RME Babyface Pro FS Review

This is a rambling review of the RME Babyface Pro FS audio interface. It's great!
RME Babyface Pro FS round trip latency (RTL) using RTL Utility and a Lenovo C940 laptop:
44.1kHz @ 48 Samples = 3.4ms RTL
48kHz @ 48 Samples = 3.2ms RTL
88.2kHz @ 96 Samples = 3.3ms RTL
96kHz @ 96 Samples = 3.0ms RTL
176.4kHz @ 192 Samples = 3.2ms RTL
192kHz @ 192 Samples = 2.9ms RTL

[@darylsamuel90]

Great review! I’ve owned the previous Babyface Pro for years so the info isn’t new to me but I still enjoyed hearing about all the great stuff this can do!

[@hexlo514]

Thanks for the review. Great video! Looking foward for the Adi-2 DAC review.

[@LightBreaker1750]

Hello I would like to thank you very much for this review it was truly very helpful!!

[@yeppy013]

Absolutely love this small efficient, interface, good software, stability, build quality is exceptional. Using this everyday between PC and Mac. Replacing my Apogee Symphony. Nothing in the current market under $1000 that's as clean and with high quality than the FS.

[@CreatedCreator7]

Would love to know why u switching out the more expensive gear. Is the babyface better?

[@waedi73]

Drivers are also available for new Mac M1 Computers. Babyface plus Macbook Air is the perfect Soundstudio-to-go !

[@seattlevkk]

Nice review. I have a clarett thunderbolt and it’s nice but doesn’t work with my new Mac M1 with no date in sight. RME has already released drivers in beta for the M1 and is pretty much the only to have done so so quickly. That alone is impressive. I’m seriously thinking of upgrading although this is a different price point.

[@gp8727]

Great review, and thank you for all the work you did to deliver these facts & figures. I want to buy either the babyface pro fs or the adi-2-dac to play music with software instruments (Native Instruments, Ravenscroft etc.) AND listen music over Spotify with my Beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO 80. At the moment I have both at home to decide which one I should choose. For my ears and just listening a few minutes they sound very very similar. I think the ADI-2 DAC is a little bit more 3d, warmer ... a tick better, but just a little bit. So there is my question: is the difference more noticeable with better headphones and better soundsource or do you have they same experience with the minor improvement over the Babyface. If you read some audio reviews a lot of people say that it is day and night.

[@kellyklaask7su990]

I just replaced an older original Babyface interface with this model. The older one did not need to be replaced as it has been working flawlessly for 8 years...but I upgraded anyway. Not sorry. The Pro FS still has the same build quality and performance like the original. I had some issues with TotalMix in making the FS work but Jeff dialed into my Mac and fixed the issue. RME...both products and customer support are top notch! Thanks for this review.

[@epikurius5780]

Thanks for the review. So, can you connect it directly, via the XLR outputs, to active speakers? Would be a very neat little DAC system.

[@AkilisMusic]

Great review, not sure if i missed it but can you control the volume for those two phone output individually?

[@Lucktronics]

I don't believe so.

[@JPDC624]

No, wish I could. A workaround is a DAC with TOSLink and you can run the 2nd pair of headphones off of that. Use the Phones out for HP #1, and the Opt Out for HP#2. This one works: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073PYN7L5/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[@jabxjab]

I really enjoyed your review! It was even the last push I needed to buy one for myself. I was wondering if you could help me with a question. Is there any way to use the xlr outputs as a second headphone output if the cables could go from xlr to female 1/4" jack? Im gonna go do some mobile recording and wont connect to speakers but it would be sweet if I could turn them into another seperate set of headphone out. Hope this makes sense.. :D

[@abhisheksrivastava3787]

Can you please tell me Round Trip Latency figure for192 Khz @32 and 64 buffers in your DAW reporting ? Like Cubase or Ableton. On your FAST PC. I will be very grateful to you. Cant find anywhere else on internet..

[@noizrunitupii3791]

Can’t hear speaker playback in my rme baby face pro..Does anyone know how to hear speaker output?

[@sweetmotash]

Hey Luck! Nice review! Im gonna grab Babyface this month, and will use it like you for the guitar, mic recording. But Im also lurking around Adi-2. Do you think its worth to pair this two? Babyface for recording and Adi for monitor-headphone output ?

[@Lucktronics]

I'm still debating that myself. I have the Babyface Pro FS and I'm trying it out with the ADI-2 DAC FS (AK4493) right now. It works great, and the ADI-2 DAC sounds better for playback... but it's a lot of cash for a little big better sound. Try the Babyface and see if you're happy with the sound there. If I didn't have nice studio monitors, I'd be happy with just the Babyface Pro FS.

[@hectorfernandez743]

Hello, can u please help out with these questions I bought the babyface pro fs and I was thinking about getting one of the Rme ADI-2 to improve the converters since I'm going to be using it for mixing and mastering purposes Which one would you recommend to me to buy the Rme ADI- Fs or the Rme ADI Pro fs And would it improve my quality as far as the AD/DA converter goes?

[@notforyoutube]

What do you use for vocal effects reverb, delay etc…

[@ishaanalagh]

Is it comatibe with usb C based Macs ?

[@globi227]

Since the central knob doesn't have an physical "end" or hard stop, how would you calibrate your "end" dB SPL for monitoring levels? Like, if I wanted to set my max SPL to 74 dB SPL, do the green bars stop eventually as you turn it? I assume yes, but just wanna make sure before I buy ;)

[@Lucktronics]

Yes, and you can see the exact level in TotalMix FX.

[@hubertpoint10]

Hello, thanks for the great review! How good is the headphone output? I have some planar magnetic Audeze headphones and I'm wondering if I can get away with using this unit as a portable DAC/AMP when I'm not recording. Thanks :)

[@Lucktronics]

I'm not sure it would be the best choice for a planar. Sacrifices had to be made to fit the unit's footprint, so you don't have a ton of power on top with the headphone output.

[@hubertpoint10]

Gotcha, thank you :)

[@dmurski21]

Great stuff. Quick question: can I go mic in to Babyface, usb out to PC and spdif from pc to ADI-2 DAC for headphone monitoring while say gaming? I have an ADI 2 as my dac which I use the on board amp for or my tube amp, but I want to get a good interface for gaming/light music. Would I be able to do that chain with no latency or should I drive headphones when gaming through Babyface?

[@Lucktronics]

The best connection between the Babyface Pro FS and ADI-2 DAC is to go from the Babyface via ADAT/SPDIF directly to the ADI-2 DAC.

[@ericvannielsen]

Nice review! Are you able to record 4 ins at the same level at the same time? Or just 2?

[@darylsamuel90]

You can definitely record four inputs at the same time but as for level-matching, I would just use the gain to match the levels to the 1/4” inputs or vice versa

[@AGVersace100]

I am considering this as a studio upgrade. What roundtrip latency do you get? Could you try it at various buffer-sizes and sample rates. What laptop do you use it with?

[@Lucktronics]

I'll try to check it out this evening. I remember it being tremendously fast when I first checked (less than 4ms). I'll do the test with a Lenovo C940, but I usually use my PC (very fast custom built).

[@Lucktronics]

I'll probably do a quick video to show how to test this with RTL Utility, but here are the figures at the minimum buffer size from a Lenovo C940 laptop (I use the smallest buffer size without any issues pretty much all the time): 44.1kHz @ 48 Samples = 3.4ms RTL 48kHz @ 48 Samples = 3.2ms RTL 88.2kHz @ 96 Samples = 3.3ms RTL 96kHz @ 96 Samples = 3.0ms RTL 176.4kHz @ 192 Samples = 3.2ms RTL 192kHz @ 192 Samples = 2.9ms RTL

[@AGVersace100]

I'm sure the babyface is the way I will go since I have an 8ch interface which don't get software support anymore. When it will stop working completely I will buy one of those.

Great review. How about the preamps and converters compared to Apollo twin? Thanks!

[@Lucktronics]

I didn't have the exact same setup at the time, unfortunately. With the various things you can buy to make the Apollo Twin sound how you want it, it almost definitely can sound better by itself (with intentional coloration).

[@JUANCEGAONA]

Working whit Windows 7?

[@briandress2448]

im looking to upgrade to this from the Native Instruments komplete audio 6 mk1.It would surelybe an amazing upgrade. Can you help me with spec of your laptop? I will have to upgrade my laptop as well i think as my laptop only has an i5 Sandybridge(first gen). looking for advice. Thank you for your feedback

[@Lucktronics]

I use a Lenovo C940 that has an i7 processor and 16GB of ram.

[@ADGreen-es6hm]

What do you use for a DAW ?

[@evallesg]

Hi, I own a Babyface and a Babyface Pro (not the FS one). Do you think that an AD2 DAC FS would be of any benefit while listening to music (mostly hires) ? Thanks for your thoughts about that.

[@Lucktronics]

Yes, but only a little. It sounds a bit better than the Babyface Pro FS, but if you don't need its additional functionality (remote control, EQ, etc.) it's not absolutely necessary. I ended up letting go of the ADI-2 DAC to simplify my setup.

[@evallesg]

@@Lucktronics Thanks for your reply, you saved me € 1000 !!!

[@TheBladderStones]

Hi, great review. What kind of headphones would you reccommend for it ? I´m looking right now for Beyerdynamic DT 770 80 ohms or 250 ohms... what do you think ? I´m planning to record guitars with it. Thanks T

[@disforia1]

I had the old 1st generation and chose to upgrade because of the additional hi-z and stronger headphone out. Do you feel like it still needs an additional headphone amp? i was considering the Presonus HP4 or the Behringer monitor2usb as they're cheap and decent and control the monitors aswell

[@Lucktronics]

Those options will both almost certainly sound worse than the Babyface Po FS. I only want better playback sound because I know I can get it for $1000+.... It's a lot of cash to drop on a slight sonic upgrade.

[@disforia1]

@@Lucktronics But will the Pro fs be significantly louder than the 1st gen?

[@Lucktronics]

@@disforia1 Don't know.

[@Jubnar]

Im going to be using the SM7B is there any pre amps to get that 20+db or w/e it is without the mic being distorted?

[@darylsamuel90]

Didn’t quite catch the ending of your message but I have an SM7B and sometimes I use it without the Cloudlifter and it’s fine - no distortion!

[@paullachenardiere8313]

I use the BFP fs with SM7B without any issues. No cloud lifter is necessary when recording normal levels like singing and talking. The recording quality is very good. I didn’t understand what you ment with the question about distortion though. If you’re missing enough gain on the preamp, you will end up with a week signal and higher noise floor as a result. No distortion.

[@pminnaing]

I have one and the mini headphone jack output is sounding mono and distorted. How is yours?

[@Lucktronics]

Works fine

[@FreeD00M]

Can this be used for audiophiles as a substitude for the rme adi2 dac?

[@Lucktronics]

To some extent, yes. Its sound quality is slightly below the ADI-2 DAC for listening to music, however.

[@brucekhamp6859]

@@Lucktronics What audio interface do you recommend as a sub for a DAC that is high quality in sound and transparent? I'm currently using a THX 789 as my headphone amp into a Mbox Mini 3. I feel like the Mbox is coloring my sound.

[@heisenberg6637]

Why would you use a separate DAC for the headphones when the new BFP FS uses the same output op-amps as ADI-2 Pro! It should give the same result right? I also emailed RME inquiring about headphones impedance support and they said that the built in amp/dac would support the 600 ohms headphones also. But the output sensitivity sometimes depends on the headphones. So I guess it should be good for something atleast like DT 770 pro 250 ohms.

[@Lucktronics]

While I think the ADI-2 Pro/DAC sound a little better from the headphone output than the Babyface Pro FS, I've since gone back to just the Babyface Pro FS. It's plenty good. :)

[@kyfisher3662]

whats the difference between the 'babyface' 'babyface pro' 'babyface pro fs'?

[@darylsamuel90]

From what I’ve gathered so far, the FS has better converters, preamps and better jitter performance

[@Celsian]

I have the BFP fs and the ADI-2 DAC too. Haha

[@AdamsBrew78]

The price not only never goes down…but it goes up. Just got it from Sweetwater for $999 …

[@keishamervin]

Do you really need the Fethead with the 76 db gain on the mic preamp

[@GhostSamaritan]

I think it's redundant.

[@Lucktronics]

It's not absolutely necessary, no. I had the Fethead for a Steinberg interface and kept it in the chain with the Babyface Pro FS.

[@tthetechnician3912]

Yes! You can make a talkback button!!!!

[@ibrahim47x]

Please get into why UAD and their plugins stink lol. I know I made the right decision buying the Babyface Pro FS, but it sure would feel nice to further confirm that going with UAD would’ve been the wrong choice even though they have DSP processing and supposedly very nice plugins.

[@Lucktronics]

What I don't like about the UAD plugins is that they only run on those interfaces and they're expensive... and addictive to keep buying.

[@Mudimusafir]

i just bought today and will arrive in few days

[@Mr.Fresson]

so did I! Lets see what we think of it :)

[@DexterPiano]

so ? ;)

[@chaddychaddychaddy]

@@DexterPiano ??? update???

[@DexterPiano]

@@chaddychaddychaddy I bought the RME PRO but not FS ! (OCCASION)

[@chaddychaddychaddy]

@@DexterPiano I have both so ill do a review and see if I notice any difference

[@baleDELgavilan713]

Fl studio and windows compatible?

[@ibrahim47x]

For anyone looking to buy this: if you buy it from Europe it can be around $150 cheaper with shipping (*hint hint*)

[@JCNOAOU]

Nice appreciate the information. Did you buy one? Do you live out here in the states?

[@ibrahim47x]

Jacino77 Yes! I did, and yeah I live in Pennsylvania. It worked out great and I’m so glad I bought it, it is worth every dollar and then some.

[@kc-ug6gu]

hey ibrahim can i take ur advice i want to buy babyface fs and sm7b do i need cloud lifter if yes which one Se dm1 or fetheat or cloudlifter

[@ibrahim47x]

Hey @@kc-ug6gu! You technically don’t need another preamp with the Babyface Pro FS; it has some of the highest quality preamps out there, so adding a cheaper preamp won’t really benefit you. If you’re after an extra analog flavor, those preamps you mentioned would probably give you that even if it takes from the quality of the recording and increases the noise floor. I haven’t tried the preamps you mentioned. I personally own the Twin-Finity 710 by Universal Audio and I’m very happy with it. However, out of the options you mentioned the Fethead might be the best option since it’s a transistor preamp, and that’s because you can bring out the most sheen/clarity out of the SM7B with transistor preamps from what I have read. You should try looking up demos online for the those preamps preferably with the SM7B or at least the same mic so you can tell what they offer.

[@JCNOAOU]

@@kc-ug6gu I owned a Babyface Pro FS but not a sm7b but you shouldn’t need a cloudfilter or anything like it with the Babyface Pro FS cause it has enough gain to push a dynamic mic already at least that’s what Rme claims. Good luck✊🏾💯

[@notforyoutube]

There is no way that the RME Babyface is better than the Universal Apollo MKll

[@PainterDans]

If you have a pc