Lynx Aurora(n) 8 - thoughts?

[dfuller]

So, I'm looking at moving my interface stuff all into one box. As it stands I have stuff spread across my RME adi-2 Pro FS (monitoring), which is hooked into my HDSPe AIO PCIe card via spdif optical, and the balanced I/O on the HDSPe is being used for my hardware loop.

This is clunky and clumsy, and I would really like to pull everything into one box with one data cable.

So, anybody have experience with the Lynx Aurora(n) stuff? I would stick with RME but they really don't seem to offer the I/O I need (8/8 analog, plus AES for feeding my dsp crossover) on an interface I'd actually want to use, and lynx are the only other company that is doing what RME does with the FPGA and in house drivers.

 

[dfuller]

Guess nobody here does. I may upgrade to it later this year, and when I do I will send it Amir's way.

 

[ocinn]

I have a friend who uses one in his home studio. He has no complaints.

FYI:

I would stick with RME but they really don't seem to offer the I/O I need (8/8 analog, plus AES for feeding my dsp crossover) on an interface I'd actually want to use

Fireface UCX II or UFX II/III have all of the above.

UA Apollo X8 and above, have them too (SPDIF coax can be converted to AES it needed with a $40 neutrik transformer), and the UA DSP acceleration is very nice if you work in DAWs often.

 

[dfuller]

I have a friend who uses one in his home studio. He has no complaints.

FYI:

Fireface UCX II or UFX II/III have all of the above.

UA Apollo X8 and above, have them too (SPDIF coax can be converted to AES it needed with a $40 neutrik transformer), and the UA DSP acceleration is very nice if you work in DAWs often.

Problem is, I don't need the integrated preamps of the RMEs and I'm not keen on line inputs that are actually padded down mic pres. As far as UA, their windows drivers are notoriously awful. I do have a PCIe accelerator card though, that's useful.

 

[ocinn]

Problem is, I don't need the integrated preamps of the RMEs and I'm not keen on line inputs that are actually padded down mic pres. As far as UA, their windows drivers are notoriously awful. I do have a PCIe accelerator card though, that's useful.

Ah, I thought the RMEs switched the mic pre-out of the circuit via a setting. My bad.

Then yeah Lynx seems like a no-brainer. Modularity is killer too, if you decide to change computers/use Dante etc... The UFX III still has 8/8 true line I/O however.

 

[nomograf]

Full time Mastering Engineer here with a long history of listening to and evaluating objectively pro audio AD and DAs. The Lynx is great, and their support is excellent.

 

[FINFET]

I constantly hear people say that use those mic-pre and line-in combos are not good, but I did not see solid reasons about this. Do you believe there are noticeable audible or measurement differences? In my opinion, the UFX II or UFX III would still be an ideal choice to meet your requirements.

 

[dfuller]

I constantly hear people say that use those mic-pre and line-in combos are not good, but I did not see solid reasons about this. Do you believe there are noticeable audible or measurement differences? In my opinion, the UFX II or UFX III would still be an ideal choice to meet your requirements.

More it's paying for a feature I don't need, plus mic preamps will always be a bit higher distortion because you have so much amplification present.

Full time Mastering Engineer here with a long history of listening to and evaluating objectively pro audio AD and DAs. The Lynx is great, and their support is excellent.

I'm sure we've talked about this on the LWMR discord, Ruairi. The Lynx is probably going to replace my ADI-2 Pro, the HDSPe that feeds it, and the MiniDSP I'm using for crossovers, since Lynx is adding bass management...

 

[nomograf]

More it's paying for a feature I don't need, plus mic preamps will always be a bit higher distortion because you have so much amplification present.

I'm sure we've talked about this on the LWMR discord, Ruairi. The Lynx is probably going to replace my ADI-2 Pro, the HDSPe that feeds it, and the MiniDSP I'm using for crossovers, since Lynx is adding bass management...

Seems like a no brainer!

 

[dfuller]

So, I finally racked in the Aurora yesterday.

Doesn't sound like anything (good), and it's a whole lot less clumsy than my previous setup.

DB25s are a godsend in a rack, and anybody who says otherwise hasn't had to wire up the inside of a rack without access to the backside.

 

[Melopsmusic]

Full time Mastering Engineer here with a long history of listening to and evaluating objectively pro audio AD and DAs. The Lynx is great, and their support is excellent.

Hi, please could you tell me if a lynx Aurora (the old one) would be an improvement in terms of définition of sound than m'y RME ucx ? I m hesitating, because i heard a demo that was audible, but youtube ... And a problem with this Aurora is the mixer, seems to be very basic.... And the new Aurora8 n out of budget. And same about Prism lyra 2 (équivalent or better than old Aurora ?). Thx a lot !

 

[nomograf]

Hi, please could you tell me if a lynx Aurora (the old one) would be an improvement in terms of définition of sound than m'y RME ucx ? I m hesitating, because i heard a demo that was audible, but youtube ... And a problem with this Aurora is the mixer, seems to be very basic.... And the new Aurora8 n out of budget. And same about Prism lyra 2 (équivalent or better than old Aurora ?). Thx a lot !

I haven't made that comparison. I wasn't in love with the sound of the previous generation of Aurora.

I own a Lyra and it's great, but disclaimer I used to work part time for Prism Sound

 

[AnalogSteph]

Hi, please could you tell me if a lynx Aurora (the old one) would be an improvement in terms of définition of sound than m'y RME ucx ?

That is the wrong question to ask. What is the definition of of "definition of sound" anyway?

Interfaces in this class do not sound any different, certainly not on the DAC side. I would expect better measurements though.

Audio interfaces and their AD/DA chips LISTED - Page 7 - Gearspace.com

Quote: Originally Posted by Matt Syson ➡️ Hi Could someone explain RATIONALLY how come the 'HiFi' convertors can be 'so good' when so little material is recorded with so called 'HiFi' A/D units. Where does the 'pristine' source material come from? The blanket 'demonisation' of some devices is so...

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RME UCX - AD/DA converter chip - AKM-AK4621EF, opamp JRC 4580, I/O audio coupling caps - Su'scon standard electrolytic.

The "old" Aurora seems to be using CS5381 ADCs, so I would assume higher-grade parts in general and higher dynamic range if nothing else.

Aurora 16 - Products - Lynx Studio Technology, Inc.

We engineer the finest tools to help audio professionals create even better sound.

www.lynxstudio.com

https://www.lynxstudio.de/download/LynxAuroraBrochure.pdf

Better Dynamic range and THD+N as expected. Slight higher maximum input level (+20 dBu). It's about what I'd expect from a mid-late 2000s mastering level interface. Still a nice piece of kit.

Given the RME's input and output level selection of +2 dBV / +13 dBu / + 19 dBu @ 0 dBFS and decent midrange level dynamic range (113 dB(A) out, 115 dB(A) in), it is hard to imagine a set of circumstances where it would not be adequate in a home or project studio though. Unless you're Hollywood and absolutely need +24 dBu I/O. With that opamp complement it's not going to set any records for lowest distortion measurements, but they're still good enough by human standards and not likely to be the bottleneck - look no further than your speakers for that. I would eventually expect the odd capacitor to have to be replaced, depending on how much the interface is being run. It's pretty typical for RME, they rarely have top-spec parts but are squeezing as much out of them as they can, like a good chef.

 

[dfuller]

So, Lynx finally released the firmware and NControl updated allowing for both Atmos usage and speaker correction/bass management.

It's still in beta so far. It works, but it's worded somewhat poorly. But, it does work, and allows imports of filters in .txt format from REW.