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Today’s entry is a guest post from Shane Hendricks. Some of you may know him from the Project Studio Network or Twitter as @sonicdeviant.

Shane just got a new TC Electronics Impact Twin audio interface to replace his old Focusrite Saffire. Here he is to tell you the story of how he came to that buying decision and what he thinks now that he’s spent some time with his new baby. First a short video demo and then his written review. Take it away Shane…

UPDATE: 08-16-2010

Shane has produced a follow up video now that he’s had a chance to work the TC Electronics Impact Twin into his studio workflow. Here it is!

First thing’s first: Don’t look at the Impact Twin as a replacement for some high-end preamp and/or digital converter. Like all prosumer gear, I don’t believe the Impact Twin was meant to compete with thousand-dollar-plus preamps. Having said that, it’s the best I’ve heard in this category thus far. Read on…

Opinions, Opinions

So, what do I think of the Impact Twin versus the Saffire, even though I can’t offer readers any audio comparisons for their own opinions?

New gear psychology aside, I believe the Impact Twin does sound significantly better and erases many of the quirks that disturbed me about the old Saffire (NOTE: Focusrite’s new Saffire appears to be a completely redesigned unit that I have not tested).

The first thing that struck me was the clarity of the D-to-A conversion fed into my Alesis ProActive monitors. Simply playing iTunes on my Mac Pro sounded GREAT…better than it did before! So I feel that the DA conversion alone, is much improved over the Saffire. There was always a faint hiss with the Saffire (maybe poor shielding?) that has now disappeared.

Once I finally learned how to get a strong signal flowing into Logic Studio (must be sure to turn off the 100% switch on the master fader that feeds the amount of interface signal versus DAW input signal), I was pleased at how good my MXL V57M condenser microphone sounded; it was never bad before, but there’s some nebulous, untouchable quality added by that Impact III voodoo that I liked.

If you watched my YouTube video introduction to this review, you heard the Impact Twin in two modes: using the preamp with a microphone for voice and using the high-impedance input for an acoustic guitar’s pickup. Both sounded great, but the instrument input really blows my old Saffire away!

I’ve never heard my acoustic guitar’s electronics sound so good, and I was just recording directly into QuickTime using nothing more than the interface itself!

Erasing Quirks

What of the other ‘erased quirks’ that I mentioned? To begin with, the old Saffire was a little flimsy box that sat up on one end, much like the configuration of many external hard drive enclosures these days. It was made of thin, aluminum-like alloy and hard plastic, and it weighed about minus 0.5 ounces.

So, when I went to plug in a microphone or quarter-inch cable, I had to hold the Saffire firmly with my other hand to prevent it from being shoved off the desk. The Impact Twin, though mostly plastic, is much more substantial in terms of mass, and it is configured flat (like a half-rack unit); it tends to stay put when making cable connections.

The plastic is thicker and softer, with a ribbed appearance and feel; the controls are recessed to protect them, so I believe this unit is gig-worthy, whereas the Saffire was decidedly NOT ready for a gig (lest ye smash it to tiny bits). The horizontal configuration fits nicely in my rack, which takes up less desktop space.

I think my biggest complaint about the Saffire was the underpowered headphone amps included with it. They were practically useless.

That concern doesn’t apply to the Impact Twin. The volume for the two headphone jacks is configured via the master fader, which is adjustable right on the front of the unit; one headphone jack mutes the outputs while the other doesn’t. Nice touch. And they both sound great through my Shure SC2 earbuds and Behringer HPM1000 headphones.

Simplicity

The Impact Twin has an on-off switch on the back, where the Saffire did not; powering off the Saffire meant unplugging the FireWire cable. It’s nice to be able to switch off the unit when not in use and still leave it connected. I realize that’s probably a common feature on many FireWire interfaces, but I finally have it now too!

DSP and Plugins

Saffire Lands I/O Punch

Where did the Saffire prevail in comparison? Well, it was roughly the same price as the new Impact Twin when I bought the Saffire in 2007 ($399), but it came with far more balanced analog outputs even for that time—10 in all, while the Impact Twin only has 4 balanced analog I/O (but adds 10 digital I/O). So, handling surround-sound projects in the Saffire would be no sweat (not that I ever had a use for that feature).

Size Does Matter

Even though opening the well-packaged Impact Twin was thrilling in much the same way that opening a new Apple product is, I was immediately disappointed with the length of the included FireWire cable, which is about 2-inches long. Okay, I’m obviously exaggerating, but it’s short—about 3-feet long, while my old Saffire came with a 6-ft cable.

So I recommend just ordering another FireWire cable if you buy this unit and a short cable won’t cut it. The included cable is not much use if one has a studio setup similar to mine and one wants to put the Impact Twin in a rack near the computer; it would probably be fine for a mobile recording setup, if planning to place the unit directly next to a laptop.

This is the only obvious detail where TC maybe went a bit chintzy. Other than these few quite minor advantages, I can think of no other areas where I feel the old Saffire is superior (again, I haven’t tested Focusrite’s new Saffire).

Controller Software Blues

Focusrite Saffire Controller Software

TC Electronics Impact Twin Controller Software

The Meat and ’Taters

I first recorded spoken voice, being very careful to maintain the same distance to the microphone. Then I recorded the acoustic guitar using the same microphone, again being careful to use the same spot on the guitar while maintaining the same distance.

Impact Twin – Voice

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Impact Twin – MXL V577M Mic + Guitar

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With Behringer Ultragain Pro and Line 6 Pod Studio GX – Voice

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With Behringer Ultragain Pro and Line 6 Pod Studio GX – Guitar

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I feel that the preamps in the Impact Twin (without the DSP EQ or compression applied) are very transparent and clean, providing a very accurate reproduction of what goes through them. I can really hear it when comparing the guitar recordings.

Conclusion
The TC Electronics Impact Twin is a magnificent FireWire audio interface for the home recordist and professional alike.

The sound quality is exceptional for a unit in this price range and it’s feature-rich (I have not discussed many of the great features available with the unit—like the included tuner—a useful addition!).

While shopping for a new interface to replace the Saffire, my decision came down to a features-and-specs comparison of the Apogee Duet and the Impact Twin. Given the Apogee’s formidable reputation for converter and preamp quality, it was a tough decision to make.

However, the Duet’s breakout cables and lack of MIDI I/O were deal-breakers for me. Having now used the Impact Twin for several days, I’m pleased that I went with my instinct. Apart from the reduced analog I/O, this unit’s extremely few and minor negatives should not dissuade anyone from making the decision to purchase it; it is far better than anything I’ve personally used, and it’s made by a company associated with high-quality audio gear.

TC delivers once again.

http://SonicDeviant.com

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