After reading the pair of "doesn't work" reviews from the same person, I decided to try it anyway, figuring that Amazon would do an easy refund if it really didn't work (also, I've had good experiences with other Sonnet products in the past).
It works just fine for me. I've used it to connect an iPod and an iSight to the Firewire800 port on my Powerbook, both work fine. It seems a decent value and I'm happy with it. Sonnet FireWire 400 to 800 Adapter (FAD-824)
I purchased this adapter couple weeks ago to connect a firewire audio device to my new Mac Book. It works fine, so no complaints there. However, when you attach the firewire 400 cable end to this adapter, the two becomes pretty long, so it gets really easy to tilt it up/down/right/left when it's connected to the laptop. So, it becomes really difficult to move your laptop when this is connected. Not only it can get disconnected easily, which I've already experienced couple times, it can actually DAMAGE your firewire 800 port if you don't be too careful.
After having this problem, I made more search and found another similar adapter built by Moshi, where the two jack are separated by a short cable, so it can give much more flexibility, so I'm about to buy that. I do not recommend this product of Sonnet.
I recently purchased the latest MacBook Pro, which omits the firewire 400 port. This adapter is just what I needed so that I can still plug my firewire 400 devices into a firewire 800 port. Works great and is well made.
With the advent of the new MacBook Pro minus a firewire 400 connector, the Sonnet 400 to 800 adaptor is an essential device for those of us who have several transportable firewire 400 hard drives and cables. It works very well and is easy to include in my carry bag.
Saved me when I got my new Macbook Pro, only to find that there was no longer FW 400 port to use with my backup drive. The adapter works great. I'm only withholding one star because the width of the adapter makes it a tight squeeze getting plugs into the adjacent ports sometimes. But that's a very minor annoyance.
This is a great little connector. It allows me to connect Firewire 400 drives to my Firewire 800 port. This gives me access to another port, which makes for faster data transfers, because I can have both channels working at the same time. There's nothing to go wrong. It's a simple connector that just works.
My new iMac no longer has Firewire 400 connections, so I was faced with throwing out a powered Firewire hub and a half-dozen cables, having to switch all my devices to USB...if I could. This cool little device let me be selective and use my Firewire hub and cables through the new iMac's Firewire 800 connector.
Like many other reviewers, I purchased this Sonnet adapter to connect an FW 400 external hard drive to my MacBook Pro. It does the job, but the male side of adapter doesn't fit firmly into the laptop's FW 800 port. So I have to be careful not to move the cable too much or the connection is lost. The other side (cable into adapter) appears to be a nice snug fit.
This adapter works as it's supposed to. The real news/mystery here is why Apple doesn't list it as a possibly necessary accessory to the latest MacBook Pro (FireWire 800 only)! And doesn't sell it from their site!
I bought a new MBP and discovered I couldn't attach any of my FireWire peripherals until I had this adapter. Amazon to the rescue! but it delayed my full implementation for several days.
(Initially I gave this three stars, but then changed it to four. Oddly, when I previewed this review, it showed up as three and evidently I can't change it. So think FOUR stars as you read this.)
Having first found a few overpriced cables ($20-$30) for FW 6 to 9 pin, I was relieved to find this adapter. Most of the time it's fine. Occasionally, though, the 6-pin cable just won't quite set itself fully into the adapter and it takes just a little futzing. Nothing serious.
Another concern lies not in the quality of the item itself, but in keeping up with it IF you intend to take it from one place to the next. In just the first week or so with it, it's come off occasionally in my computer bag. Finding this tiny black adapter in a black bag, full of other equipment, magazines, etc. can be a little annoying. Nothing major -- four stars, remember.
I'll keep it as a backup with my old 400 cables. Meanwhile, to replace it, I've ordered two of the Tripp Lite F017-006 cables -- at $6.99 each. - Firewire 400 - Adapter - Firewire - Firewire 800'
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