest?
Ive been there before, no worries. You just have to know what to listen for .... Upper Midrange 1-6k region, stereo width / dimension, the shape of transients (pluck off the guitar, the diction of words), General openness 9K + .... If this was dance music then the same would apply with the addition of listening to the transient of percussive bass elements. Hope it helps
I found it easier listening on laptop speakers for this one
Example listen to the detailed fluctuations on the sustained string in the back .... 0:35 compared to 04:23 , also listen to the sense of depth front to back in this section which is very dynamic. And general openness of the HEDD compared to Prism Titan on this part. You can hear and feel how it swells more on the HEDD, where as it sounds levelled out on the PRISM
I can't hear a big difference with DT 880, I can hear a big difference with DT 1990 Pro. You are not the problem, but the listening system. And consider that the 1990 DTs are not even the best ...
Your assessment of not hearing any difference is the most accurate one. If you do a null test, its quite hard to know if what i hear is from the converter or just the youtube compression. I cant hear a diff when I play these side by side in a daw. I doubt people who listen to it in youtube, will hear anything objective.
I don't deny that there technically might be a difference somehow, but honestly, its just so negligible, that my adam A7X-s wont show them.
As it is, this test itself is actually really awesome. It was almost even perfectly level matched.
I always have to think from a practicality standpoint, must be me becoming an old man, but imo 1. Titan 2. RME (only because bang for buck and it’s close to Titan with a little less detail) 3. Forssell: it does sound good but I think Titan beats it in regard to largeness and warmth, and the forssell is ridiculous on price and not worth the money pound for pound. In my humble opinion
The cranesongs were bottom of list for me. I come from using Burl Motherships and their mastering cards so I’m very biased, and I must say I was pleasantly surprised with the RME and Titan. Especially for the price point
What settings are you using on that HEDD 192? it sounds incredible! are the settings flat?
Settings on HEDD is flat. Nevertheless, it gives a lot of character by bringing the sound image together. Sounds like a mild mastering to me.
3:50 0:02
Prism Titan, Best sound
Great job
Hedd sounds more fuller more finished im so sorry that i already told my brother in england to purchase the prism titan
RME!!!! me hace repensar si vendo mi sistema pro tools hd para pasar a conexiones de menor calidad pero con buenos pre y buenísimos conversores
1 vy 6 también!
what defines the best in this situation? is it the overall sound to be milky or sorta delicious or is it the overall projection capability of the frequencies and their optimum behavior potential to be observed and simply to be put into the desired mixing outcomes. I mean for instance if hedd is good or the best, is it not the way a sound designer thinks like to sound the overall mix like with an rme to make it sound like the exact hedd copy. I mean is it normal to have favourites out of these choices, is it not the idea making any of them to sound like the other. Just curious.
Prism dream sounds the best the crane song comes in second places for me