RME Fireface 802 FS USB Audio Interface

Built into a 19-inch rack enclosure, the RME Fireface 802 FS is a 60-channel USB audio interface with four front-panel preamps and converters that run at up to 192 kHz.

Preamps and Analog I/O

The four front inputs use XLR/TRS combo jacks for microphones, instruments, and line signals. Each one switches to 48 V phantom power or instrument mode, so up to four guitars plug straight in. The preamps are built on the design of RME’s OctaMic II preamp, with 54 dB of gain.

The rear panel adds eight balanced line inputs and eight balanced line outputs, and two headphone jacks on the front reach +17 dBu for high volume even with high-impedance headphones. Each line input switches between Lo Gain and +4 dBu, and each line output between Hi Gain, +4 dBu, and -10 dBV. Every line output is DC-coupled, so it can also send control voltages and gate signals to modular synthesizers.

Digital I/O and Expansion

Two ADAT optical ports carry 16 channels at 48 kHz, and Multi-Mode turns them into two separate optical SPDIF inputs and outputs beside the AES/EBU I/O. Word clock and MIDI I/O sit on the rear, with a USB port for RME’s optional ARC USB remote. More preamps or analog inputs connect through the ADAT ports.

Stand-Alone Use and Clock

Six memory slots store complete configurations, so the 802 FS runs without a computer and changes role at the push of a button.

SteadyClock FS keeps jitter low even when the unit takes its clock from an external source, and Intelligent Clock Control holds the last valid sample rate if that source fails.

Computer Connection and Mixing

The 802 FS runs on RME’s USB 2.0 driver or in Class Compliant mode, set by a recessed switch on the back. In Class Compliant mode all 60 channels work with no driver on Linux, Mac, and iPadOS, including an iPad Pro with USB-C.

TotalMix FX builds latency-free monitor mixes for any output, with EQ, dynamics, reverb, and delay, and its Room EQ adds a 9-band parametric EQ and volume calibration. TotalMix Remote controls the mixer from an iPad or another computer over Ethernet or Wi-Fi. An internal 100 to 240 V AC power supply runs the unit.

Features

• 60 channels at up to 192 kHz over USB 2.0
• Four XLR/TRS combo inputs for microphone, instrument, and line
• Eight balanced line inputs and eight line outputs
• Two headphone outputs at +17 dBu
• Reference level switchable on every line input and output
• Two ADAT ports, switchable to optical SPDIF, plus AES/EBU
• DC-coupled line outputs
• Six stored setups for stand-alone use
• SteadyClock FS and Intelligent Clock Control
• TotalMix FX and Class Compliant mode