Firewire AND USB interfaces?
MOTU
Most of their interfaces are hybrid, meaning they have both firewire and USB connectors. I have a MOTU Audio Express and love it to death.
Now if you're wondering which is the better of the two then sit back and let me grab some coffee...
There was time years ago when firewire was in fact better than usb because of the chipsets that came with most computers. But all of that has changed now and usb 2.0 is pretty much on par with firewire. If you take notice to some of the bigger interface manufacturers like RME and Apogee (Duet 2), you'll see that they are switching from firewire to usb 2.0. They're still making devices with firewire, but the lower end models have either usb 2.0 or they're hybrid (like most MOTU and the newer RME UCX).
Another thing to keep in mind is that firewire is slowing going to be replaced with usb 3 and Apple's Thunderbolt. I'm sure there will be Thunderbolt to Firewire adapters made once the technology has really taken off, but that's still something to keep in mind. Now with my MOTU interface, I'm always connect via firewire because I prefer that connection as it frees up my usb ports (important on a laptop with limited connections).
So which should you get? I'd say pick up an
RME Babyface with your budget. If you need more inputs/outputs then I'd recommend a MOTU Ultralite mk3. Apogee is not an option because they're mac only, plus there is no way I'd pay $600 for an interface with only 2 ins and 4 outs, and no SPDIF or ADAT in/out. Another choice would be the MOTU 828mk3 if you need more ins/outs than the Babyface, but the quality isn't as good. But unless you're in a treated room with awesome speakers that really won't matter anyway.
