Roland/Edirol FA-66 FireWire Audio Interface Purchase

Hi Folks, well I managed to purchase and piece of equipment I have been after for a long time, which is an audio interface capable of 192KHz @ 24bit (preferably), and at least 2 mic inputs running at those rates to enable me to run a full stereo track into Audacity. I also wanted FireWire as a first choice and USB second. I thought I would do a post on this to show you which units I was looking at, and how with a little diligence and luck you can get what you want without paying full price.
The contenders were:

Presonus AudioBox USB 24bit @ 48KHz 2-in / 2-out (mic) MIDI in/out USB 1.1 AUD$169 – eBay.com.au

Presonus FireStudio Mobile 24bit @ 96KHz 2-in / 2-out (mic) 6-in / 6-out (line) MIDI in/out S/PDIF in/out FireWire AUD$284 – eBay.com.au

Roland QUAD 24bit / 192KHz 2-in / 2-out (mic) @ 192KHz 4-in / 4-out (line) @ 96KHz MIDI in/out S/PDIF in/out USB 2.0 AUD$284 – eBay.com.au

Roland/Edirol FA-66 24bit / 192KHz 2-in / 2-out (mic) @ 192KHz 6-in / 6-out (line) @ 96KHz MIDI in-out S-PDIF in-out Tape in/out Built-in analog limiter FireWire AUD$299 – eBay.com.au

So these units were my first choices, the Presonus AudioBox USB being a budget minded selection, the Roland QUAD and Edirol FA-66 the high end choices with the Presonus FireStudio Mobile being the most sensible, price-to-performance choice.
I had all these units as possibilities in my spreadsheet keeping a close eye on prices and specials from online shops and eBay. Last week I casually searched for the Edirol FA-66 and to my surprise one was listed (used) for only $145! I checked it out and it was basically in as-new condition so I bit-the-bullet and bought it.

I have since searched eBay many times and it seems you can pickup these amazing units for well under $200 regularly, so if you are in the market for an audio interface, check these units out as they are better specs than some of the newer (and much more expensive) models. The reason I think that these units go cheaply is that they were designed/marketed under the Edirol brand name which is known more in the video industry rather than audio recording industry (they also produce video gear too). Edirol is a Roland brand so you are getting top notch gear too and remember, there is nothing wrong with used items either, most of the time people buy something new, use it a dozen times and then stick it away in a cupboard, only to drag it out several years later and sell it on eBay 🙂
I decided to re-master some old cassette tapes I had at the full capability of the unit of 24bit / 192KHz (FLAC) and I am absolutely rapt at the result! Simply the best and clearest audio I have ever heard and the unit is dead easy to setup and use (a child could do it really). Next I will start recording some guitar tracks for the new incarnation of Ricmedia Guitar.
I am working hard to re-develop the Ricmedia Guitar website and all is on-track so you might want to subscribe to the newsletter for the latest updates.
Cheers!