RME HDSPe AIO Pro PCIe card

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CaptainBlack
Posts: 124
Joined: 24 Mar 2015

10 Mar 2021

After spending weeks researching and agonising over which audio interface to buy, I've just splashed a serious amount of cash on one of these. It hasn't arrived yet, but I already have buyer's remorse. Make me feel better about it.
Last edited by CaptainBlack on 10 Mar 2021, edited 1 time in total.

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bxbrkrz
Posts: 3812
Joined: 17 Jan 2015

10 Mar 2021

I can tell you this card has a great resell value on reverb.com
https://reverb.com/p/rme-hdspe-aio-pci- ... rface-card
757365206C6F67696320746F207365656B20616E73776572732075736520726561736F6E20746F2066696E6420776973646F6D20676574206F7574206F6620796F757220636F6D666F7274207A6F6E65206F7220796F757220696E737069726174696F6E2077696C6C206372797374616C6C697A6520666F7265766572

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orthodox
RE Developer
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10 Mar 2021

Why pay too much for a digital interface card? How can it be better than others if they are preserving the digital content just the same? Do I miss something?

CaptainBlack
Posts: 124
Joined: 24 Mar 2015

10 Mar 2021

Well, in this case, I've heard so much about how RME outshines all mid-range interfaces - arguably even the likes of UAD. Plus they make the best drivers in the business - latency is negligible.

I bought it through a friend's company, so didn't have to pay the VAT. Still £457 though.

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orthodox
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10 Mar 2021

Ah, sorry, I never met those (dsub?) connectors before, seems like they are actually analog.

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zoidkirb
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10 Mar 2021

Looks great, and very future proof.
Let us know how it goes!

CaptainBlack
Posts: 124
Joined: 24 Mar 2015

10 Mar 2021

orthodox wrote:
10 Mar 2021
Ah, sorry, I never met those (dsub?) connectors before, seems like they are actually analog.
They're both. You get whatever suits your needs to go with it. In my case, just analogue balanced XLR breakout cables will do.

Goriila Texas
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Location: Houston TX
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10 Mar 2021

I have the RME HDSP 9632 not express version when it first come out I put it in a G5 powerpc. I still have it and paid $500 on it or less I can't remember exactly but it sure wasn't the prices now. One thing I didn't like was the breakout cables lay behind your desktop's back fan making them get pretty hot. One of the breakout cables is a headphone jack and as time went on any movement by the cable would cause static that eventually got bad enough to make me switch interfaces. Not having any buttons or knobs gets old quick just to turn volume up/down for your monitors you're using mouse clicks. Digging behind the computer just to change headphones was a pain.

Those cards might've been worth it back then because of low latency they gave you but now with thunderbolt interfaces or even usb3 it's a non-issue.

Hope this helps!

CaptainBlack wrote:
10 Mar 2021
After spending weeks researching and agonising over which audio interface to buy, I've just splashed a serious amount of cash on one of these. It hasn't arrived yet, but I already have buyer's remorse. Make me feel better about it.

CaptainBlack
Posts: 124
Joined: 24 Mar 2015

11 Mar 2021

I might hang on to the Tascam it’s replacing just for the day-to-day Windows stuff. I’ll see how it goes.

I used an old PCI M-Audio Delta for years and I noticed a performance hit when I bowed to progress and went USB. A sound card does seem a bit old school, but sometimes the old ways are the best.

CaptainBlack
Posts: 124
Joined: 24 Mar 2015

07 Apr 2021

An update on this card, in case anybody is interested.

I ran into a physical problem in that the d-sub socket on the back of the card for the analogue cable was too close to my PC case, so the cable wouldn't fit onto it. RME support couldn't help and I considered returning it. However, I decided to do some surgery on the cable plug and shaved 3mm off. Now it fits but there goes the resale value.

The card itself I am very impressed by. Complicated projects that required the buffer turned up to full on my old Tascam ran at the RME's default 256 setting, no problem at all. I imagine you could set it really low on new projects. The sound is noticeably fuller as well - particularly in the bass end. I've also gained a bit of real estate on my desk with no USB interface. I'm really glad I bought this card and I'm sure more benefits will reveal themselves as I go.

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mcatalao
Competition Winner
Posts: 1826
Joined: 17 Jan 2015

07 Apr 2021

This card is built on the same base card as the RME Raydat, but has an AD/DA included.

Be prepared. RME PCIE's are the most GAZ killers in the market. I have my raydat for the better of 10 years, and it's still going strong! RME is imho, alongside UAD and MOTU some of the best cards around.

I have to say this one illudes me a bit. Something like the Raydat makes much more sense to me, both for the channel count as type of connectors.
But then again, assuming the AD/DA in this one is good, maybe if you add a Mic pre with D-sub or AES-EBU connector you're ok. However these prés are quite expensive (i am lucky i have one that has it but never needed to use it and nowadays it's not made anymore). For example to get a Focusrite with EBU Connectors you probably need the ISA828... Unless you already have a nice mixer or 8 chan pre with this.

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mcatalao
Competition Winner
Posts: 1826
Joined: 17 Jan 2015

07 Apr 2021

Goriila Texas wrote:
10 Mar 2021
I have the RME HDSP 9632 not express version when it first come out I put it in a G5 powerpc. I still have it and paid $500 on it or less I can't remember exactly but it sure wasn't the prices now. One thing I didn't like was the breakout cables lay behind your desktop's back fan making them get pretty hot. One of the breakout cables is a headphone jack and as time went on any movement by the cable would cause static that eventually got bad enough to make me switch interfaces. Not having any buttons or knobs gets old quick just to turn volume up/down for your monitors you're using mouse clicks. Digging behind the computer just to change headphones was a pain.

Those cards might've been worth it back then because of low latency they gave you but now with thunderbolt interfaces or even usb3 it's a non-issue.

Hope this helps!

Come on. the breakout cables go behind your fan if you want them. Cables turn and can be controlled with duck tape... Jeez....

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mcatalao
Competition Winner
Posts: 1826
Joined: 17 Jan 2015

07 Apr 2021

orthodox wrote:
10 Mar 2021
Why pay too much for a digital interface card? How can it be better than others if they are preserving the digital content just the same? Do I miss something?
I vouch that with RME you pay for:
- Reliabilty
- Best drivers in the market
- Best support in audio card business.
- really steady clock with very low jitter in a very nice price tag (same performance on a Big Ben costs more than the raydat alone!)
- Resillience! My Raydat is 10 years old!

As for it being a digital interface, you'r missing that the AIO is a analogue and digital interface. But in my case i went for the digital option, which seems to be a more complicated route but my experience has been quite positive.

Anyway, for me the point of a Raydat is that it amounts a huge count of inputs and outputs (36 in/36 out in this case) that you can use at the same time to record for example a live project or a big direct ensemble. It's also great to have ALL your stuff together and be able to record a bunch of different synths to your daw in a single go (without having to pass a lot of times thought). Finally, it is the perfect device for hybrid approaches (for example, processing something with plugins in the daw and out of the daw allowing completely free routing via it's matrix mixer). Another added value is that RME's are true multi client cards, working with ASIO and MME/Directx at the same time, and even allowing you to have 2 Asio sources, for example Reason and other daw at the same time is possible with this. This was particulary usefull when reason didn't have VST's to "outsource" sounds to the stand alone VST's, and use the outputs and inputs to print the audio from the VST to reason in one single pass (again with the free routing, the RME could receive 32 audio analogue streams between asio applications. All still in the digital domain without a single AD/DA jump in the middle retaining audio quality).

Finally, I have mine connected to 3 pre amps, and a monitor controller (whereas 2 of the prés also do D/A). If one of these craps out, I can still work with the other 2. The only point of break is the Raydat, and it is the most reliable device in this chain (that reminds me if I find one on the second hand market I probably should just buy it!!! :) )

This modular approach also allows you to build your studio around it. You can start with a RME Raydat and a Behringer ADA8000 MK2, then go for a better pre, and still use the ADA8000 if you need more channels. And use the ADA8000's DA for monitoring and the rest of the pré's for inputs. And at some point you get an ISA 828, ditch the ADA8000 and the raydat sits there, always doing what's supposed to!

Also, there aren't many devices that can give you a real in-out latency of less than 5 milisecs (real measured latency) at 32 sample buffer. At 128 Sample Buffer it is stable enogugh so that i can monitor a singer or even a guitarist with amp simulators inside reason with more 30 channels of audio with processing. It's a beast. Only UAD does this with the DSP cards at, again... Double the cost!

All things considered, they are expensive but not that much! IMHO of course!

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