Well, the PreSonus arrived today and I"m over the moon in love with it. It's very much more than I could ever expect.

I had been using crappy, cheap headphones for years. So, using the Amazon gift card that Santa brought me I treated myself to a set of Beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO - 250 OHM LE Professional Studio Headphones (Limited Black Edition) When they arrived I discovered that I had to crank the headphone volume knob on the Focusrite literally up to the max and they still weren't even close to being loud enough.


So, doing some more research - that I should have done before I ordered them - I found that in fact an amplifier was suggested for maximum performance. As I said, the phones didn't cost me anything out of pocket so I really don't mind putting out for the amp.

Hooking it up was a breeze. Turns out, it came with an illustration card showing me exactly where to plug in four wires. Basically it is idiot proof. There are no drivers to install and no Focusrite software adjustments needed. It's truly plug-n-play right out of the box.

Actually, I've always found that the earphone outputs on the Focusrite were never what I would call powerful. I would have to turn the volume knob up to around 3/4 in order to get the volume I wanted.

Compared to what I had been using, these things sound like heaven. They're a MAJOR step up for me.

I bought the Focusrite 8i6 because at the time I was using old sound modules and needed the extra input/outputs to hook them up. But there came a point where it became frustrating. It seemed like I was constantly looking for the proper connections. And so I decided to go modern and began collecting an using only VST's which to me was a fantastic decision. I even have a lot more space on my desk. smile Bottom line is that I'm really having fun and loving my music again.

I bought the PreSonus because there are times when I have 2 old band mates come over to do some recording, just for fun. One is a bass player and the other is a lead guitarist. We use BIAB for drums and any other instruments we may want to throw into the mix. One of the guys has a couple sets of decent quality headphones that he'll be bringing with him when he's over. Fact is, I don't need the extra outputs all of the time as I'm alone most of the time. But it's nice knowing they're there when I do need them.

Music used to be my occupation until I retired some years ago. It is now my hobby. Every hobby will cost a few bucks when first starting out. My "studio" is nowhere close to being a professional recording studio and never will be. But the money I have invested into something that gives me hours upon hours of total enjoyment is money very well spent in my opinion.

Thanks again for the comebacks... very much appreciated!!!

https://soundcloud.com/bobby-t-394727974