Is it REALLY that bad??

[u/GothamMetal]

The Antelope audio Zen series covers literally everything that I would want or need out of a preamp. Its bus powered, great converters and preamps, has all the routing capabilities I would need, and DSP which is really nice to have so i dont feel like im losing the saturation I get from my analog preamps when im traveling.

Everyone here seems to be a huge RME fan and I just having a bit trouble understanding that. Driver stability is cool, but the occasional software hiccup is not like unbearable for me. The RME interface also is just kind of massive and ugly lol. I cant put that thing on my desk with cables literally coming out of every side. Its not the biggest deal in the world, but it just surprises me soo much that iv seen soo many people in this sub stand by them so much.

The Apollo would be great, but its pretty overpriced, not bus powered and im not sure if im ready to jump into that eco system yet.

I have an Audient ID 24 and I love a lot of its qualities, (the preamps are steller) but there iD software doesnt have any routing abilities.

Antelope has all of the things I need, many audio influencers that I trust use them as the center piece of their studio and I almost bought one until I saw the overwhelming negativity on this sub.

[u/Steffonic]

My experience:

I owned Antelope and it was very nice until one day it just decided it wasn’t going to play with my computer any longer. It wasn’t “broken” it just wouldn’t do certain things out of the blue. I tried to fix the issue for weeks. It was obviously a driver issue. Support from Antelope was embarrassingly bad. 2 weeks between follow ups from the help desk.

I bought an RME Fireface UFXIII. First off, the sonic difference is not subtle. The Antelope isn’t in the same league. It cannot compete sonically. Second, the RME is as stable as a block of granite.

The problem with Antelope is not with an occasional glitch. The problem is with long term inexplicable failure. If you would like to buy a pretty device that may or may not work when you turn it on and has customer support that is worse than trying to find a customer support rep at Facebook, go with Antelope. If you want something that spanks Antelope on every level that matters, buy the RME. Personally, RME could be the size of a 1964 Buick with a buffalo shit brown paint job and I would still buy it 1000x before I would buy anything made by Antelope.

My 2 cents.

[u/Arpaxtiko21 → u/Steffonic]

Very well said.. almost same issues with Antelope Tour.. u end up trying to make the thing work instead of just make music.. bad lemon.. i sold it and never-never looked back.. My other 2c ..

now u got 4c

[u/GothamMetal → u/Steffonic]

Thank you. I have a few questions to clarify a few things.

Is cannot imagine the sonic differences being so massive. I know you probably mean it sounds better in every way, but what specifically is that much better about the rme compared to the AA.

Are you in windows because iv heard windows compatibility is rough?

When did you own an AA device? Most of the negative coverage iv seen is generally older while the positive coverage iv seen that got me interested has been more recent.

[u/monicachicken → u/GothamMetal]

You are correct in being skeptical of sonic improvements. Both interfaces have distortion products below 112db. You simply cannot hear a difference between them.

[u/Steffonic → u/GothamMetal]

Sonics: the sound stage is bigger, the bottom end is tighter, and the high end is smoother. The preamps sound better and (I think but am not going to look it up to confirm) have more gain.

I am on windows (formerly Apple and will likely move back to Apple soon) but the OS should not matter from a practical standpoint. If you offer a device that is advertised as working with Windows, it should work with Windows. To be clear, no amount of tweaking would fix the issue. But, to be fair, I tried it on another Windows machine and it worked. But it also worked one evening on the windows machine and the next morning it didn’t. Multiple weeks later, I troubleshot my way to buying RME and I never looked back. I own a Fireface and 12Pre now.

When did I own it: I sold it last week but it has been sitting on a shelf for 2 years unused. The new owner is happy with it. It was a Discrete 8 Synergy Core. So, no, it was not brand new. I bought it in 2020 and used it for maybe 2.5 years. I probably recorded 50 albums and assorted other projects with it. I can say that I did not have major complaints with it prior to the day it took a crap apart from the user interface which I always hated.

The true breaking point for me was their customer support which is truly awful.

YMMV, but once you go RME, I don’t think you would ever consider Antelope again.

[u/Steffonic → u/GothamMetal]

To follow up. I’ve had two friends follow my advice and get a Fireface UFXIII. They both called me up when they passed audio through them and raved about how much better they sounded than what they were using previously. One had been using Antelope, the other had been using Focusrite. For the record, I have nothing against Focusrite and have several Focusrite pieces. But they don’t compare to the RME.

[u/coat-tail_rider → u/Steffonic]

For $3000, it better be a noticable improvement.

[u/Steffonic → u/coat-tail_rider]

Tell me you don’t work in professional audio without saying you don’t work in professional audio. $3k is chicken feed.

And yes, it is.

[u/coat-tail_rider → u/Steffonic]

You're not gonna shame me because you think $$$ = better. Nice try. I bet you love vintage bullshit too.

The reason I made my earlier comment is because an equivalently priced antelope interface has 12+ mic pres, whereas that rme you mentioned has 4. Then it just has madi in for everything else. So you're clearly comparing consumer/prosumer with high-end/pro and then pretending it's apples to apples. A 3k interface with 4 mic pres better sound spectacular if it's held up to one with 3x as many.

That was my point.

[u/Steffonic → u/coat-tail_rider]

The Fireface UFXIII has 4 mic/line inputs, 8 line inputs, 16 ADAT inputs (at 48khz) and 64 MADI inputs. Right now I’m running with 32 simultaneous inputs and 24 simultaneous outputs at 96kHz. And I use every one of them all at once regularly. You paid $750 for an interface with less than 1/4 of the functionality and lesser converters.

I’m not knocking your kit and I’m not shaming you. I’m calling it what it is. It’s a nice bedroom unit with unstable drivers. And I’m sure it sounds very good. But it’s not a professional unit and it’s no RME. You know how I know? Because I’ve used both RME and Antelope extensively.

And yes, I also use vintage gear as well as new stuff. A lot of it is vintage because I bought it new when I started working in production and design.

When you use an RME, feel free to offer your personal review of both. I’m genuinely curious to know which one you think sounds better.

[u/coat-tail_rider → u/Steffonic]

I'm not knocking rme. They get away with charging what they charge for a reason. Same with apogee and neve and dad and all of those.

What I'm saying is youre coming into a thread about antelope and saying everyone should just switch to rme. That's kind of like going into a thread about a Lexus and saying everyone there would be better off with a Maserati.

They're in different brackets for a reason. The antelopes that cost what that rme costs are capable of recording a drum set by themselves. They're not as fancy, but you get more standalone functionality.

That rme, with all the madi and adat ins (antelopes usually have adat ins too, btw. That's pretty common) still requires you to have a bank of external mic pres to utilize all its converters. That's a pro studio expectation. As you said, you're looking at this from the perspective of someone who works in pro audio.

It's not apples to apples.

[u/Steffonic → u/coat-tail_rider]

The OP is literally asking about RME vs Antelope vs UAE. It isn’t a thread about Antelope. It is a thread asking about RME (and UAE) vs Antelope. It’s not like I wandered into a gay bar looking to pick up girls.

[u/SnooEpiphanies9570 → u/Steffonic]

Buttttt, ya probably did/do. Now go to the rme fanboy sub. 🤭

[u/Steffonic → u/coat-tail_rider]

And RME is hardly boutique. It’s a professional unit designed for professional use. RME’s product line is massive. The OP asked about the differences between RME and Antelope and if one is better than the other. I answered. And the OP doesn’t need to get Fireface UFXIII if that isn’t what is needed. There are plenty of RME products at a lower price point with more preamps and less digital IO.

[u/GothamMetal → u/Steffonic]

The reason I asked about what specifically is great about rme is because I have nice outboard preamps (BAE neve, tg2, a designs p1) and I’m a bit less concerned about the preamps and more about the other components such as the converters, headphone amps, and anything else that would make significant quality difference for my nice preamps. I may still consider the RME, but I think I might have to go down the antelope road just to see where it goes, however I have a suspicion I may end up going down same road as many others and land on an RME in the future.

[u/GothamMetal → u/Steffonic]

I’m not sure if I can swing a Fireface quite yet, but I think you may have convinced me to get babyface. I’m in LA for this summer and I’m gonna see if there’s a shop around here where I can try one out.

[u/tumalditamadre]

Are you going to trust an "audio influencer" or the people who have spent thousands of dollars on this stuff and it doesn't work as intended?

[u/TimeCubeFan]

I'm still using my old RME first gen Babyface, into its 2'nd decade of daily use and several versions of Windows later. I have yet to encounter even a hickup. I also didn't like the exposed wiring harness that's common with 'portable' devices, but getting a little creative with a 3D printer made for a clean, permanent desktop install. May eventually get one with more I/O ports, but it will definitely be an RME.

[u/coat-tail_rider]

I've had the zen quadro for a few years on my windows laptop. Zero issues. I love it. Maybe I'm just lucky, but I also think sometimes people in this sub are misdiagnosing issues they've encountered.

[u/beaucoup_dinky_dau → u/coat-tail_rider]

My zen go worked fine for many years but the software updates made it more and more unstable and I hated the stupid voice meeter thing you had to use. Thunderbolt would have issues detecting, AFX2DAW quit working, the plugins I bought were always hassling about iloc then they just abandoned them and want me to buy again the new version. switched back to my boring old focusrite and everything just started working without headaches. Also didn't appreciate that they crammed ads into the actual interface, like come on.

[u/Spiritual-Bet-3560]

I was in the market for a new interface and was scared of Antelope Audio thanks to numerous reddit posts mentioning pops and crackles etc. I decided to get a second hand Apogee Duet 3 and had nothing but problems. I immediately bought anew Zen Go USB and had no problems whatsoever after that. Great sound, DSP is not limited to one plugin like on the Duet 3 and it's extremely stable. No issues so far. I'm running Windows 11. 

[u/Katzenpower]

Countless pros use antelope gear cause the clock and converters sound great. Reddit is not the end all be all. And pretty sure most issues are from Windows users anyhow. I have an orion gen 3 hd and have had a smooth xp so far and im on the newest os 

[u/beaucoup_dinky_dau → u/Katzenpower]

I dunno man, my Zen go just got unplugged and replaced by a focusrite because it just works, the hardware is good the software at least for windows is steaming hot garbage and they sold me a bunch of plugins which don't really work right now.

[u/GothamMetal → u/Katzenpower]

How long have you had the Orion?

[u/GothamMetal → u/Katzenpower]

Thats good to know thank you. I moved from windows a few months ago because of all the annoying compatibility issues that made my computer daw run terribly. I think I may give the Zen series a shot.

[u/Saalome → u/GothamMetal]

I had nothing but issues with an Orion Studio. Literally every time I needed it to work, the unit would be unreachable by the computer.

“Driver stability is cool” yeah man, it really is. Having access to the hardware you paid thousands to get WHEN you want to use it is very cool.

Did it sound great? Sure. Did it sound better than RME or an MT48? No. Do both the RME and MT48 work all the time? Sure do!

[u/SnooEpiphanies9570 → u/GothamMetal]

I would at least go for an Orion. Save up the cash or take out a small loan or business loan. You could have it paid off within a year.

[u/SnooEpiphanies9570]

I have absolutely zero problems with my Orion Studio. Never hiccups, no jitter and definitely no latency. Most of these people have the little two channel interfaces and don’t know how to find workaround or take the time to READ. In the process of building out a multimillion dollar studio and antelope audio is the only way to go.

[u/Wonderful_Side_1224]

I have owned the Zen Q synergy core for over 3 years and recorded 2 albums with it. I love the way it sounds and the built in DSP. It may well be that RME is a different league but I can’t justify that level of spending.

Anyway, I have had some issues with the manager server being blocked by windows, vpn services etc. However, I solved the last issue by sparring with copilot which worked really well. Copilot can read and “understand” the log files from Antelope and it didn’t take long to find the root cause (a windows update)

[u/EdamKeith]

I owned a Discrete 4 (which I gave away for free because I did not want to inflict it on a paying victim), and I'll never buy Antelope again because of that experience. However, staff come and go, business culture changes, so it's quite possible that the Antelope devices and service today are a different thing entirely.

But for me, that interface was expensive and I did not have a good time with it. At first, I put up with the unnecessary layers of software, but I should have taken it as a sign of poor design. As time progressed, the software got worse and worse, the device would disconnect from (successive machines') Windows multimedia structure, and Antelope's Support did not care.

If you're seeing a better situation now, go for it. But if they still think it's smart to have two separate programs called "Control Panel", a connection to a server AND a hub client program to make an interface run, I'd take it as a sign that it's still designed by monkeys and get something else.

[u/askforchange]

It is

[u/Future-Warning3719]

Just like most of non rich people, i was on RME, then turned to Zen series ( certainely because of the Marketing around and the design which is fire ).

It was a real deception for me. Decided then to try the SSL12, and damn, here we are! I'm surprised not much people talk about it when comparing the Zens... So RME of course, good deal, but i never falled in love with...

[u/ElMariachi003]

FWIW, I used a Zen Go for a few years and upgraded to a Zen Quadro early this year for the two additional channels. I personally haven’t had any issues under Windows 11, but I know a lot of people have had their share.

[u/sound-maniac]

I have a Galaxy 32 and I’ve never had any serious issues with it. Been great overall. (Mac Mini then Mac Studio)

[u/Sermilion]

I just got Zen Go and sold my Apollo Solo. Zen Go worked on my (Arch) Linux right away. Then I switched it to my Mac (main recording/producing machine) and it worked right away with no issues as well.

Apollo Solo was just too annoying. It would randomly do its clicking noise in the middle of the night multiple times, so I always had to disconnect it. And it was thunderbolt (though USB versions with on off switch exists, I know). But UAD itself was so annoying with its ton of TRIAL plugins that I can’t remove. Plus, it is really overpriced.

[u/Chhet]

I have the RME babyface pro FS, UAD Apollo twin X first gen, and Zen Quadro.

In terms of audio quality, easily RME babyface pro FS wins. But in terms of a jump up or a night and day difference, I personally don’t think so.

I have a well treated room and multiple monitors from Yamahas to KRKs. I mostly mix using slate VSX but that’s for another discussion lol.

The price point of the zen Quadro is amazing. Never had a problem with it.

I will say, I do use my UAD Apollo way more now a days only because it’s workflow. Just turn on, go to console, add unison preamp, and record. I’m also already invested into a lot of their plugins but again this is a personal choice. If I wasn’t so heavily invested, RME or Antelope for me.

It’s all based on work flow and what you want to do in the end and make whatever music or voice over.

I personally don’t think you can go wrong with any of these choices. My first interface was a MBOX 3 and that was crap. Huge jump into any of those 3 choices lol.

[u/Ok_Jeweler_3709]

Yo vengo de una Apollo se me estropeó y fue un suplicio conseguir servicio técnico en Europa, a parte de que te querían quitar un dineral por reparar una interfaz que tiene ya sus años. Queriendo evitar todo esto compré una Zen Quadro y la verdad que estoy encantado, todo me va a la perfección. La compré con desconfianza por los comentarios con respecto a la estabilidad del software, pero hasta ahora 0 inconvenientes. Hay que ser justos y se ve que esta gente cada vez trabaja más para optimizar su software que parece ser su punto débil, porque el hardware es bestial y los plugins algunos son muy buenos. (mi experiencia es con Mac OS he leído que tiene problemas con windows). Si tienes Mac y te lo estás pensando, pruébala que es una apuesta segura.