Behringer ADA8000 Ultragain Pro-8
November 7, 2009 by Jess
Filed under Specials and Bargains
The Bottom Line
The Behringer ADA8000 is a pretty good deal; being able to add 8 channels of microphone preamp to your digital recording system for $245 is a real bargain, but not without some faults. While the analog-to-digital stage is really high quality, the microphone preamps lack refined detail, even compared to stock preamps of the Digi 002. Still, a great way to add 8 channels of surprisingly useful preamps for a good price.
Pros
8 Usable Microphone Preamps
Great Analog-Digital Converters, Well Above Price
Surprisingly Good Clocking
Cons
Preamp Quality Lacks Fine Detail
Front-Mounted Inputs
No Useable Level Metering
Description
8 channels of usable (but notably masked in the high-end) microphone preamp.
High-quality analog-to-digital conversion on all 8 channels.
Front-mounted XLR and 1/4 inch inputs, slightly inconvenient when used in a rack-mount design.
Fantastic clocking capabilities, including BNC wordclock out.
Guide Review – Behringer ADA8000 Ultragain Pro-8
Like most recording engineers, I’m very familiar with the name Behringer; while I’m not here to talk politics, I do know that, despite working hard the last couple years to change the quality (and reputation) of their brand, their lower-quality, value-priced gear’s story of routinely failing early into ownership precedes them to most buyers. So naturally, I had some reservations purchasing a new product of theirs.
About the ADA8000
The ADA8000 goes head-on with higher-dollar interfaces such as the M-Audio Octane and the Focusrite Octopre, both fantastic options for adding 8 channels of preamp via ADAT (a digital format which will allow you 8 channels of simultaneous digital input through a fiber optic cable). I planned on using the ADA8000 as a quick and easy way to add 8 additional channels to my Digi 002 rack, and it didn’t disappoint in it’s first trial run.
The really surprising thing is the quality of A/D conversion — much cleaner, to my ears, than the stock A/D converters in the Digi 002! Apparently, the converters are the same as in many high-end pieces of equipment, including the Alesis AI3.
Preamp quality is another issue. To my ears, the Digi 002’s preamps had much greater high-end detail, while the ADA8000’s preamps showed a great deal of “veil” on the high end. Low-end response was better on the ADA8000’s preamps, but transient detail was notably masked.
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