It's about time someone showed us some specs. I get tired of just hearing how great something sounds, or about some feature. Give me the technical data.
I'd love to see how these modern interfaces stack up against some of the older stuff that's out there. We tend to accept new products at face value, but realistically things like low latency were worked out a really long time ago, 20 years ago with RME's Hammerfall and even in the late 2000s with DICE II Firewire interfaces from Focusrite, Presonus, etc. How are manufacturers pushing the envelope these days, particularly in the budget space that JK likes to feature most often?
Thank you for another great video. I still appreciate the irony around the Kensington "locking point." It is indeed a very high security connection, and I feel that it really makes the world a better and much safer place.
Thank you for your videos. The detail you go in was monumentally useful for deciding what best fit my use case. I knew my requirements but was struggling to find the information I needed and your videos had everything.
Currently have a Motu M2 but would like an interface with the mic inputs on the back. This one looked so promising up until the ever disappointing headphone output. Bummer.
Thanks for this video! I was about to pull the trigger on a 4th gen Scarlett, but considering I'll be using it mostly for headphones, the chance of some frequencies being severely boosted due to the high output impedance is 100% a deal breaker.
UA-camrs & Podcasters would love a SYSTEM AUDIO BUTTON. I never use air mode. That's what EQ's and saturators are for. So you could get rid of this button. And a Direct Monitoring gain knob would rock! Most of us don't want to deal with any latency. We're happy with hearing exactly what we put in during our overdubs because we do most things in post anyway.
@@olivermirez6667so much? Only dynamic range is "much" better. Autogain, clip saver is not must have in audio interface. And finally they change realy bad Focusrite control and made it exclusive for 4th gen showing love to 3rd gen community which wrote a lot of messege what they should change in this "software". This is why I never again buy Focushit
I thought you said in your interface video comparison that the focusrite scarlett 3rd gen was bad with lower impedance headphones and the sweet spot has 80 ohms but now you say that the 3rd gen was good with lower impedance headphones ?? .-.
He meant that the impedance of the headphones themselves at 80 ohms is ideal. The interface output needs to be as low as possible relative to the headphones. So if the output impedance is 10 ohms, and the headphones are 80 ohms, that's a good match. But if the output impedance is 50 ohms, and the headphones are 80 ohms, that's not a good match (the headphones would need to be higher such as 250 ohms or more)
So recently I noticed that there was a significant amount of noise on the Hi z input of my audio interface . It is significant enough to cause some harsh frequencies when you run a di through amp sims. It would be nice if you compared some di tracks recorded with each interface you have because although Neural Dsp plugins come with a noise gate this simply removes the noise when you're not hitting the strings . The impedance is different on every interface and it would be cool to hear some feedback from guitarists on how the interface hi z responds compared to playing with a real amp .
1. Check your grounding installation. Harsh noise, especially amplifed when using guitar sim usually indicating lack of ground installation. 2. Hi-z input on modern interfaces are decent enough for direct guitar input. (Older entry level scarlett interfaces are sucks in this area btw). If you are still not happy, you could just buy inexpensive buffer pedal, if you don't want to buy a DI box.
@@diazzsama it's an older presonus itwo interface, and the grounding is nonexistent due to being in a third world country and running on a solar inverter /lithium battery. I have tried using the buffer on an old boss distortion pedal and it didn't seem to solve the noise issue.
Thanks for the review. Too bad that, as I use 48Ω headphones, my return window is closed. Just a question, could you review the AXE I/O from IK Multimedia? I would be very intersting in having your feedback on it. It is marketed as an audio interface for guitarists, but is a fully capable interface! Unfortunately, I've never read a serious and objective review of this card.
why is individual phantom a concern? If you have a mic that doesn't require phantom, it's just ignored, there is no downside. Or am I missing something?
Great review, thank you! The round trip latency seems to be higher on the 4th gen compared to the 3rd gen. In your review of the 2i2 3rd gen the RTL was 3.5 ms at 48Khz@16 samples. It seems that at the same settings 2i2 4th gen has RTL of 5.1ms. The 3rd gen has a setting "Safe Mode" in the "Latency information" section of the Device Settings and it is adding 1ms when enabled. Is there a similar setting in the 4th gen and when you measured the 3rd gen was this setting on or off? I have Solo gen3 and 8i6 gen3 and I am thinking about getting the 2i2 4gen, but the higher latency is something I don't like as I am using these interfaces with my guitar and every ms matters.
Hello. As I saw in your analyses, the 4i4 has a lot of difference with the 2i2. I mean, it's better since the 2i2 has headphone problems that the 4i4 doesn't, Is it like that? Thank you for all your analyses, they are extraordinary. Greetings.
Hi Julian, great videos. What do you recommend between iD4 MKII, Solid State Logic SSL 2, Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 (4th gen.)? I have Shure SRH1540 headphones (46 ohms). I have Windows 11. Thank you.
How can headphone output noise level at minimum gain be _lower_ than at 1 Vrms nominal? The 2i2 gen4 is the second interface to do that. If this is real, that could be a sign of power supply noise being coupled into the volume pot ground return, which can happen with shared power/ground returns (especially if voltage rail impedance is low and there is a substantial amount of decoupling capacitance - you basically get a voltage divider consisting of rail Z + decoupling C / return R). Thankfully it's all at a very low level. Note how the headphone amp on the 2i2 gen4 is a traditional job with an analog volume pot while the 4i4 out clearly is digitally controlled. What's up with the headphone out 50 Hz distortion? It doesn't really seem to be load-dependent, so is there an internal stage with smallish ceramic coupling caps or something? It's clear that if you want the cleanest line-in for measurements, you'll want the 4i4 instead (much like MOTU M2 vs. M4). The 2i2 is clearly built to a price. The Solo should be even more so.
Hey thanks! Great video on the unit. Im doing research on mic pre coloration. I'm trying to find something incredibly "sterile" and i think the focusrite is probably the least common denominator for a lot of things. Going to need to pick one of these up.
I still marvel at the quality of even the cheap audio electronics these days. Back when I was actively involved in music -- the '80s and '90s -- you were doing VERY well to get a piece of audio equipment to output a noise floor below -75dB. And today, the WORST interface in your list is -93.5dB. And the *vast* majority of them are better than -100dB, with several better than -110dB. Beyond belief!!!
I would like to know if theres any chip processor wich works better than others in terms of DAC or ADC, because the improvements of chips are uncomprensioble for most of us, can you do a review of those dear Julian?
As somebody who records myself, I REALLY enjoy being able to set my input gain/settings from the computer/software. I'm, personally, willing to deal with some other...'shortcomings' for that QOL improvement. I monitor with Sony MDR 7560's (63 ohm). I notice a bump in the lower frequencies, but the headphones still expose everything in the mid-range, fine - which is what I use them for. I wish that I could plug 4 inputs in and just select which 2 (at anytime) to make active. That would save me some of un/plugging... But, I guess that's the point of splurging for the 4i4. Currently experiencing a crackling issue (just like I had with my previous 2nd gen). It's, perhaps, the fault of +my own settings+ or proximity to my PC so I hesitate to even mention it. (Happens about once a week and is remedied by un/replugging the USB cable for a second.) I'm willing to deal with it BUT an on/off button would be nice for this purpose. Air feature works great with my AT2020. Air+Presence works pretty good for my SMBeta58a. All in all, I'm happy with my purchase but A LOT of that has to do with being able set input gains from the software. EDIT: The crackling, more specifically, is usually remedied by "jostling" the usb at the back of the 2i2. So, I should prolly try a replacement usb-c cable...and it maybe has nothing to to do with the unit itself.
well what does it practically mean if the output impedance is 50 ohms instead of less than an ohm in the 3rd gen? 32 ohm headphones will be so quiet? then why do they give 32 ohm headphones in thier studio version of the 4th gen?
Hi Julian. Thanks for your hard work and great videos. One main issue remains that those bare measurements say nothing about the 'musicality' of the DAWs. Take a guitar amplifier as en example. A tube amp may have considerably more distortion than a transistor based one, but may sound, subjectively, much better. Therefore I suggest you also include playback recordings of musical passages for each of the DAWs. I hope this makes sense. Niels
Hey Julian, Thank you for the video as i would like to ask you what is the best portable sound card that you recommend as i am a voice over artist so i am going to use it just for voice over work. Thank you
Guys, if any of you have bought it.. please reply this if you find any problems. I'm curious if this gen has any possible weird problematic thing that might not be detected at first but starts showing up after a while. Thank you 👍
Hi Julian, very informative review as always, thanks! Could you please disclose which headphones have been measured in the "controversial change subchapter"? :)
@@JulianKrause Thx a lot for your hard work! Bummer. 😥 I'd still also be interested to know more about the loopback-functionality. Is it possible to loop-back the output of an ASIO-powered VST-Host into a virtual input? I am searching for an interface with such functionality for a while now to apply effects to my mic for live-streaming. (I think it might be possible with the bigger Scarlett interfaces, but not sure.) Currently I use an extra software called "Synchronous Audio Router" for this. It works very well, but it's discontinued. So it's only a matter of time until it won't work anymore. Somehow this (imo obvious) usecase seems to be overlooked by all audiointerface manufacturers. Or routing with virtual in/outputs in general.
Hi, I need a bit of help to decide, I will use the interface with studio speakers (JBL LSR 305 + sub) to listen to music and for electric guitar with amp sim (NAM or something like bias) I am among 2i2 4th gen, Audient iD14 MKII or iD4 MKII, So I only care about the quality of guitar input and audio outputs, which characteristics should I focus on? Line input performance, main output performance and round trip latency right? Thanks in advance!
Seen the 4i4 and now the 2i2, great job on both. I'm still pretty sold on the MOTU. Question though, Is there no difference in quality between the MOTU M2 and M4? Just curious because only the M2 was ever reviewed by you.
It's not a bad idea to get something with more outputs. I used an extra pair to connect a relatively cheap headphone amp to my old 6i6 2nd gen and I'm happy I could do that, I'm no audiophile and even with my DT770s 80Ohm I hear a clear difference. The headphone output is somehow... lifeless, compared to the headphone amp.
can U compare/consider Rodecaster DUO or Rode Streamer X to be used as an audio interface in a an Audio Studio Specially considering the Pre-amps performance Thankyou
I see you've taken to using the Steinberg UR22C as the worst case pre-amp noise examples again - not the much noisier Apogee, did someone have a quiet word with you?
Thanks for the review and the no nonsense approach of your videos. This is perhaps a noob question. I'm a drummer first and guitarist second, but after spontaneously recording some shouts for a song at my friend's studio, I was hooked on the idea of trying out more of this vocal stuff. Thanks to Cyberweek happening, Thomann right now offers the 2i2 Studio 3rd Gen set with a CM25 MkIII condenser mic (and headphones) for about € 184 and the same set with the 4th Gen for € 290. Would my modest home recording justify spending $100 more for the 4th Gen, or would buying the 3rd Gen set be still quite sufficient? May be obvious but I also don't know if that Mic is any good as well. Thanks in advance. (hätte ja auch auf Deutsch fragen können, aber dann antworten vielleicht mehr Leute. :D )
@@Anouyz Well, I'm serious, but also on a budget. I want to get better at screaming/singing and record some stuff at home. I can't afford the high end stuff and don't have the space for a lot of equipment. But honestly I went with the 3rd gen set and it's pretty good. I'm also very happy with the microphone, it's good enough for my needs. I invested the 100 dollars I saved in sound absorbers and a microphone screen, which makes it sound pretty decent. Can always upgrade to a better microphone in the future :)
at 6:52, you have the Rode AI-1 at the bottom of "maximum gain of mic input chart", is this before or after the 1.3.1 firmware update where they increased the gain of the microphone input? I had to check here since this is your latest video.
Julian! Would you be reviewing the Focusrite Scarlett Solo 4th Gen? I want to wait for your review on it before I buy one. I'm concerned about the headphone impedance if it's high since I only have an ATH M50
@@Alex-bl8uh Thanks! That's what I thought too. I believe they have it on their website the headphone impedance, which is the same as the 4th gen 2i2. So I end up getting the 3rd gen solo. It's pretty amazing so far
Hi Julian. Does the rule of thumb that headphone impedance should be 8 times higher than the headphone output impedance still apply? If so we shold use 400 ohm headphones with the scarlett. However you recommend at least 80 ohm headphones. I am confused...
Hey, yes the rule still applies. But it's just a rough guide and not a fixed number. 80 Ohm is really the lowest I would got with headphones on the 2i2 but higher is better.
It depends not only on the nominal impedance value but also how variable it actually is. A bunch of dynamic driver IEMs have near-flat impedance responses so would be unproblematic. A number of common closed full-sized headphones are not too picky either (think ATH-M50X). Finally, planar magnetic jobs generally have ruler-flat impedance responses, but they can be notoriously inefficient. There is at least one online headphone output impedance calculator out there that lets you calculate the effect on frequency response (I know because I wrote it), unfortunately it seems to kind of get buried among headphone power / sensitivity calculators and shows up as Google hit #14 for me. Guess I need to give it a more unique name or something.
Basically very close to the EVO8. The reason that the card is so competitively priced is that they were able to utilize the same components, circuit designs, tooling across 3 units. If I was on a budget, this would be a very serious contender. I'm an RME guy, but I have owned a couple of EVO8s (I still have one). I"ve owned 100+ interfaces in the past 20 years. Julian is a man of my own heart, testing out all of these. A real man of integrity (especially now that he's got the hang of blinking on camera)
my biggest issue with the 4th gen, namely solo, is that the first channel is the Line In channel, whereas the 3rd gen had the XLR. My friend just bought the 4th and it has completely ruined his experience when playing games on his PC as Steam only grabs the first channel. Frustrating.
That's a very good point, I also stumbeled across and will bring up in the Solo review. I'll see if I can get this to Focusrite, maybe they can introduce a function in the software to reverse the inputs.
Are you able to Test if you can play backing tracks from your 'Samsung Phone' VIA the USB C port, I do this on my Solo Gen 3 and it works perfectly out through my monitors, I just dont want to buy this product and realize that Focusrite have changed something.
I'm connecting the Sm7DB and the SE Electronics V7 for a podcast... Would turning on the 48V of Phantom Power hurt the SE electronics mic? I need it to have a lower noise flower for my sm7db by activating the +18DB on the mic
May I ask, I am about to buy this or one other model ( maybe FiiO K5pro ESS DAC but I am waiting to see more reviews ) and I will be using HD 6xx ( seinnheiser ) with I believe 300 ohms. I guess I should not worry much about the impedence problem ?
Can you do the same level of testing you do for these audio interfaces but with the Samsung s23 ultra? I wanna see a motu m2 vs s23 ultra mic comparision. Specially using the dolby recoding app I get some amazing stuff.
I recently bought the 2i2 4th gen. Regards to the headphone jack... I have a splitter in it to spilt same signal to two separate headphones. One seems fine but the other one have a buzz noise when I increase headphone volume dial of interface to about 3'o clock. I tested the cables and everything. It seems to be the headphones themselves, having the buzz. It is cheap headphones as students of mine use it that is very young. The other one is a more expensive type. Can it then be the headphones as I heard you mentioned some info regards headphones.
I just read on a website that the headphones having the buzz has the following impedance...Impedance 32Ω±15%. Do you therefore think that os why. As my other headphones coming from the same jack, being split out together with the problem one, does not have a buzz.
Great review, Julian 👍 I was just getting more and more excited 😆 as the your review went on, thinking that maybe it was time to for another compact Focusrite. However, when you got to the headphone section I basically switched off (switched off interested not form your review). Given that many people will use these types of interfaces in home environments, the use of headphones is quite high. Even in a commercial facility, you constantly check stereo imagery and balance on headphones, regardless of how good your main monitors are. Why on earth Focusrite would have what would appear to be a really good transparent output and very good overall signal path from start to end, to then wreck it all with the headphone output, basically remixing your low end 😆 Is beyond my comprehension. I also like that you check to see if these interfaces can be used stand alone with power as a stand alone preamp, great idea 😆 Anyway, great review, Julian 👍 Cheers, Dave.
I am to buy a new interface, i want it only for record vocals so low latency and good preamps, low noise on inputs, i come from a focusrite solo 3th gen, and its bad (noise on preamp, cranks on low buffer, etc) which i should buy? a new solo 4th gen, a id14 mkii or apollo solo?? ssl2 i just returned cause the drivers are poor and its trash, even the solo is better. ty
Hello, I bought a sound box and where is the headphone adjustment knob I have a slight play, as if the knob itself doesn’t sit well, is it how it should be or is it just me?
Finally the one and only authoritative review of this device. Thanks, Julian 🤘
Right? Every other "reviewer" looks blissfully ignorant once you've seen a few reviews by Julian.
It's about time someone showed us some specs. I get tired of just hearing how great something sounds, or about some feature. Give me the technical data.
I'd love to see how these modern interfaces stack up against some of the older stuff that's out there. We tend to accept new products at face value, but realistically things like low latency were worked out a really long time ago, 20 years ago with RME's Hammerfall and even in the late 2000s with DICE II Firewire interfaces from Focusrite, Presonus, etc. How are manufacturers pushing the envelope these days, particularly in the budget space that JK likes to feature most often?
THANK YOU! Yours are literally the only helpful reviews, guides, etc. No bs, straight to the point and everything you say is useful! Tysm!
Thank you for another great video. I still appreciate the irony around the Kensington "locking point." It is indeed a very high security connection, and I feel that it really makes the world a better and much safer place.
Thank you for your videos. The detail you go in was monumentally useful for deciding what best fit my use case. I knew my requirements but was struggling to find the information I needed and your videos had everything.
wieder mal ein sehr ausführliches und gut verständliches review👍Julian Krause steht für Qualität! ♥und glückwunsch zu den 100k abos 🥳
Currently have a Motu M2 but would like an interface with the mic inputs on the back. This one looked so promising up until the ever disappointing headphone output. Bummer.
SSL2(+) or even the 12 ...it keeps surprising me, even compared with interfaces 3x the cost.
Thanks for this video! I was about to pull the trigger on a 4th gen Scarlett, but considering I'll be using it mostly for headphones, the chance of some frequencies being severely boosted due to the high output impedance is 100% a deal breaker.
UA-camrs & Podcasters would love a SYSTEM AUDIO BUTTON. I never use air mode. That's what EQ's and saturators are for. So you could get rid of this button. And a Direct Monitoring gain knob would rock! Most of us don't want to deal with any latency. We're happy with hearing exactly what we put in during our overdubs because we do most things in post anyway.
At this point you should team up with one of the companies and create the ultimate budget audio interface!
Thanks so much Julian much appreciated your videos.thanks for bringing it up mate.
Thanx! Got the 2i2 today and i am happy about how much you get in this days compare to 10 years ago. The soundcard sounds good.
Great Stuff! Would you personaly pick the 2i2 4th or the Motu m2?
Geil! You are the best in interface review world man! Thanks!
I AM EARLY TO A JULIAN KRAUSE VIDEO! WOOOOOOOOOO!
Trying to fix what's not broken always ends up being a mistake.
Oh, it was broken allright.
This is what 21th century is all about
This device is so much better than 3rd Gen. What are you talking about?
@@olivermirez6667so much? Only dynamic range is "much" better. Autogain, clip saver is not must have in audio interface. And finally they change realy bad Focusrite control and made it exclusive for 4th gen showing love to 3rd gen community which wrote a lot of messege what they should change in this "software". This is why I never again buy Focushit
What is wrong with this? Seems like the best in it's price range according to specs, better than audient id44 and ssl?
Thanks for this very accurate and comprehensive summary! It really helped a lot. Hats off!
I thought you said in your interface video comparison that the focusrite scarlett 3rd gen was bad with lower impedance headphones and the sweet spot has 80 ohms but now you say that the 3rd gen was good with lower impedance headphones ?? .-.
He meant that the impedance of the headphones themselves at 80 ohms is ideal. The interface output needs to be as low as possible relative to the headphones. So if the output impedance is 10 ohms, and the headphones are 80 ohms, that's a good match. But if the output impedance is 50 ohms, and the headphones are 80 ohms, that's not a good match (the headphones would need to be higher such as 250 ohms or more)
So recently I noticed that there was a significant amount of noise on the Hi z input of my audio interface . It is significant enough to cause some harsh frequencies when you run a di through amp sims. It would be nice if you compared some di tracks recorded with each interface you have because although Neural Dsp plugins come with a noise gate this simply removes the noise when you're not hitting the strings . The impedance is different on every interface and it would be cool to hear some feedback from guitarists on how the interface hi z responds compared to playing with a real amp .
1. Check your grounding installation. Harsh noise, especially amplifed when using guitar sim usually indicating lack of ground installation.
2. Hi-z input on modern interfaces are decent enough for direct guitar input. (Older entry level scarlett interfaces are sucks in this area btw). If you are still not happy, you could just buy inexpensive buffer pedal, if you don't want to buy a DI box.
@@diazzsama it's an older presonus itwo interface, and the grounding is nonexistent due to being in a third world country and running on a solar inverter /lithium battery. I have tried using the buffer on an old boss distortion pedal and it didn't seem to solve the noise issue.
Not sure why they dont provide a usb c to usb c cable.
Danke fürs Video!❤ Ich bin gespannt😮
Hey Julian, thanks for the content. I have a suggestion, would you be willing to test mixer/interface like the Tascam 12 or others?
Yesss please do Julian!
Danke!
Thanks for the review. Too bad that, as I use 48Ω headphones, my return window is closed. Just a question, could you review the AXE I/O from IK Multimedia? I would be very intersting in having your feedback on it. It is marketed as an audio interface for guitarists, but is a fully capable interface! Unfortunately, I've never read a serious and objective review of this card.
Great review Julian. What mic do you use to record your videos?
I was going to buy the 2i2 but with the headphones that I use ath m40x (32 ohms) glad I didn't! As always thanks for your excellent and precise review
why is individual phantom a concern? If you have a mic that doesn't require phantom, it's just ignored, there is no downside. Or am I missing something?
Great review, thank you! The round trip latency seems to be higher on the 4th gen compared to the 3rd gen. In your review of the 2i2 3rd gen the RTL was 3.5 ms at 48Khz@16 samples. It seems that at the same settings 2i2 4th gen has RTL of 5.1ms. The 3rd gen has a setting "Safe Mode" in the "Latency information" section of the Device Settings and it is adding 1ms when enabled. Is there a similar setting in the 4th gen and when you measured the 3rd gen was this setting on or off? I have Solo gen3 and 8i6 gen3 and I am thinking about getting the 2i2 4gen, but the higher latency is something I don't like as I am using these interfaces with my guitar and every ms matters.
Awesome review. Love the scientific detail
If I had to buy an Audio interface I‘d watch your test reports about interfaces in any case! 👍🏻💪🏻
I want the inputs on the sides.
fantastic review. looks like a great device but if the headphone output is unreliable it kind of ruins the whole device for me.
Curious if you think the 4th gen is better than SSL2 ? Thanks
Ooo I think watching your video answers the question for me
@@iCkEdMeLwhat did you get
Well, I just bought a second Gen3, and after watching this, I'll stick the the two Gen3's I have.
Hi Julian, You're my source for all insights regarding interfaces. When you have time, can you review the Solo Gen 4?
Hello.
As I saw in your analyses, the 4i4 has a lot of difference with the 2i2.
I mean, it's better since the 2i2 has headphone problems that the 4i4 doesn't,
Is it like that?
Thank you for all your analyses, they are extraordinary. Greetings.
in love with the term "fetclouder"
Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 4th gen vs audient id14 mkII which is the winner according sound quality
From specs alone it seems Scarlett, anybody?
Audient is the winner. Really solid pteamps.
Am i OCD or is there a woofiness on his voice at around 500-600 hz? Not specific to the featured interface, but on the entire vid?
I just checked Sweetwater and the most expensive reference headphones $3k were 32 ohms. The others were too with some down to 24 ohms.
Hi Julian, great videos. What do you recommend between iD4 MKII, Solid State Logic SSL 2, Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 (4th gen.)? I have Shure SRH1540 headphones (46 ohms). I have Windows 11. Thank you.
What did you get
hi, thanks for your great detailed reviews. how would you compare the scarlett 2i1 4th gen to the clarett 2 pre mk1 ? greets Karl
How can headphone output noise level at minimum gain be _lower_ than at 1 Vrms nominal? The 2i2 gen4 is the second interface to do that. If this is real, that could be a sign of power supply noise being coupled into the volume pot ground return, which can happen with shared power/ground returns (especially if voltage rail impedance is low and there is a substantial amount of decoupling capacitance - you basically get a voltage divider consisting of rail Z + decoupling C / return R). Thankfully it's all at a very low level.
Note how the headphone amp on the 2i2 gen4 is a traditional job with an analog volume pot while the 4i4 out clearly is digitally controlled.
What's up with the headphone out 50 Hz distortion? It doesn't really seem to be load-dependent, so is there an internal stage with smallish ceramic coupling caps or something?
It's clear that if you want the cleanest line-in for measurements, you'll want the 4i4 instead (much like MOTU M2 vs. M4). The 2i2 is clearly built to a price. The Solo should be even more so.
Hey thanks! Great video on the unit. Im doing research on mic pre coloration. I'm trying to find something incredibly "sterile" and i think the focusrite is probably the least common denominator for a lot of things. Going to need to pick one of these up.
Thank you for another very thorough and comprehensive review!!! I'll stick with my 3rd Gen 2i2.
How about Scarlett Solo 4th gen? Is it having the same specs ?
I still marvel at the quality of even the cheap audio electronics these days. Back when I was actively involved in music -- the '80s and '90s -- you were doing VERY well to get a piece of audio equipment to output a noise floor below -75dB. And today, the WORST interface in your list is -93.5dB. And the *vast* majority of them are better than -100dB, with several better than -110dB. Beyond belief!!!
I would like to know if theres any chip processor wich works better than others in terms of DAC or ADC, because the improvements of chips are uncomprensioble for most of us, can you do a review of those dear Julian?
Looks like my Motu M2 is still the best value for the money after almost 2 years.
It's not 😂
@@olivermirez6667 Care to elaborate?
As somebody who records myself, I REALLY enjoy being able to set my input gain/settings from the computer/software. I'm, personally, willing to deal with some other...'shortcomings' for that QOL improvement.
I monitor with Sony MDR 7560's (63 ohm). I notice a bump in the lower frequencies, but the headphones still expose everything in the mid-range, fine - which is what I use them for.
I wish that I could plug 4 inputs in and just select which 2 (at anytime) to make active. That would save me some of un/plugging... But, I guess that's the point of splurging for the 4i4.
Currently experiencing a crackling issue (just like I had with my previous 2nd gen). It's, perhaps, the fault of +my own settings+ or proximity to my PC so I hesitate to even mention it. (Happens about once a week and is remedied by un/replugging the USB cable for a second.) I'm willing to deal with it BUT an on/off button would be nice for this purpose.
Air feature works great with my AT2020. Air+Presence works pretty good for my SMBeta58a.
All in all, I'm happy with my purchase but A LOT of that has to do with being able set input gains from the software.
EDIT: The crackling, more specifically, is usually remedied by "jostling" the usb at the back of the 2i2. So, I should prolly try a replacement usb-c cable...and it maybe has nothing to to do with the unit itself.
Are you using and amd processer?
@@Durkhead Intel i5-3470 @ 3.20GHz
well what does it practically mean if the output impedance is 50 ohms instead of less than an ohm in the 3rd gen? 32 ohm headphones will be so quiet? then why do they give 32 ohm headphones in thier studio version of the 4th gen?
Hi Julian. Thanks for your hard work and great videos. One main issue remains that those bare measurements say nothing about the 'musicality' of the DAWs. Take a guitar amplifier as en example. A tube amp may have considerably more distortion than a transistor based one, but may sound, subjectively, much better. Therefore I suggest you also include playback recordings of musical passages for each of the DAWs. I hope this makes sense. Niels
This is an audio interface review, not an amp sim or plugin or DAW review...
@@Summer-xu8qu sorry, meant 'audio interface' not DAW, thanks!
Hey Julian, Thank you for the video as i would like to ask you what is the best portable sound card that you recommend as i am a voice over artist so i am going to use it just for voice over work. Thank you
Guys, if any of you have bought it.. please reply this if you find any problems. I'm curious if this gen has any possible weird problematic thing that might not be detected at first but starts showing up after a while. Thank you 👍
Hi Julian, very informative review as always, thanks! Could you please disclose which headphones have been measured in the "controversial change subchapter"? :)
For the measurement at 11:30 I used:
Red: Sennheiser PC38X
Green: No-name 32 Ohm Headphone
Blue: Sony MDR-V700
@@JulianKrauseany audio interface recommendations for the pc38x?
Thank you Julian
Will you also test the Focusrite Scarlett Solo 4th Gen?
I'd like to know, if this one has that high impedance as well.
For me it's an absolute NoGo.
Hey, yes I'm currently testing it. Spoiler: it has the same headphone output impedance...
@@JulianKrause Thx a lot for your hard work!
Bummer. 😥
I'd still also be interested to know more about the loopback-functionality.
Is it possible to loop-back the output of an ASIO-powered VST-Host into a virtual input?
I am searching for an interface with such functionality for a while now to apply effects to my mic for live-streaming.
(I think it might be possible with the bigger Scarlett interfaces, but not sure.)
Currently I use an extra software called "Synchronous Audio Router" for this. It works very well, but it's discontinued. So it's only a matter of time until it won't work anymore.
Somehow this (imo obvious) usecase seems to be overlooked by all audiointerface manufacturers.
Or routing with virtual in/outputs in general.
Hi, I need a bit of help to decide, I will use the interface with studio speakers (JBL LSR 305 + sub) to listen to music and for electric guitar with amp sim (NAM or something like bias) I am among 2i2 4th gen, Audient iD14 MKII or iD4 MKII, So I only care about the quality of guitar input and audio outputs, which characteristics should I focus on? Line input performance, main output performance and round trip latency right? Thanks in advance!
Seen the 4i4 and now the 2i2, great job on both. I'm still pretty sold on the MOTU. Question though, Is there no difference in quality between the MOTU M2 and M4? Just curious because only the M2 was ever reviewed by you.
There were some measurements on audiosciencereview. The M4 was slightly better, but I don't remember what it was about... You can find it online
It's not a bad idea to get something with more outputs. I used an extra pair to connect a relatively cheap headphone amp to my old 6i6 2nd gen and I'm happy I could do that, I'm no audiophile and even with my DT770s 80Ohm I hear a clear difference. The headphone output is somehow... lifeless, compared to the headphone amp.
what is the difference between dynamic range output vs input, is the max gain more important than dynamic range output?
can U compare/consider Rodecaster DUO or Rode Streamer X to be used as an audio interface in a an Audio Studio
Specially considering the Pre-amps performance
Thankyou
What would be the best audio interface and headphone combo for mixing, recording?
I see you've taken to using the Steinberg UR22C as the worst case pre-amp noise examples again - not the much noisier Apogee, did someone have a quiet word with you?
Can you stell us what headphones you used and which ones were "heavily impacted"? Thx
What was the impedance of the headphones you used in your test?
Solo Review Please!
Supposedly 48v will not damage a dynamic mic so is it really necessary to have 2 switches for the inputs?
Thanks for the review and the no nonsense approach of your videos. This is perhaps a noob question. I'm a drummer first and guitarist second, but after spontaneously recording some shouts for a song at my friend's studio, I was hooked on the idea of trying out more of this vocal stuff. Thanks to Cyberweek happening, Thomann right now offers the 2i2 Studio 3rd Gen set with a CM25 MkIII condenser mic (and headphones) for about € 184 and the same set with the 4th Gen for € 290. Would my modest home recording justify spending $100 more for the 4th Gen, or would buying the 3rd Gen set be still quite sufficient? May be obvious but I also don't know if that Mic is any good as well. Thanks in advance.
(hätte ja auch auf Deutsch fragen können, aber dann antworten vielleicht mehr Leute. :D )
Its almost always worth it to invest more money in equipment if its something your serious about.
@@Anouyz Well, I'm serious, but also on a budget. I want to get better at screaming/singing and record some stuff at home. I can't afford the high end stuff and don't have the space for a lot of equipment. But honestly I went with the 3rd gen set and it's pretty good. I'm also very happy with the microphone, it's good enough for my needs. I invested the 100 dollars I saved in sound absorbers and a microphone screen, which makes it sound pretty decent. Can always upgrade to a better microphone in the future :)
Great video! Would love a review on the Apollo Solo and Twin since they are so popular.
at 6:52, you have the Rode AI-1 at the bottom of "maximum gain of mic input chart", is this before or after the 1.3.1 firmware update where they increased the gain of the microphone input? I had to check here since this is your latest video.
Do you suggest turning off safe mode?
Which is better LEWITT CONNECT 6 or Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 4th Gen for condenser microphone and vocals singing?
56ohms headphones, a problem?
Any plans still to review the 4th gen Scarlett Solo? Curious on the headphone output impedance on that one.
Hey, Solo review is coming soon. Sadly the headphone impedance is the same as the 2i2...
Julian! Would you be reviewing the Focusrite Scarlett Solo 4th Gen? I want to wait for your review on it before I buy one. I'm concerned about the headphone impedance if it's high since I only have an ATH M50
He will, but said in a comment already the solo has the same problem regarding headphone output
@@Alex-bl8uh Thanks! That's what I thought too. I believe they have it on their website the headphone impedance, which is the same as the 4th gen 2i2. So I end up getting the 3rd gen solo. It's pretty amazing so far
@waterbottle2963 glad you found an option that worked for you. I am happy with my 2i2 since I have 250 ohm headphones 🎧 ✅️
Hi Julian, I've a Beyerdinamic 900 pro x (48 OHMS). Do you think I could have problems using my headphones with this Scarlett?
Yes. Beyers are probably the ones he used to show the big bass boost, they really suffer when the output impedance is high.
You will have a ~3dB bump centered at around 50Hz, so there will be a noticeable bass boost.
Thanks for the advice guys, I think I'll buy a Moto M2
Do the knobs on the front have the same soft-feel rubber of the 2i2 2nd gen that goes annoyingly tacky after a few years?
Hi Julian. Does the rule of thumb that headphone impedance should be 8 times higher than the headphone output impedance still apply? If so we shold use 400 ohm headphones with the scarlett. However you recommend at least 80 ohm headphones. I am confused...
Hey, yes the rule still applies. But it's just a rough guide and not a fixed number. 80 Ohm is really the lowest I would got with headphones on the 2i2 but higher is better.
It depends not only on the nominal impedance value but also how variable it actually is. A bunch of dynamic driver IEMs have near-flat impedance responses so would be unproblematic. A number of common closed full-sized headphones are not too picky either (think ATH-M50X). Finally, planar magnetic jobs generally have ruler-flat impedance responses, but they can be notoriously inefficient.
There is at least one online headphone output impedance calculator out there that lets you calculate the effect on frequency response (I know because I wrote it), unfortunately it seems to kind of get buried among headphone power / sensitivity calculators and shows up as Google hit #14 for me. Guess I need to give it a more unique name or something.
Thanks Julian 😎
@@PileOfEmptyTapes Do you think the Audio Technica M40x headphones would work with the Scarlett 2i2 4th Generation?
Sooo is this now better than the last clarett ? which came 2 years ago ? Or should I wait for a new clarett ?
Would u say it better then volt 2
Output should be measured with a 10kΩ load, that is the standard in most of the proaudio equipment.
We’d love to see an evo 16 review. So curious how it sounds compared to the iD line.
Thanks!
Basically very close to the EVO8. The reason that the card is so competitively priced is that they were able to utilize the same components, circuit designs, tooling across 3 units. If I was on a budget, this would be a very serious contender. I'm an RME guy, but I have owned a couple of EVO8s (I still have one). I"ve owned 100+ interfaces in the past 20 years. Julian is a man of my own heart, testing out all of these. A real man of integrity (especially now that he's got the hang of blinking on camera)
why do people want inputs on front, we want them both on front and back for mics and guitars
my biggest issue with the 4th gen, namely solo, is that the first channel is the Line In channel, whereas the 3rd gen had the XLR. My friend just bought the 4th and it has completely ruined his experience when playing games on his PC as Steam only grabs the first channel. Frustrating.
That's a very good point, I also stumbeled across and will bring up in the Solo review. I'll see if I can get this to Focusrite, maybe they can introduce a function in the software to reverse the inputs.
@
Rest assured, that's on our radar. We have a feature coming very soon that will address that.
@@FocusriteTV thank you guys and thank you Julian.
Is this issues was fixed? I was planning to get one.
Are you able to Test if you can play backing tracks from your 'Samsung Phone' VIA the USB C port, I do this on my Solo Gen 3 and it works perfectly out through my monitors, I just dont want to buy this product and realize that Focusrite have changed something.
replacing my clarett 2pre Thunderbolt to this scarlett 2i2 4th is stupid Idea only for vocal?
quick question, for Voice over and live stream would the Connect 6 be the best option?
Please, recommend me a good interface for 2 input, thank you.
what is the word for the headphones characteristic? high impeance? mp’s?
I'm connecting the Sm7DB and the SE Electronics V7 for a podcast... Would turning on the 48V of Phantom Power hurt the SE electronics mic? I need it to have a lower noise flower for my sm7db by activating the +18DB on the mic
May I ask, I am about to buy this or one other model ( maybe FiiO K5pro ESS DAC but I am waiting to see more reviews ) and I will be using HD 6xx ( seinnheiser ) with I believe 300 ohms. I guess I should not worry much about the impedence problem ?
Can you do the same level of testing you do for these audio interfaces but with the Samsung s23 ultra? I wanna see a motu m2 vs s23 ultra mic comparision. Specially using the dolby recoding app I get some amazing stuff.
I recently bought the 2i2 4th gen. Regards to the headphone jack... I have a splitter in it to spilt same signal to two separate headphones. One seems fine but the other one have a buzz noise when I increase headphone volume dial of interface to about 3'o clock. I tested the cables and everything. It seems to be the headphones themselves, having the buzz. It is cheap headphones as students of mine use it that is very young. The other one is a more expensive type.
Can it then be the headphones as I heard you mentioned some info regards headphones.
I just read on a website that the headphones having the buzz has the following impedance...Impedance 32Ω±15%. Do you therefore think that os why. As my other headphones coming from the same jack, being split out together with the problem one, does not have a buzz.
Otherwise it sounds great. I upgraded from solo 3rd gen.😊
Great review, Julian 👍 I was just getting more and more excited 😆 as the your review went on, thinking that maybe it was time to for another compact Focusrite. However, when you got to the headphone section I basically switched off (switched off interested not form your review). Given that many people will use these types of interfaces in home environments, the use of headphones is quite high. Even in a commercial facility, you constantly check stereo imagery and balance on headphones, regardless of how good your main monitors are. Why on earth Focusrite would have what would appear to be a really good transparent output and very good overall signal path from start to end, to then wreck it all with the headphone output, basically remixing your low end 😆 Is beyond my comprehension. I also like that you check to see if these interfaces can be used stand alone with power as a stand alone preamp, great idea 😆 Anyway, great review, Julian 👍 Cheers, Dave.
It can be standalone mixer, preamp, level control, headphone (pre)amp.
I am to buy a new interface, i want it only for record vocals so low latency and good preamps, low noise on inputs, i come from a focusrite solo 3th gen, and its bad (noise on preamp, cranks on low buffer, etc)
which i should buy? a new solo 4th gen, a id14 mkii or apollo solo?? ssl2 i just returned cause the drivers are poor and its trash, even the solo is better. ty
Hello, I bought a sound box and where is the headphone adjustment knob I have a slight play, as if the knob itself doesn’t sit well, is it how it should be or is it just me?
What would be better a ssl+ or this one?
Following
So can’t use my audio technical m50x ?