another converter question please have pity

[papercuts]

I'm sure this question is posted a lot so if someone wants to point me to a previous thread that is relevant I'd be happy to go that way. Anyhow, I am new to computer world, I have been running my studio purely analog (2" 16 track ampex mm1200) for years and finally am breaking down so I can mix some projects and also send some of my own music to other artists for remix projects. Someone gave me Logic pro and it seems to work fine and I'd like to find an 8 channel ad/da system to use on my Macbook. I do not need any preamps or bells and whistles. Just 8 channels of decent conversion. I'd love to spend under $1000 and would love even more to spend around $500.

Sorry if this is redundant, I honestly couldn't find any posts that seemed to clarify to me which would be better for pure sound quality; motu 828 mk3, a used rme adi-8, focusrite sapphire? Others? Thanks!

Jason

[rwc]

get a b-stock lynx aurora 8 with firewire card.

not the best way to do it, but cheap, for pure sound quality.

[JWL]

Not to open a can of worms, but before you spend big $$$ on conversion, I'd read this thread.

Whatever your opinion on this, it is very interesting stuff....

[Gentleman Jim]

Hey JWL, thanks for that link. In the words of David St. Hubbins, "Quite provocative indeed."

I usually can't stomach Gearslutz, and shootouts and the like aren't really my cup of tea, but it was reassuring to see at least some anecdotal evidence that the gap between higher end prosumer and straight-up Guitar Center grade isn't as wide as one might fear. I'm not saying that my MOTU 896 is every bit as good as a Lavry or a Prism; just that it's not a complete waste of time to even bother turning on the computer.

[papercuts]

thanks for the link. i suppose i have an aversion to the word behringer, shallow as it might be. it just illustrates how maddening making this decision is; some people make it seem like getting anything less than apogee is a total waste, some people say behringer is not so bad. hmmm.