RME Fireface 802 Reviews

RME gurantee

There's a lot to say about this but if you're looking into RME you probably know it's the real deal. I should say that the TotalMix is the cherry on top that somehow makes RME interfaces really have an advantage, the routing capabilities are simply unparalleled. In all other regards, this is just a top notch interface.

Great interface

I have it for almost two months now and I love it. I have it on a small studio for electronic music production. It does everything as expected, works flawlessly, with beautifull functional included bundled software. It is a joy to work with, specially those almost endless audio routing possibilities which are so useful for electronic music production when needed. Through software you will have access to lots and lots of useful functions and different settings, this interface is quite vast in configurability.

The only thing that could be better out of the box is that you have to set the main volume via software, or buy the ARC remote to do it, there simply are no phisical knobs/faders or buttons that can do this directly on the interface, which is somewhat to expect in this kind of products, even though I do not use it in a rack mount.

The two independent headphone jacks on the front are quite useful for A/B stuff, and they can drive high impedance headphones (DT 880 Pro 250 Ohms for example)

The Ipad Ios integration is perfect in the remote version or the paid version (4.99 euros at the time). You get full access to the board inside your Ios device just like in the desktop version of TotalMix and much more configurable settings in a separate menu . I tested with some apps like Cubasis and all channels become available just as expected.

I would say I would buy it again, and the truth is that I had :) I had the Fireface 800 more than a decade ago, and yes, this new model is even better. 5 Stars

Marco

Very satisfied. I think Rme makes the most stable audio drivers in the business! Don't need digital control for the preamps etc. so no need to get the pricier ufx

I've used the 802 for about a month now. Bedroom studio with some analogue synths. This is my second audio interface, so I can't really comment much on the sound (coming from Focusrite) as I haven't done any AB testing.

My main gripe with the 802 is that there's no knob for the output level and that TotalMix has some weird MIDI bindings.

I came around these issues by using my Maschine Mk3 as a MIDI controller to trigger different TotalMix "snapshots", output, Mid/Side/L/C/R, Dim. Now I'm happy. Without a controller to control TotalMix you're in for a lesser experience. They do offer the remote but I think I'd rather use my Maschine actually.

TotalMix appears to be great and unparalleled since it can be midi controlled.

If all audio products where this quality...

I use this unit in a semi-pro recording studio. Main work is actually with analog synthesizers and drum machines, but vocals and live instruments can be recorded at time as well.

RME is known for rock solid stability. This unit works well with Windows (PC or laptop) and Mac units as well. No hickups.

Pre-amps and controls are great. PC to unit communication is clear and easy. Fx are a solid and useful feature.

I've used other brands in the past, but this is by far the most stable and usable.

One of the best manufacturers if you're on Windows platform

RME needs no introduction, they make one of the most stable and solid audio interfaces. And especially for users on the Windows platform, the drivers are rock solid and the hardware is equally impressive. You get what you pay for, and RME delivers exceptional quality. Very happy with my FF802, probably the best purchase for my studio.

Just awesome!!!

After switching to windows I had some issues with my previous interface. After some deliberation I decided to bite the bullet and go with what all my colleagues were saying!

I have no regret what so ever.

The quality is superb, the drivers a treat and the routing possibilities are sheer nuts.

The software has a little bit of a steep learning curve but once you are used to that it is like putty in your hands.

I never have driver or audio issues anymore.

There :)

Amazing

I have it for 3 years now and haven't had any issues on Windows. Excellent sound accompanied by excellent rock solid drivers.

Very good sound

I use my new RME in home studio so it's cool to have many inputs and outputs for my synths and samplers. The user interface powered by RME TotalMix is very nice and eazy to use. Also the instalation of stabil drivers is very fast without any problems. The most important is a sound quality. Before I was using quite old interface MOTU 828 mk2, so in this case RME Fireface 802 is matchless better. The very low latency is also important thing. In my opinion RME is a very good choice for everybody who need reliable audio interface witch perfect quality of sound.

Really good interface

Easy to use with Totalmix FX,Great quality

the beast

I have changed a lots of audio interfaces before i have got the Fireface 802, to be honest this unit is the beast, it's ADDA, Preamp, Latency and generally everything about this German product is fantastic, i am so glad i have got a chance to get this audio interface, god bless them

Great interface for small studios

After two months of use I can express my absolute satisfaction, this interface meets all my expectations.

PROS:

Crystal sounding AD/DA converters.

Enough input channels for an analog synth studio, with 12 outputs for stereo/5.1 monitoring and some outboard processing.

At first, the TotalMix software looks a bit messy, but after spending some hours on it you start to gain agility.

The MIDI in/out is very useful if you use external instruments.

TRS servo-balanced inputs for unbalanced signals.

CONS:

TotalMix needs a bit of dedication before using the interface to full potential

Rock solid audio interface

for many years i used a basic audio interface, after i bought my first RME product, i tried it!!!, and find out how much quality can be different with this company, after done many projects i order RME 802, OMG this piece of gear has every thing, if you looking for latency, transparency, ADA, it got, if you looking for converter, nice driver and also many routes , 802 can give all in one with crazy nice price.

After opened RME 802 box , i can say looks just solid, made perfectly ( not cheap at all, the microphone plugs , knobs...), after install driver and turned on the device, poop!!! drive works smoothly, latency 44.1kHz 48bit on my PC, just 1.1ms.

perfect for using outboards gear, crazy useful matrix which is can connect any IN to any OUT.

I researched for 4 month, the only device worth for this amount of money it was RME 802, 12 IN x 12 OUT including ADAT, two unit which are can record 16 channel more, in 48, 44.1 kHz sample rate.

I used many high-end audio interfaces and when i compare, differently i can say with this amount of money, RME 802 is best Choice for who want really High-end quality.

Rme the top Brand for Audio Interface

I changed a lot of audio card switching between lot of Brands.

What is true is that RME is Leading Brand in Audio Interface Marketing.

It is easy to use, u have the digital mix desk and the sound quality.

Not the best to bring away from the studio but in the studio u can use this endless.

Fantastic Interface with a couple of shortcomings.

I decided recently to upgrade my interface from an Apogee FW Duet to the RME FF802. I did as much research online as I could, and everything pointed to this unit. 'Unboxing' was easy, getting started, less so. I give RME credit for including a nice, large written manual, though it is unfortunate that the manual leaves much to be desired. It is clearly not written by a native speaker, and should've included clear, step-by-step examples on how to get the basic in/out routings up and running. Basically, I had to do this by trial and error, but I got there in the end. My only gripe with the unit itself is that it has no hardware pot to control the main-out volume. To do that, RME wants you to buy one of their (optional) remotes. So, I've taken one star off for these

Notwithstanding these issues, the FF802 is fantastic piece of gear, and lives up to RME's reputation. The sound is clear, the stereo field very well-defined. I immediately noticed the contrast with my Duet, which is supposed to have fantastic AD/DA converters itself, but the FF802 easily beats it. The mic-pres are very transparent, and plugging a guitar into one of the Nutrik inputs on the front yielded a very clear and punchy guitar sound, even without going through an amp sim.

What was most impressive to me was the improvement on latency. My electric guitar felt a lot more responsive than it had with the Duet, making it a joy to play direct to the computer again. I was also able to run some very CPU intensive plugins with Logic Pro X at the lowest buffer setting without any crackling or other problems. The FF802 isn't cheap, but it is worth the price. Designed and manufactured in Germany, it has the quality you would expect. I would not hesitate to recommend this audio interface, but if you aren't the most tech-savvy, be prepared to have to put some effort into getting it up and running properly.

RME FF802

Great soundcard as expected.

Converters are very transparent. I especially value the latest and most advanced D-A put into this model, which is one of the main reasons i bought it for, as i am doing live performances with it. The only issue is that it feels kind of fragile, so i have to be extra extra extra careful travelling with it on the road.

Maybe would be nice if RME considered making a rugged casing version or even a special case for its soundcards, so that performers may benefit and stress less about them being taken around. Thats the only thing that i think motu is better at: even their equivalent model, the new 1248, has more of a robust and hard case in it. But its really the only thing thats better, all the rest is not up to standard.

Routing via TotalMix FX is awesome, the new software looks nice and is very practical, not so hard to learn after all. I feel at home using it, its done perfectly the way it should be.

I love also the loopback possibilities on this, made my life much easier as im using multiple software at the same time on my performance, so routing audio from one to the other became very easy.

It was a great choice from RME to also include AES/EBU, this is professional standard digital conection, the s/pdif many use is in my opinion very outdated for the professional market.

All in all, awesome soundcard and very neat upgrade from the previous FF800.