USB or Firewire Audio Recording Interface?

[Gregory Boehnlein]

> > Primarily, I track Guitar, Bass and Digital Piano as Mono tracks
> > using Hydrogen as my Drum Sequencer. I do not need to record more than 2
> > channels at once, but I'm sure at some point I may need an additional
> > pair of inputs.
> 
> There are plenty of very usable USB-Solutions with 2 channels that work
> without any trouble with Linux so if you can get a second hand
> interface like that, go for it ;-)

Plenty of options on E-bay.. 

> > I'm looking to balance the performance latency and quality w/ a
> > limited budget to try and get the most out of my setup.
> 
> Oh well the good old latency issue... Believe me: any interface that
> works stable around 10ms round trip is perfectly OK for serious
> recording. Usless to spend much money to go beyond that. Quality is
> much more important. 24bit/96KHz and really decent AD-converters are the
> most important features you should be after. The chain is allways as weak
as
> its weakest segment so to look for a simple but decent piece of
> hardware seems a good idea for me...

Anyone have any experience with the Ederol converters? Looks like it is the
USB interface that is bundled w/ Sonar Power Studio 250, which adds an
interesting dimension to the discussion. For $329, I could get a fully
functional copy of Sonar Studio 8 to go along w/ the hardware. Don't know
how good the A/D converters are (critical of course) or what the SNR is on
it.

> > With that in mind, I
> > would like to solicit opinions from people on reliable options (firewire
/
> > usb) that I can use.
> 
> Most USB-interfaces are reliable, firewire equipment can be but is not
> always. I got a Presonus Firebox with very very decent converters and
> extraordinary good mic-preamps. It has 4 channels plus 2 SPDIF so it
> could be the part you are looking for but be warned: the interface
> works for me only with my workstation and only with 64Studio. UbuntuStudio
> fails me on the box on my Laptop and even on the workstation it is by
> far not as easy going as my cheapo Behringer USB interface.
> 
> 
> > I have about $300 to spend on an Interface.. should I consider USB?
> > Or should I go firewire? What are the benefits and drawbacks to both
> > technologies?
> 
> USB:
> pro:reliable, cheaper, no setup hassle
> con:not as good in performance
> 
> Firewire:
> pro: more hi-class interfaces on the market, better performance
> con: less stable/reliable, expensive
> 
> 
> For 300 you can get a very good second-hand FW-interface from Edirol or
> Presonus. You can also get a new FW-interface with 2 channels or a
> USB-solution.
> 
> And as always: try before you buy!!! period.
> Connect the piece, see, if it works, let it run at its limits, change
> desktops with the mouse wheel, start Open Office etc etc etc ;-)

I found the following locall on Craigslist that look interesting and
inexpensive:

1. Tascam US 122 - $30 (Almost worth just picking up as a spare)
2. Lexicon Omega - $130

Anyone have any comments on either of them?