Review four 8-channel mic pre-amp units with Dante

Introduction

In this article we are going to review four 8-channel mic pre-amp units with Dante built into it. There are not so many 8-channel mic pre-amps with Dante to choose from on the market. But the ones that are available mean serious business.

All the four brands, Focusrite, AMS Neve, Rupert Neve Design and RME are well known for their high-quality products and long-term reputation in the music industry. Their pre-amps are loved by many of us. You might wonder what could be different on a mic pre-amp, well more than you think of. In this review I will compare these four titans on a functional level. So, let’s find out what they got to offer.

Focusrite ISA 828 mk2 with ADN8 pre-amp

The ISA828 mk2 is part of a family of pre-amps that Focusrite has had on the market for a long time now. It supports microphone, line and Instrument input signals. The Instrument Hi-Z inputs are available on the first four channels only. 

Every input type (line, mic, instrument) has its own connectors on the unit and that is quite a unique feature. You can pre-wire everything and use the input selection buttons to switch between them without changing cables first. Nice! 

The Focusrite ISA 828mk2 has 8 analog line level outputs as well. So, you can use it in an all-analog studio setup without Dante. 

The AD conversion

The line level 8 channels will go into an AD-converter that will make them available on Dante, AES3 and ADAT. But this unit has one more trick on its sleeve. On the front you can switch for each of the channels another line level input into the AD converter. In this way you create an insert path for each channel before going into Dante or use it as another selectable line input at the AD converter. For instance, to pre-wire more synth instruments that can be made available on the Dante network.

The one thing I would wish for is the possibility to send via the Dante network audio streams to the ADAT or AES3 outputs. This would make the ISA 828Mk2 a two directional hub in your studio.

AMS NEVE 1073OPX with USB/DANTE pre-amp

The 1073 pre-amp is a famous number, and AMS Neve has put eight of them in the 1073OPX. The Neve has a focus on remote control and configuration but still also support a full analog workflow without the use of Dante. 

The 1073OPX supports microphone, line and instrument level signals. Each of them has its own level control. When selecting the input, the display will show the level setting. The design of the 1073OPX is fully focusing on remote control and digital recall. All settings can be set from an app that you get with the unit. Settings can be stored for a recall later. 

Beside the inputs on the front and back side of the unit it also has analog line level outputs on the back side. This makes pre-wiring possible. 

Built-in summing device

The 1073OPX has a monitoring function. There is a summing built in giving you the possibility to mix any of the 8 channels on the headphone output. Besides this there is another line level monitor input. This input can also be replaced with an audio stream from the Dante network or USB port (not at the same time). The monitoring provides a latency free listing option during recording sessions. A nice add-on!

The Dante interface has 8 input channels and 2 channels of output. So indeed, there is also a DA converter onboard. Beside Dante there is a USB port as well. This makes the 1073OPX a full 8in-2out audio interface for your computer. 

Rupert Neve Design RMP-D8 pre-amp

Time for the ‘other’ Neve sound, the Rupert Neve Design RMP-D8. This unit (and the RME) has a different design philosophy compared to the AMS Neve and Focusrite. This unit has been made with the intention that you want to send the pre-amp analog signals solely to a digital -Dante or AES3- destination.  The RMP-D8 has no analog line outputs. This means that you cannot use it in an all-analog setup.

The RMP-D8 supports microphone and line inputs but no instrument inputs. All inputs are as XLR connectors on the back of the unit. The connectors are shared for both the line and mic signals. 

The configuration can be done locally but also fully remote with the included Windows/Apple software. The software offers also a full digital recall of all the settings.  The RMP-D8 has two PSU-units built in, maximizing availability. 

Gain Compensation Mode

Another special feature is the ‘GC -Gain Compensation- mode’. Every channel uses two Dante channels. One with the digital converted signal and one mirrored channel with the signal minus 6dB. This signal level is maintained constant when GC is activated and you decide to change the signal level on the main channel. The maximum correction range of the GC mode is +/-12dB.

Like with the Focusrite ISA 828mk2 I wished that the RMP-D8 would also support Dante output channels so that you can send audio from the Dante network to the AES3 outputs of the unit. In this price range it would be not too much to ask for.

RME 12Mic-D pre-amp

The RME 12Mic-D is the only unit that has 12 instead of 8 mic pre-amps built into the unit. That’s 50% more! Like the Rupert Neve Design the RME 12Mic-D has been designed to interface to the digital domain only. No analog outputs are available on the unit. The 12Mic-D supports mic, line and instrument input signals. The latter one only on the first four channels.

Like the AMS Neve the RME 12Mic-D has a headphone output that can be used to directly monitor two analog input channels or any of the Dante channels. It has no summing function so you can select only one stereo signal at the time.

Control of the 12Mic-D can be done from the front of the unit or via a web browser on a computer.  Beside the configuration of the unit, it also provides current level metering and routing settings. A maximum of 15 presets can be stored into the unit for digital recall.

Madi ports in RME

The RME is the only unit in this test with two Madi ports as well as full 64×64 Dante channel implementation (at 44.1/48kHz sample rate). Making this unit a real studio hub. Oh, and I should not forget the 3 ADAT outputs. Power redundancy can be achieved by connecting a second external power supply as back-up. 

On the unique functional level there is a clip protection built in, this will reduce the gain when the input signal exceeds the -6 dBFS. You can also group the gain of different inputs.

Sound color in the four 8-channel mic pre-amp units with Dante

All four units have their own, sometimes famous, sound on their microphone amps. The Focusrite, AMS Neve and Rupert Neve Design will have more color than the RME due to the transformers that are built into them. RME has no color options at all.

Focusrite ISA 828mk2

The Focusrite ISA 828mk2 has a switchable impedance for the mic and instrument inputs. With different impedance positions this is the most flexible on this part of all four units. The impedance setting will have a coloring effect. Every channel has also been equipped with a Lundall transformer. In general, a transformer will add its own sound. There is no block schematic available so I can not say for 100% that the line signals are also routed through the Lundall transformers. As with all units the instrument inputs are not routed through the transformer. 

AMS NEVE 1073OPX

The AMS Neve 1073 OPX has a switchable impedance selection only on the mic input. The line and instrument are static. Of course, the OPX has been equipped with the Neve Marinair transformers on the microphone inputs providing that ‘AMS Neve’ sound. It’s not clear from the documentation if the line inputs are also routed via the transformers. 

Rupert Neve Design RMP-D8

The Rupert Neve Design RMP-D8 has been equipped with a -for this unit especially by RND designed- transformer on all analog channels for both mic and line signals. It’s not known if the transformer sound refers to any of the other known products from Rupert Neve Design but you can count on it that it will give you a famous “RND” sound.

RME 12Mic-D

The RME 12Mic-D has been designed to have no color at all. It wants to be fully transparent. So, no transformers onboard. Also, no impedance options for the microphone and instrument inputs, which is a pity.  

Detailed comparison of Focusrite, AMS Neve, Rupert Neve Design and RME eight-channel mic preamps

In the table below (which is in fact a picture) you’ll find a full functional comparison. This could help you in deciding which unit is the best fit in your case. Send me a message (click) if you want to receive this article with overview table as a PDF document.

Conclusion

If you only want microphone signals to be well recorded and forwarded to the Dante network, then the RME 12Mic-D is the most affordable choice with a price of €284 per channel. When looking for a pre-amp with both digital and analog outputs, the choice is limited to Focusrite and AMS Neve.

The difference between all four units is in the details and design choices the manufacturer made. I hope the overview table answers your specific questions.

Sound-wise all four units will sound great but of course each with its own color. So that’s a matter of taste and preference.