The biggest giveaway on great vs good ad/da conversion is the difference in low end control and overall resolution. The difference would be even more obvious on well recorded acoustic jazz or classical music. It would be interesting to hear the Atlas against the RME Adi 2 Pro or the Merging Anubis.
I have the ADI-2 DAC and the Prism Callia at home, so I can give you my impressions on how the DA side compares as they use the same chip and circuitry as the ADI-2 Pro and the Lyra/Atlas respectively. Both are very detailed, but the Callia has better bass punch and a more defined middle image. The ADI is kind of more expansive on the sides and it is notably softer in the low end attacks. I would say the ADI sounds a touch leaner but crisper, whereas the Prism has a bit more body and midrange detail.
Hi we are currently using a Quartet (just for A/D mainly) recording only vocals.. we have just added some lovely Analogue Addicts Units & Mics too. Would the Prism be much of an improvement over the Quartet AD ? Apogge has just talkin out a 2 channel Symphony Desktop with their best A/D’s also, wondering how they would all compare.. again it’s just for recording vocals so we wouldn’t need 8 channels. Kind Regards
Noize London no way of demoing where we are but leaning towards the Prism , thing is we only need a few outputs. Needs to prob be usb tho as we have an old 2010 Mac Pro..
3 out of 3. +Prism. There is definitely more depth and separation from the Prism. It almost sounding like a tube circuit which adds harmonics. A comparison between RME would be very interesting. Especially with the Babyface Pro FS. Thanks for this comparison!
I got a Prism interface after watching this video. The difference is massive in my ears. Apollo has this mid range tensed feel, nasalness that I'm always fighting agains. Everything sounds more relaxed with Prism. And don't even get me started on the snappyness of transients. Crazy. Thank you for doing this!
@@clickbaitpro well he did say to his ears so that is his opinion but I still think "massive" is reaching. instead of talking about us nerds, I was more so connecting it to the question of how much impact it has on the end product in the average listeners ears. we produce for mostly casual listeners, casual listening environments. we also know that casuals won't perceive this as a big difference (if they detect any at all). therefore so it is safe to state that it is not a massive difference. I work with prism but if I were to use UA it wouldn't even make a 0,5% difference in terms of quality of the end product (I'm being very generous here). these vacuum A/B comparisons have not much to do with how our production work flow actually functions. we hear, we adjust. we shape. we are the shapers. there will never be a situation where you would do the same thing on 2 different systems. ever played two different instruments of the same type? they encourage a different play style. a little shelf in the "correct" direction on the UA and most people would probably gush over the UA. so it just a matter of which producer makes the right decisions. having said that, I'll take the product that gives me the 0,5% potential boost of course
My blind test result: 1st passed A apollo (better) B Atlas 2nd passed A atlas B apollo (better) 3d wrong A Atlas B Apollo (better) I'm pro listening on laptop speaker. Can't wait to listen in the studio. Apollo black has its own sparkle sound that I really like. Prism sound is clean and awesome. Thank you Prism for pushing the borders.
Easy....Im listening on 3 way monitors. you can effortlessly hear te high, mids lows, depth because they have their own DRIVER. THE PRISM IS KILLLLLLLINGG THE UAD. the uad joint sounds 2d. its so human and interactive sounding. WOW like the difference detween seeing a high quality picture of the grand canyon shot on full frame camera....AND BEING AT THE GRAND CANYON and seeing the view for yourself. Im impressed
@Noize London ~ I own the Prism Sound Titan. I shot it out against everything. On a LOOPBACK PRINT TEST (AD OUT via single straight wire back into DA IN) the Prism was the ONLY converter out of dozens fo top tier converters (From UAD, to LYNX HILO, to BURL, to APOGEE SYMPHONY, to MYTEK 8x192s, Antelope, and several other top tier converters we auditioned for my mastering lab) to sound BETTER after an AD to DA conversion without obvious audible artifacts of degradation. This was basically the same result, Prism wins because whatever might be lost during conversion stage somehow musically re-voiced and compensated for (only slightly, but it's major in terms of a final product at any stage of production). I much preferred the Prism here, no offense to UAD, but their converters just aren't designed for mastering specifically. Also for Pro Tools HD/Ultimate running the Prism Sound converters via MDIO on low latency monitoring sounds EVEN BETTER. It's not a subtle thing. As you say, incremental steps (I prefer the term "War of Inches"). I loved your video though. Great job!
@@miablack Yes there is the Lyra 1, and the Lyra 2, the only difference is you have run them via USB (there is no Digilink cable option for PT HD with those smaller units). I recommend the Lyra 2 It has four outs, two ins, and two preamps.
Cary Miller thank you! would you prefer a Prism Lyra or the new Apogge Symphony Desktop? (It’s great apparently ) looks Simular to the Quartet but only has 2 inputs & the flagship converters... We are running a 2010 5.1 Mac Pro.. a few different opinions will really help us decide :)
@@miablack Digilink via PCIE with PT HD Delay Compensation enabled DOES affect/improve sound quality. BUT there are major mastering houses who use Lyra2 units (so the quality is still AMAZING). The only other real contenders are the new 2 Channel RME units, Mytek 8x192, and if you're going with PT HD perhaps an OMNI or 16x16 unit. I still favor the Prism, as I preferred how it sounded to over $50K in different converter designs in shootouts even before we utilized Delay Compensation. So if you're not running a PT HD system a Lyra still might be a great call. There are also other devices which are USB3 to consider for latency if you're primarily tracking (What's your main reason for hunting down a new converter? Tracking and Production, mixing/mastering?)
Totally heard the difference. I wasn’t expecting you to change them each song so I was a little confused for a sec when I heard the exact opposite thing on the second track from the first and then 3rd track from the 2nd. This was really informative. The Apollo is a great interface and had a lot going for it, but in the area of converters, Prism just had more depth and detail. Thanks.
It was quite noticeable in the lows. More tightness on the prism compared to the apollo. After seeing the comments I could indeed hear subtle improvements in the (high) stereo image on the prism. But I'd rather spend less cash to be honest :)
I had Prism as A, A, B. So the first one I was wrong. Listening again, I prefer B. That's a good lesson, because A was more 'impactful instantly' with spikier highs and transients, things that popped more, maybe it was the percussive style of music. My ears were more excited with A; but then listening again, I got enveloped by the smooth overall glued together sound of B, and once my ears were attuned to the track, B made me smile.
Got all 3 right. The Prism definitely sounds much fuller. Theres a big difference on the 2nd tune in particular - with the UAD it feels like the band drops in volume and the voice is pushed forward. The Prism low end on the 3rd tune is fantastic.
Would really love to hear the Prism vs the Apollo X or x16...that would be a more fair test. I compared my Apollo BF 16 to my Apollo X for summing and the X was a pretty clear improvement.
i agree 100%. Also i have problems with the music material. here in this examples. the a/b switching should be playing the same loop. in the first expample i heard a slight "better" sounding snare transient only... the other two expamples i could not hear any difference beacuse of the "restless" music material. sorry. maybe you share the audio to download the next time.
This was surprisingly easy, the Atlas sounds much better. I would not let the Apollo handle ADDA on any of my tracks, then I rather go full digital. Great test, thanks!
Easy to hear! The prism has a beautiful sparkle and sheen in the stereo image! Would have been nice to hear vs the Apollo X just to see the difference though I believe the Prism will still win!
Update: I bought the Prism ALAS yesterday! lol. . The difference is astonishing in sound quality, all i've goto to say is the comparison is like a Rolls Royce to BMW. I have the Apollo X8 apart from the six cores of DSP, It was not one of my best investments unfortunately!
@@david5104 You had the Apollo x8? Is the atlas a big difference? What’s weird is in the specs in the manual between these two interfaces, the Apollo x8 is listed as having a higher dynamic range(wired). On paper this would contribute to a better sounding interface, but a sound comparison hear tells differently. What are your thoughts?
@@sammytheman8994 Hi Sam, I still have the Apollo X8 and the Atlas, and to be honest since using the two, the Prism sounds amazing the stereo field the detail and everything sounds clear, plenty of depth, wide sounding with a sparkle. The Apollo doesn’t contend in that area unfortunately and doesn’t sound as good. I use the Apollo for when I’m using the UAD Luna, when doing so I use the Prism word clock, Instead of the Apollo X8 clock, Via using a word clock cable. My overall opinion since having used a number of different audio interfaces, Prism are well known for there clocks pres and overall amazing quality for their audio interfaces at world class high standard industry level. UAD are well known for their world class Virtual Plug-ins. I still believe they have along way to go with there audio interface products in terms of overall sound quality compared to other leading brands. The whole plug-in thing is really what markets the interfaces the ease of use the integration etc. But for those who want an amazing sound, excluding the plug-in hype I wouldn’t go for Apollo X series. I would checkout the Prism, the new Lynx interfaces, Pro-tools carbon, antelopes new Orion, latest Apogee Symphony models, latest RME etc
@@david5104 thanks for the reply man. Why is it in the specs between these two, the Apollo is listed as having a higher dynamic range than the Prism? It’s weird because on paper this would contribute to a better sounding interface
Fantastic breakdown. I'm super familiar with the UA sound but ohhh my my. Eyes (and ears) started to wander after hearing that Atlas open up. Great call discerning those differences, it's subtle to my ears for sure but the UA sounds "smudged" in the high-mids to me after that back to back comparison. The Prism also sounded a tad more dynamic to me. Very interesting indeed.
I was not expecting to hear any difference but I got all the three examples right, and I am glad that I did so because I own a Lyra 2. The Prism had deeper bass and the UAD sounded overall flatter.
I liked the Atlas better on All 3 examples. I can really hear the space on the reverbs and delays better. The middle image is very tight, and all of the elements have better separation across mid/sides.
A is different Prism. 6:54 I mostly watch Prism Dream AD2 videos on RUclips, it sounds so amazing, why I don't now but I'll always go to AD converters, my be an old engineer bad habit to catch a analog signal in best possible way. I have the Dangerus Music AD+ but want to finde Dream next to it.
I did identify the difference correctly, listening through my iphone speaker to be honest, however my choices were ABB and I was amazed to see your answer that the answers are correct, however being opposite - The atlas sounded less open in high freqs through the iphone speaker as I said. I couldnt conpare the stereo image or the thickness of the lower spectrum. PS: Wow dude calling UNIVERSAL AUDIO just ‘universal’ with just a half of it aint cool. As if you were calling New York just as simple as ‘new’. There are universal devices for cars and construction. That felt offensive 😂 well i heard the correct terminology later on in the video so neglect my comment 50% 😅
For me the differance is so subtle, it's negligible. Maybe you get a tiny bit more clarity in the transient area but those highs and lows, at least as they sound through youtube, are a matter of color rather than quality. Every converter you'll use will sound slightly different and for me this improvement in sound is so minor, that it would not be worth the extra stretch. That said, I am not a mastering engineer. maybe in such case you should really invest in a Ferrari. But as a producer and mix engineer, I don't think a prism sound will give me the juice over the Apollo.
For me its huge, More defined mids, separation and stereo image. I can assure you the difference will be more audible if its in front of you rather than youtube
Difference was clear despite it being a very problematic platform for doing an A/B, which actually prove how important the difference is. The Prism is way deeper. Didnt want it to be, its my money...
I had to really focus at first to hear the difference, but I did get them all right. To me the transient response (which you didn't mention/hear?) and low end is where I heard it most, it just felt more natural and less like a digital vst plugin mimicking a sampler playing all those drum hits. To the non production person they ain't gonna hear shit, but it's more a 'feeling' (sub consciense) they would just be missing on a lesser audio interface. subtle, but it's there
RUclips uses 2 audio compression types based on your device. If you have an older phone or a computer/tabelt with weak graphics you get AAC 126kps up to 1080p in a AVC container. If you have a modern machine the audio codec is OGG Opus at 256 kps in a VP9 container. Opus is the best lossy codec for audio and most of the noise reduction plugins that things like Izotope use are based around the Opus encode/decode algorithm. Its quiet amazing. Opus does not work like AAC or MP3. Unlike AAC and MP3s, OGG Opus retains as much of the stereo image (side signal) as possible and uses a more intelligent process in its compression scheme. Cheers!
I thought that there was no frickin way i'd be able to guess the difference, but i actually got them all right. makes me think that the subconscious notices these things
And the subconscious is exactly what part of the listener we want to tap in to ;) Thanks for watching bud - great to see you as a regular on the channel!
I've also guessed them all correct. And guess on what speakers i could tell the difference? The built in of my old 4k Philips monitor, crappy, no bass, no resolution. I was actually blown away that the difference still came through.
@@jasonshrestha the ADDA in the apollo vs X6,x8 is big but the dynamic range and transparency still better in the Prism vs UA. If you are big on plugins and the conversion dif is not a big deal to you then you may find value in purchasing an x8 or x6 as they are great. I got tired of having to be always connected to the apollo to use the plugins. Makes mobile non interface editing impossible.
Night & day? Come on! Those things both sounded nearly the same but awesome as you cant go wrong with any of them. What you choose is just a matter of preference & what you can afford 🤷💯
@@musadays8083 really depends how you are listening. These things are subtle and also subjective. A mix or mastering engineer has more tuned ears in this department. Honestly I wish I couldn’t hear the difference. I can certainly work on both. I have a treated room for referencing. You’ll only hear this in the right environment, good speakers or good headphones and critical listening. But yes there is a difference. The UAD is thinner sounding however subtle it may be to you.
I noticed the stereo image differences, but wasn’t sure which was which. I heard the 1st song A, there were sounds that seemed to come from the “7 o clock” position that wasn’t present in the B version.
Noize London oh no! I was watching in the parking lot of my school. I coached earlier this morning and wanted to nap before I started my day, but this video kept me up
I’d like to know exactly what converters are in the Prism. Likely very similar or even the same converters in other high end units. There’s more to the converter’s quality than the converters themselves. In fact, the tech has been around since the 90s for absolute pristine conversion. The difference the last 20 years has been more with the analog circuitry and psu design.
@@NoizeLondon Do you know if Prism actually manufacture their converters themselves? As in, the actual converter and not just the analog circuitry around the converter? Most companies are using the same Burr Brown and Cirrus Logic chips, with literally the only things changing being the analog paths, circuitry design and power section.
me too. and i almost wanted to buy Apollo X16 mk2 lol. I already have an UAD sattelite so i don't need the apollo for the extra bells and whistles. I'm all about converters.
thanks for the post. been debating changing my apollo8 2nd gen for a prism and this may have answered it. 1st one was a little bit harder to define but in the second I could hear the brightness and depth and guessed it wasn't apollo. the third I guessed you had flipped it.
Very close, in this blind test i picked the Prism all three times. The Prism has this nice "mid'ish warm frequency i cant quite put my finger on it, i also thought/felt like the low end had a bit more "push" to it. Thanks for the comparison.
Completely agreed with every word. :) Here were my notes I took after repeated listenings before seeing the reveal. Track 1: B is a little thicker and rounder (but it's nearly too close to call). Track 2: A has more heft to it, is fuller, a little thicker and rounder - but this time it's noticeably easier to tell between the two. Track 3: B is fuller, thicker, rounder. Listening back after the fact, you really notice the difference on the most accented bass hits in track 3. Honestly, I was a little surprised I consistently picked the same in all 3. I have a significantly easier time telling converters, preamps and even mics apart when I listen to them playing the same section. It's a little harder to tell when the material is different in each, even subtly so, because how can one be 100% that none of the differences are in the sonic content from one section to another? I was sort of hoping I'd like the less expensive converters better once it was a blind test. C'est la vie.
I've got them all answers correct listening on my video monitor's built in speakers (old 4k 43inch Philips monitor). I'd rather stay humble and not give credits to my ears, but still getting the difference so clear in each test on such crappy speakers actually blew my mind. I currently have a baby RME interface and i'll definitely upgrade to an Atlas in the future. Maybe i don't necessarily need it, but the tightness, upfront-ness and transparency of the sound of Atlas compared to UAD was very obvious, especially if you focus on how the kick hits in the mix, the slam was better on the atlas, in your face without lacking dynamics and the mids were less blurry/clogged by a good margin.
I know for a long time that I would like to switch to an interface of the Prism brand but I can not think of buying a new one for the moment. I have to stay on my crimson 3, I would be curious to know how she manages in front of a Prism one.
Holy shit! Really got 3 out of 3. There is really something about Prism, mix became more musical instantly. Well, Half the money you pay in audio gear is for the hype but yeah if you can afford it why not 😜. I've seen musician who make huge crowd dance with a 70 dollar PA and 50 dollar acoustic guitar and a 10 dollar microphone just with a power of music.
Thanks! Believe it or not, I could hear the difference on Presonus Eris 3.5 monitors. I didn't find which one was which, but could hear one was brighter than the other (especially on the first example). However, I found Apollo actually more pleasant to the ears, maybe because it's "darker".
I absolutely agree with you 😊 both are good at music prospective but prism is more stereo width and little bit more warm at upper mid range as well as high 👍
cool video. one critique though. i don't like how you correlated the switching of the interfaces to the beats in the music. if you switch after two or four measures that adds to some kind of difference bias. also those are the same periods in which the music itself changes
also a and b shouldve stayed the same thw whole time so we can keep track easier of the one we liked better. it wouldnt have ruined anything although i guess it might add some confirmation bias. gotta be a critical listener though
Yes I can hear the difference but does that make 1 better than the other? I don't think so. I Liked A (UAD) on the 1st track better. 2nd examples I liked the Atlas better. Atlas was punchier and I perceived it to be louder. When I lowered the Atlas slightly because it seemed more upfront than the UAD is when the differences seemed less. Example 2 was the most distinguishable for me as the high hats on that track seemed to have a nicer air. Do I think it's worth the 3k price difference? Def. not. However, if you are loaded and money doesn't matter probably the Atlas.
Well, I surprised myself and got 3 for 3 - maybe luck. I was surprised by the degree of difference - I was expecting it to be tiny - but in each case I had a clear favourite. I'm not sure I could describe my perception of the difference as well as you, and I was focusing more on the bass elements - maybe there seemed like a clearer but still natural separation. I don't know. BTW rock that flanny look - you'd fit right in down under, mate.
There is something quite magical about the Prism sound... hard to describe you're entirely right! Thanks for taking part Matt - haha the flanny is for sure my Canadian's gf influence so all credit to her :) Winter is coming and the flannies need to come out haha. Best, F
Man Apollo is great for its price, Has good low end , dosent sound flat. Here is my 2 cents (Computer science and MUSIC technologist degree holder). For music production and mixing I would definitely suggest APOLLO since it's also comes with Good DSP AND PLUG INS. For mastering engineer prisme or similar Lynx aurora is desirable. That being said for price and work Apollo is great for music producer and recording artist. Eventually you will have to send Track for mastering so why spend more on Prisme when you can invest elsewhere. Happy to hear other thoughts
On my TV I picked the Apollo on the first two and felt the music changed too much on the third to be definitive. I was concerned that there was that much difference, but surprised that the Apollo won! Twenty three years digital studio, starting with Nuendo 1. Analog before that…
I couldn‘t exactly what i heard as difference (i stoppet the Vid at 7:54 to do the Post) but Form my ears was A a Bit „more“ of all - with B i was missing something 🤔 … i Would saying on this point A was the the Prism Atlas and B the UAD Apolllo …
I have a Apollo x8, would be cool if I pass the same audio through mine & you through the Prism. Very interested in hearing the difference between both
Are we sure he knows which is A or B ? ❤️ I thought the first test sounded way better with A, which he says is Apollo. The highs are obviously better in A, compared to the tonned down sounds in B. For Test 2 & Test 3, I couldn't tell the difference. ❤️
Yeah man I think the previous generation Apollo’s were not on par with the Apogee, Prism and other top A-D D-A brands. I am a Symphony IO and Apollo X user, and both sound great. I used to own a Prism Orpheus, and then went over to Apogee. Tried the Lyra and was really impressed. To be honest at this level, they’re all great with just slight differences here and there.
@@theredfaceofficial so you'd say the Apollo X line is on par with Apogee? Even the desktop Apollo X's? Would you include Antelope in that tier as well?
Keith Harris II The new X desktop units should be decent enough to stand up against the Symphony IO line, however the X16 specs are better on paper and from what I hear in my setup, does sound amazing. You might want to also check out the new Symphony desktop that just got announced!
Hi great review. Which prism model would you recommend for vocal tracking only? I will be running outboard pre and compressors, so don't need any with preamps. I'm planning to use my apollo twin mkii as my interface. I will only run 1 pair of monitors, maybe 2 pair at most. Ty
You would go with one of those Prisms over dangerous ad+ paired with a dac such as a Mytek Brooklyn dac+ or Solaris dac (Crane)? You feel the prism will still be a better options than those? I dont need an interface, that's why I was looking outside the prism, but I keep hearing good things.
MASSIVE differences. Just a world of difference. Prism Sound all the way. Had plans to buy an Apollo, but got a Prism Titan after viewing this video and one other that also swayed me. Although I would have loved the Apollo tech (unison on the pre's etc) on the Prism, the sound quality more than makes up for it, and is worth the extra money.
I got them all right. I heard the improvement in Prism. I'm currently using Apollo and I want to move to Prism. Can I use both because the Apollo plugins are quite good.
I have the same Apollo interface so maybe I know the sound of it well, but I easily got 3/3 on my JBL Flip 4 Bluetooth speaker at home. I'm not crazy about the AD/DA conversion on my Apollo and the Prism clearly smokes it. It's just night and day how much more 3D and open the Prism is. However, I'm curious to know how an Apollo x8 stacks up. I understand that the converters are much higher quality. If you're ever able to do a test I'd be very keen to hear it.
The recordings are coming from the Prism Sound Atlas drivers and not the Universal Audio drivers so at the end even if the song was made on another sound card the print is Prism Sound Atlas.
The songs are recorded out of the DAW into the individual interfaces and then out of the interfaces back into Logic printing the sound of the interface. So one is Atlas and one is Apollo. Explained that quite clearly, not sure what you’re getting here bud but I think you got it twisted.
inclusive of the compressed area is a wee bit fat, that is simply bandwidth response i presume...but the thing is would it contrast with an RME, cuz RME also differ from UADs in the same way in terms of input range, i mean by the preamp responsiveness...dunno not an expert but in youtube the nasalization ratios reveal as such to me.
I actually liked the Apollo on the first track more, the others I liked the Prism, more detail and width for sure. There is a difference, but a $3000 difference? Don't know about that.
@@NoizeLondon I'm sure the difference is more apparent when not listening to it through RUclips's conversion and using it everyday compared to a few second sound clips :)
I expected a night and day difference. I could hear clear a difference but I assumed each example that sounded better to my ears was the prism. To my surprise I actually picked the UAD everytime. 🤷🏾♂️
Apollo sounds mid scooped and not as full in comparison. The lows disappear quite noticeably. The Atlas has better response and representation in all frequency range, sounds more balanced and has better stereo imaging and separation. It's not even subtle.
Exactly! Differences are in the Highs, Stereo Image, Low end (Depth & Tightness)
For sure dude - thanks for taking part :)
There is no comparison in real life....the difference is night and day. I bought a Prism Atlas and a Lyra.
The biggest giveaway on great vs good ad/da conversion is the difference in low end control and overall resolution. The difference would be even more obvious on well recorded acoustic jazz or classical music. It would be interesting to hear the Atlas against the RME Adi 2 Pro or the Merging Anubis.
I have the ADI-2 DAC and the Prism Callia at home, so I can give you my impressions on how the DA side compares as they use the same chip and circuitry as the ADI-2 Pro and the Lyra/Atlas respectively.
Both are very detailed, but the Callia has better bass punch and a more defined middle image. The ADI is kind of more expansive on the sides and it is notably softer in the low end attacks. I would say the ADI sounds a touch leaner but crisper, whereas the Prism has a bit more body and midrange detail.
Hi we are currently using a Quartet (just for A/D mainly) recording only vocals.. we have just added some lovely Analogue Addicts Units & Mics too.
Would the Prism be much of an improvement over the Quartet AD ? Apogge has just talkin out a 2 channel Symphony Desktop with their best A/D’s also, wondering how they would all compare.. again it’s just for recording vocals so we wouldn’t need 8 channels.
Kind Regards
Apogee is pretty high end so I'm sure you'll be ok - yes there is a difference so might be worth demo'ing a unit and seeing what you think :)
Noize London no way of demoing where we are but leaning towards the Prism , thing is we only need a few outputs. Needs to prob be usb tho as we have an old 2010 Mac Pro..
3 out of 3. +Prism. There is definitely more depth and separation from the Prism. It almost sounding like a tube circuit which adds harmonics.
A comparison between RME would be very interesting. Especially with the Babyface Pro FS. Thanks for this comparison!
Prism is king I love mine
cool yes prism clear open, rme pro fs is same level ? what's your ranking ? we use apollo solo, rme ff uc, lavry ad11 ;) cheers
I got a Prism interface after watching this video. The difference is massive in my ears. Apollo has this mid range tensed feel, nasalness that I'm always fighting agains. Everything sounds more relaxed with Prism. And don't even get me started on the snappyness of transients. Crazy. Thank you for doing this!
Prism is 👑
massive? come on
@@TheGreatWesternTrendkill Depends upon how trained your ears are and even on youtube it is that audible. Imagine how drastic they are in reality
@@clickbaitpro well he did say to his ears so that is his opinion but I still think "massive" is reaching. instead of talking about us nerds, I was more so connecting it to the question of how much impact it has on the end product in the average listeners ears. we produce for mostly casual listeners, casual listening environments. we also know that casuals won't perceive this as a big difference (if they detect any at all). therefore so it is safe to state that it is not a massive difference.
I work with prism but if I were to use UA it wouldn't even make a 0,5% difference in terms of quality of the end product (I'm being very generous here). these vacuum A/B comparisons have not much to do with how our production work flow actually functions. we hear, we adjust. we shape. we are the shapers. there will never be a situation where you would do the same thing on 2 different systems. ever played two different instruments of the same type? they encourage a different play style. a little shelf in the "correct" direction on the UA and most people would probably gush over the UA. so it just a matter of which producer makes the right decisions. having said that, I'll take the product that gives me the 0,5% potential boost of course
My blind test result:
1st passed
A apollo (better)
B Atlas
2nd passed
A atlas
B apollo (better)
3d wrong
A Atlas
B Apollo (better)
I'm pro listening on laptop speaker. Can't wait to listen in the studio. Apollo black has its own sparkle sound that I really like. Prism sound is clean and awesome. Thank you Prism for pushing the borders.
Prism is da one!!!!
You know fishing? When you throw the Line at Far?....One Is Long Shot Fizz the Other Is the Lac Drop Plumk!!
@@NoizeLondon Ohh, my bad. Prism is better then. Better depth. Better detail. Listening again on laptop 2 years after. Going for Prism. Thank you
Had same perception as yours on an iphone speaker
Easy....Im listening on 3 way monitors. you can effortlessly hear te high, mids lows, depth because they have their own DRIVER. THE PRISM IS KILLLLLLLINGG THE UAD. the uad joint sounds 2d. its so human and interactive sounding. WOW like the difference detween seeing a high quality picture of the grand canyon shot on full frame camera....AND BEING AT THE GRAND CANYON and seeing the view for yourself. Im impressed
@Noize London ~ I own the Prism Sound Titan. I shot it out against everything. On a LOOPBACK PRINT TEST (AD OUT via single straight wire back into DA IN) the Prism was the ONLY converter out of dozens fo top tier converters (From UAD, to LYNX HILO, to BURL, to APOGEE SYMPHONY, to MYTEK 8x192s, Antelope, and several other top tier converters we auditioned for my mastering lab) to sound BETTER after an AD to DA conversion without obvious audible artifacts of degradation. This was basically the same result, Prism wins because whatever might be lost during conversion stage somehow musically re-voiced and compensated for (only slightly, but it's major in terms of a final product at any stage of production). I much preferred the Prism here, no offense to UAD, but their converters just aren't designed for mastering specifically. Also for Pro Tools HD/Ultimate running the Prism Sound converters via MDIO on low latency monitoring sounds EVEN BETTER. It's not a subtle thing. As you say, incremental steps (I prefer the term "War of Inches"). I loved your video though. Great job!
Cary Miller is there a 2 or 4 Channel option with the same converters?
@@miablack Yes there is the Lyra 1, and the Lyra 2, the only difference is you have run them via USB (there is no Digilink cable option for PT HD with those smaller units). I recommend the Lyra 2 It has four outs, two ins, and two preamps.
Cary Miller thank you! would you prefer a Prism Lyra or the new Apogge Symphony Desktop? (It’s great apparently ) looks Simular to the Quartet but only has 2 inputs & the flagship converters... We are running a 2010 5.1 Mac Pro.. a few different opinions will really help us decide :)
Cary Miller does digital link affect sound or just latency? Tks
@@miablack Digilink via PCIE with PT HD Delay Compensation enabled DOES affect/improve sound quality. BUT there are major mastering houses who use Lyra2 units (so the quality is still AMAZING). The only other real contenders are the new 2 Channel RME units, Mytek 8x192, and if you're going with PT HD perhaps an OMNI or 16x16 unit. I still favor the Prism, as I preferred how it sounded to over $50K in different converter designs in shootouts even before we utilized Delay Compensation. So if you're not running a PT HD system a Lyra still might be a great call. There are also other devices which are USB3 to consider for latency if you're primarily tracking (What's your main reason for hunting down a new converter? Tracking and Production, mixing/mastering?)
Totally heard the difference. I wasn’t expecting you to change them each song so I was a little confused for a sec when I heard the exact opposite thing on the second track from the first and then 3rd track from the 2nd. This was really informative. The Apollo is a great interface and had a lot going for it, but in the area of converters, Prism just had more depth and detail. Thanks.
My Atlas arrived today.. From scarlet 2nd gen to this.. the difference in sound is OKAY bro :"D
I’d really like to hear the difference of something tracked through the pres and coming line in on both
Prism - smooth highs and big - punchy low end. Love that aproach , hate bright conversion .
It was quite noticeable in the lows. More tightness on the prism compared to the apollo. After seeing the comments I could indeed hear subtle improvements in the (high) stereo image on the prism. But I'd rather spend less cash to be honest :)
I had Prism as A, A, B. So the first one I was wrong. Listening again, I prefer B. That's a good lesson, because A was more 'impactful instantly' with spikier highs and transients, things that popped more, maybe it was the percussive style of music. My ears were more excited with A; but then listening again, I got enveloped by the smooth overall glued together sound of B, and once my ears were attuned to the track, B made me smile.
Got all 3 right. The Prism definitely sounds much fuller. Theres a big difference on the 2nd tune in particular - with the UAD it feels like the band drops in volume and the voice is pushed forward. The Prism low end on the 3rd tune is fantastic.
same here..got all three right.......the Prism sounds "deeper" or sounds like it goes further in?
A noob question, can the Atlas do low latency monitoring with basic fx like UAD does?
Would really love to hear the Prism vs the Apollo X or x16...that would be a more fair test. I compared my Apollo BF 16 to my Apollo X for summing and the X was a pretty clear improvement.
This is a justification video not a true comparison !
@@nicholasflores8100 สทไททว ทสท จ
@@nicholasflores8100 lol true but lyra 2 uses same converters
i agree 100%. Also i have problems with the music material. here in this examples. the a/b switching should be playing the same loop. in the first expample i heard a slight "better" sounding snare transient only... the other two expamples i could not hear any difference beacuse of the "restless" music material. sorry. maybe you share the audio to download the next time.
You cant go wrong with any of the 2 interfaces. What you choose is just a matter of preference & what you can afford 🤷💯
This was surprisingly easy, the Atlas sounds much better. I would not let the Apollo handle ADDA on any of my tracks, then I rather go full digital. Great test, thanks!
its very clear in the prism we can hear more details in lows and highs
I heard the differences but not sure if I like the sound of the Prism Atlas though... 🤔
Easy to hear! The prism has a beautiful sparkle and sheen in the stereo image! Would have been nice to hear vs the Apollo X just to see the difference though I believe the Prism will still win!
Update: I bought the Prism ALAS yesterday! lol. . The difference is astonishing in sound quality, all i've goto to say is the comparison is like a Rolls Royce to BMW. I have the Apollo X8 apart from the six cores of DSP, It was not one of my best investments unfortunately!
@@david5104 You had the Apollo x8? Is the atlas a big difference? What’s weird is in the specs in the manual between these two interfaces, the Apollo x8 is listed as having a higher dynamic range(wired).
On paper this would contribute to a better sounding interface, but a sound comparison hear tells differently.
What are your thoughts?
@@sammytheman8994 Hi Sam, I still have the Apollo X8 and the Atlas, and to be honest since using the two, the Prism sounds amazing the stereo field the detail and everything sounds clear, plenty of depth, wide sounding with a sparkle.
The Apollo doesn’t contend in that area unfortunately and doesn’t sound as good. I use the Apollo for when I’m using the UAD Luna, when doing so I use the Prism word clock, Instead of the Apollo X8 clock, Via using a word clock cable.
My overall opinion since having used a number of different audio interfaces, Prism are well known for there clocks pres and overall amazing quality for their audio interfaces at world class high standard industry level.
UAD are well known for their world class Virtual Plug-ins. I still believe they have along way to go with there audio interface products in terms of overall sound quality compared to other leading brands. The whole plug-in thing is really what markets the interfaces the ease of use the integration etc. But for those who want an amazing sound, excluding the plug-in hype I wouldn’t go for Apollo X series. I would checkout the Prism, the new Lynx interfaces, Pro-tools carbon, antelopes new Orion, latest Apogee Symphony models, latest RME etc
@@david5104 thanks for the reply man. Why is it in the specs between these two, the Apollo is listed as having a higher dynamic range than the Prism? It’s weird because on paper this would contribute to a better sounding interface
The difference is massive! Well done.
Just bought an Atlas, cant wait for it to arrive!!!
Oh Anast... the best !!
Passed them all. The inevitable differences are in detail.
Fantastic breakdown. I'm super familiar with the UA sound but ohhh my my. Eyes (and ears) started to wander after hearing that Atlas open up. Great call discerning those differences, it's subtle to my ears for sure but the UA sounds "smudged" in the high-mids to me after that back to back comparison. The Prism also sounded a tad more dynamic to me. Very interesting indeed.
I was not expecting to hear any difference but I got all the three examples right, and I am glad that I did so because I own a Lyra 2.
The Prism had deeper bass and the UAD sounded overall flatter.
I liked the Atlas better on All 3 examples. I can really hear the space on the reverbs and delays better. The middle image is very tight, and all of the elements have better separation across mid/sides.
A is different Prism. 6:54 I mostly watch Prism Dream AD2 videos on RUclips, it sounds so amazing, why I don't now but I'll always go to AD converters, my be an old engineer bad habit to catch a analog signal in best possible way. I have the Dangerus Music AD+ but want to finde Dream next to it.
I did identify the difference correctly, listening through my iphone speaker to be honest, however my choices were ABB and I was amazed to see your answer that the answers are correct, however being opposite - The atlas sounded less open in high freqs through the iphone speaker as I said. I couldnt conpare the stereo image or the thickness of the lower spectrum.
PS: Wow dude calling UNIVERSAL AUDIO just ‘universal’ with just a half of it aint cool. As if you were calling New York just as simple as ‘new’. There are universal devices for cars and construction. That felt offensive 😂 well i heard the correct terminology later on in the video so neglect my comment 50% 😅
For me the differance is so subtle, it's negligible. Maybe you get a tiny bit more clarity in the transient area but those highs and lows, at least as they sound through youtube, are a matter of color rather than quality. Every converter you'll use will sound slightly different and for me this improvement in sound is so minor, that it would not be worth the extra stretch. That said, I am not a mastering engineer. maybe in such case you should really invest in a Ferrari. But as a producer and mix engineer, I don't think a prism sound will give me the juice over the Apollo.
For me its huge, More defined mids, separation and stereo image. I can assure you the difference will be more audible if its in front of you rather than youtube
Veeeeery big difference the apollo is trash compared to the prism
Difference was clear despite it being a very problematic platform for doing an A/B, which actually prove how important the difference is. The Prism is way deeper. Didnt want it to be, its my money...
I had to really focus at first to hear the difference, but I did get them all right. To me the transient response (which you didn't mention/hear?) and low end is where I heard it most, it just felt more natural and less like a digital vst plugin mimicking a sampler playing all those drum hits. To the non production person they ain't gonna hear shit, but it's more a 'feeling' (sub consciense) they would just be missing on a lesser audio interface. subtle, but it's there
I’m with u on all of the above
RUclips uses 2 audio compression types based on your device. If you have an older phone or a computer/tabelt with weak graphics you get AAC 126kps up to 1080p in a AVC container. If you have a modern machine the audio codec is OGG Opus at 256 kps in a VP9 container. Opus is the best lossy codec for audio and most of the noise reduction plugins that things like Izotope use are based around the Opus encode/decode algorithm. Its quiet amazing. Opus does not work like AAC or MP3. Unlike AAC and MP3s, OGG Opus retains as much of the stereo image (side signal) as possible and uses a more intelligent process in its compression scheme. Cheers!
The UA sounds like it has a pop filter in front of the mix. Such a subtle but yet smooth and clear difference
Old but still gold
Interesting, I preferred the Apollo in the first two and the Prism in the third.In each I went with the punchier transient as the key difference.
I liked the apollo in first one also .
I thought that there was no frickin way i'd be able to guess the difference, but i actually got them all right. makes me think that the subconscious notices these things
And the subconscious is exactly what part of the listener we want to tap in to ;) Thanks for watching bud - great to see you as a regular on the channel!
holy shit, I had the same thing listening through my audio technica. Do you think there is a difference between UAD apollo twin mk1 vs the big apollo
@@jasonshrestha I thought that the quality was supposed to be the same between the two, but honestly not sure
I've also guessed them all correct. And guess on what speakers i could tell the difference? The built in of my old 4k Philips monitor, crappy, no bass, no resolution. I was actually blown away that the difference still came through.
@@jasonshrestha the ADDA in the apollo vs X6,x8 is big but the dynamic range and transparency still better in the Prism vs UA. If you are big on plugins and the conversion dif is not a big deal to you then you may find value in purchasing an x8 or x6 as they are great. I got tired of having to be always connected to the apollo to use the plugins. Makes mobile non interface editing impossible.
Test with mid range converters and the same monitors + better cables too.
B A B = more transients
oh yeah i definitely heard the depth and brightness
Right?? thanks for watching Andre!
Got all 3. Its night and day! Prism sounded pretty awesome and yes a lot more clearer, bigger wider and more focussed.
Exactly even on RUclips
Night & day? Come on! Those things both sounded nearly the same but awesome as you cant go wrong with any of them. What you choose is just a matter of preference & what you can afford 🤷💯
@@musadays8083 really depends how you are listening. These things are subtle and also subjective. A mix or mastering engineer has more tuned ears in this department. Honestly I wish I couldn’t hear the difference. I can certainly work on both. I have a treated room for referencing. You’ll only hear this in the right environment, good speakers or good headphones and critical listening. But yes there is a difference. The UAD is thinner sounding however subtle it may be to you.
I noticed the stereo image differences, but wasn’t sure which was which. I heard the 1st song A, there were sounds that seemed to come from the “7 o clock” position that wasn’t present in the B version.
The low end always gives it away for me - more defined, tighter, deeper low end on the prism every time - cool vid
I heard the differences clear as day in my car😅 I’m thoroughly surprised with my hearing now. Nice shoot out!
that's sick - although I'm worried about you watching youtube and driving at the same time? ha
Noize London oh no! I was watching in the parking lot of my school. I coached earlier this morning and wanted to nap before I started my day, but this video kept me up
@@yungmagickidd haha nice man! well thank you for choosing the video over your nap - honoured!!
I’d like to know exactly what converters are in the Prism. Likely very similar or even the same converters in other high end units. There’s more to the converter’s quality than the converters themselves. In fact, the tech has been around since the 90s for absolute pristine conversion. The difference the last 20 years has been more with the analog circuitry and psu design.
Prism converters have been the same for a while but they have held up their quality amongst newer releases without issue
@@NoizeLondon Do you know if Prism actually manufacture their converters themselves? As in, the actual converter and not just the analog circuitry around the converter? Most companies are using the same Burr Brown and Cirrus Logic chips, with literally the only things changing being the analog paths, circuitry design and power section.
It would be nice to see a comparison to a entry level product.
Those 2 units sounded ok. Would an entry level unit sound terrible?
Omg, i was 3/3 with prism. Im bying this :)
Its sick right?
me too. and i almost wanted to buy Apollo X16 mk2 lol. I already have an UAD sattelite so i don't need the apollo for the extra bells and whistles. I'm all about converters.
@@costinvaly1 Just bought my Atlas in white, and waiting for it to be delivered!! CANT FCKN WAIT :"D :"D
@@anastav6915 allll the besttt with it!
thanks for the post. been debating changing my apollo8 2nd gen for a prism and this may have answered it. 1st one was a little bit harder to define but in the second I could hear the brightness and depth and guessed it wasn't apollo. the third I guessed you had flipped it.
Glad I could help
Thank you so much for this Test
Very close, in this blind test i picked the Prism all three times. The Prism has this nice "mid'ish warm frequency i cant quite put my finger on it, i also thought/felt like the low end had a bit more "push" to it. Thanks for the comparison.
Completely agreed with every word. :)
Here were my notes I took after repeated listenings before seeing the reveal.
Track 1: B is a little thicker and rounder (but it's nearly too close to call).
Track 2: A has more heft to it, is fuller, a little thicker and rounder - but this time it's noticeably easier to tell between the two.
Track 3: B is fuller, thicker, rounder.
Listening back after the fact, you really notice the difference on the most accented bass hits in track 3.
Honestly, I was a little surprised I consistently picked the same in all 3. I have a significantly easier time telling converters, preamps and even mics apart when I listen to them playing the same section. It's a little harder to tell when the material is different in each, even subtly so, because how can one be 100% that none of the differences are in the sonic content from one section to another?
I was sort of hoping I'd like the less expensive converters better once it was a blind test. C'est la vie.
I've got them all answers correct listening on my video monitor's built in speakers (old 4k 43inch Philips monitor). I'd rather stay humble and not give credits to my ears, but still getting the difference so clear in each test on such crappy speakers actually blew my mind. I currently have a baby RME interface and i'll definitely upgrade to an Atlas in the future. Maybe i don't necessarily need it, but the tightness, upfront-ness and transparency of the sound of Atlas compared to UAD was very obvious, especially if you focus on how the kick hits in the mix, the slam was better on the atlas, in your face without lacking dynamics and the mids were less blurry/clogged by a good margin.
I know for a long time that I would like to switch to an interface of the Prism brand but I can not think of buying a new one for the moment. I have to stay on my crimson 3, I would be curious to know how she manages in front of a Prism one.
I'm sure it would be quite different!
Holy shit! Really got 3 out of 3. There is really something about Prism, mix became more musical instantly. Well, Half the money you pay in audio gear is for the hype but yeah if you can afford it why not 😜. I've seen musician who make huge crowd dance with a 70 dollar PA and 50 dollar acoustic guitar and a 10 dollar microphone just with a power of music.
For some reason, I liked mix A in all 3 examples! Damn...
Thanks! Believe it or not, I could hear the difference on Presonus Eris 3.5 monitors. I didn't find which one was which, but could hear one was brighter than the other (especially on the first example). However, I found Apollo actually more pleasant to the ears, maybe because it's "darker".
VERY VERY THANKS VERY HELPFULL TUTORIAL
Since I make more dirty and gritty sounding music this wouldn’t matter to me in the end. But I did hear the difference even with ATH M50x on.
Cheers for this, I'll get an Apollo
Oh, BAB, a little confused now, cause I have the apollo. And what about apollo X vs Atlas?
Atlas sound fuller to me, especially the bass, and the various elementa of the mix are tighter like the kick attack.
If at one point you don't want it anymore, I'll take it off your hands. I'll even do so for free.
Haha well... Prism will have to take off mine first!
I absolutely agree with you 😊 both are good at music prospective but prism is more stereo width and little bit more warm at upper mid range as well as high 👍
I definitely agree the Atlas has more depth wider a little more body
yep!
A big thanks to the boys at Studio Eleven Audio for sending this over to demo!
www.studioelevenaudio.com/prism-sound-atlas-dante
I heard the differences on my iPhone. Prism was a bit ‘fuller’
cool video. one critique though. i don't like how you correlated the switching of the interfaces to the beats in the music. if you switch after two or four measures that adds to some kind of difference bias. also those are the same periods in which the music itself changes
also a and b shouldve stayed the same thw whole time so we can keep track easier of the one we liked better. it wouldnt have ruined anything although i guess it might add some confirmation bias. gotta be a critical listener though
Yes I can hear the difference but does that make 1 better than the other? I don't think so. I Liked A (UAD) on the 1st track better. 2nd examples I liked the Atlas better. Atlas was punchier and I perceived it to be louder. When I lowered the Atlas slightly because it seemed more upfront than the UAD is when the differences seemed less. Example 2 was the most distinguishable for me as the high hats on that track seemed to have a nicer air. Do I think it's worth the 3k price difference? Def. not. However, if you are loaded and money doesn't matter probably the Atlas.
Well, I surprised myself and got 3 for 3 - maybe luck. I was surprised by the degree of difference - I was expecting it to be tiny - but in each case I had a clear favourite. I'm not sure I could describe my perception of the difference as well as you, and I was focusing more on the bass elements - maybe there seemed like a clearer but still natural separation. I don't know. BTW rock that flanny look - you'd fit right in down under, mate.
There is something quite magical about the Prism sound... hard to describe you're entirely right! Thanks for taking part Matt - haha the flanny is for sure my Canadian's gf influence so all credit to her :) Winter is coming and the flannies need to come out haha. Best, F
Thanks, Fabio. If money were no object...
Man Apollo is great for its price, Has good low end , dosent sound flat.
Here is my 2 cents (Computer science and MUSIC technologist degree holder).
For music production and mixing I would definitely suggest APOLLO since it's also comes with Good DSP AND PLUG INS.
For mastering engineer prisme or similar Lynx aurora is desirable. That being said for price and work Apollo is great for music producer and recording artist.
Eventually you will have to send Track for mastering so why spend more on Prisme when you can invest elsewhere.
Happy to hear other thoughts
On my TV I picked the Apollo on the first two and felt the music changed too much on the third to be definitive. I was concerned that there was that much difference, but surprised that the Apollo won! Twenty three years digital studio, starting with Nuendo 1. Analog before that…
I’m in bed listening on airpod pro 2s at 12 am and I heard the differences! Wow. 😂
I couldn‘t exactly what i heard as difference (i stoppet the Vid at 7:54 to do the Post) but Form my ears was A a Bit „more“ of all - with B i was missing something 🤔 … i Would saying on this point A was the the Prism Atlas and B the UAD Apolllo …
To be honest, I thought that the Apollo mixes were more "open". Strange because I initially thought this would be the Prism.
Prism Atlas got more depth, body and brighter why UAD Apollo sounds dark
Sure does, Prism just has the most amazing converters!
I have a Apollo x8, would be cool if I pass the same audio through mine & you through the Prism. Very interested in hearing the difference between both
Are we sure he knows which is A or B ? ❤️ I thought the first test sounded way better with A, which he says is Apollo. The highs are obviously better in A, compared to the tonned down sounds in B. For Test 2 & Test 3, I couldn't tell the difference. ❤️
You should have compared the Prism to the UA Apollo X series, such as the X16. The X line completely different beast to the black Apollo’s
I only had the Apollo 8 at hand so was a shame I agree, but I hear the new Apollo chips are dope.
Yeah man I think the previous generation Apollo’s were not on par with the Apogee, Prism and other top A-D D-A brands. I am a Symphony IO and Apollo X user, and both sound great. I used to own a Prism Orpheus, and then went over to Apogee. Tried the Lyra and was really impressed. To be honest at this level, they’re all great with just slight differences here and there.
@@theredfaceofficial so you'd say the Apollo X line is on par with Apogee? Even the desktop Apollo X's? Would you include Antelope in that tier as well?
Keith Harris II
The new Apollo x16 is on par with apogee symphony. I tested it both the X16 and the Symphony and choose the Apollo x16
Keith Harris II The new X desktop units should be decent enough to stand up against the Symphony IO line, however the X16 specs are better on paper and from what I hear in my setup, does sound amazing. You might want to also check out the new Symphony desktop that just got announced!
Hi great review. Which prism model would you recommend for vocal tracking only? I will be running outboard pre and compressors, so don't need any with preamps. I'm planning to use my apollo twin mkii as my interface. I will only run 1 pair of monitors, maybe 2 pair at most. Ty
I would go for the prism lyra (1 or 2) my friend. I have it and LOVE it. Cleanest, crispest converters in the market (in my opinion).
You would go with one of those Prisms over dangerous ad+ paired with a dac such as a Mytek Brooklyn dac+ or Solaris dac (Crane)? You feel the prism will still be a better options than those? I dont need an interface, that's why I was looking outside the prism, but I keep hearing good things.
WOW!!! THANK YOU !!!!
YOu're so welcome Aman - thanks for watching!!
I find the same differences but I'm wondering if prism doesn't add harmonics to have this "pristine" sound ... Thanks for the test ! :-)
I was thinking the same thing! The prism sound like it has an exciter on it - but like a really great exciter haha
MASSIVE differences. Just a world of difference. Prism Sound all the way. Had plans to buy an Apollo, but got a Prism Titan after viewing this video and one other that also swayed me. Although I would have loved the Apollo tech (unison on the pre's etc) on the Prism, the sound quality more than makes up for it, and is worth the extra money.
Nice demo! What do you think of the diffrence between Prism sound dream and Apollo x8p? (Sonicstate has a demo/A/B)
Kind regards
Alieu Stian
I got them all right. I heard the improvement in Prism. I'm currently using Apollo and I want to move to Prism. Can I use both because the Apollo plugins are quite good.
is that the apollo x series the new ones ?
No, older version
I have the same Apollo interface so maybe I know the sound of it well, but I easily got 3/3 on my JBL Flip 4 Bluetooth speaker at home. I'm not crazy about the AD/DA conversion on my Apollo and the Prism clearly smokes it. It's just night and day how much more 3D and open the Prism is. However, I'm curious to know how an Apollo x8 stacks up. I understand that the converters are much higher quality. If you're ever able to do a test I'd be very keen to hear it.
I believe both examples are Prism Sound Atlas. I think you need to switch computers when doing an a/b comparison.
Why would I need to switch computers?
And both are definitely not the Atlas - I did the test myself!
The recordings are coming from the Prism Sound Atlas drivers and not the Universal Audio drivers so at the end even if the song was made on another sound card the print is Prism Sound Atlas.
The songs are recorded out of the DAW into the individual interfaces and then out of the interfaces back into Logic printing the sound of the interface. So one is Atlas and one is Apollo. Explained that quite clearly, not sure what you’re getting here bud but I think you got it twisted.
The recordings are coming from Logic, not Atlas.
I was able to tell the stereo difference and clarity. But is it worth twice as much?
Listened on my phone. Big difference.
A sounds dull B sound open and fresh
inclusive of the compressed area is a wee bit fat, that is simply bandwidth response i presume...but the thing is would it contrast with an RME, cuz RME also differ from UADs in the same way in terms of input range, i mean by the preamp responsiveness...dunno not an expert but in youtube the nasalization ratios reveal as such to me.
I actually liked the Apollo on the first track more, the others I liked the Prism, more detail and width for sure. There is a difference, but a $3000 difference? Don't know about that.
Sure is when you're doing this everyday
@@NoizeLondon I'm sure the difference is more apparent when not listening to it through RUclips's conversion and using it everyday compared to a few second sound clips :)
@@DystopianOwl yes because not everyone will only listen to your songs under crushed RUclips file compression.
@@AnthonyMartinsRock RUclips is quite harsh in compressing audio, same is true for soundcloud but Spotify is much better
I expected a night and day difference. I could hear clear a difference but I assumed each example that sounded better to my ears was the prism. To my surprise I actually picked the UAD everytime. 🤷🏾♂️
Hi. I going to buy new interface. First I decided to buy Atlas but I see steinberg axr4. Which one should I go for.
Atlas will last you for your whole life
The way I looked at my Kali's. Ordering a Prism Today
Apollo sounds mid scooped and not as full in comparison. The lows disappear quite noticeably. The Atlas has better response and representation in all frequency range, sounds more balanced and has better stereo imaging and separation. It's not even subtle.
Great comparison. I am listening to it on my Prism sound Titan and I can definitely hear the difference 🎧
got in straight away
nice!
Hey, what about drivers and software? Are there any bugs or unstability in prism software? How do prism sound devices compare to metric halo ones?
The difference ain’t subtle. My goodness.
Got all three correct - but I still don't know how the converters really sound in its purest form ... RUclips + my DA is an Appollo ... ^^^
The difference is not subtle. The atlas blows it out the water.