The official manual of this unit says that it cannot accept line level signals, only mic and instrument (as it says on the front). I was interested to buy one so I searched about accepting line level signals, because I saw the writing on the front, and I ended up reading the manual from the site stating that: "Plugging a line-level source into the instrument inputs on the front of the AudioBox USB96 not only risks damage to these inputs but can also result in a very loud and often distorted audio signal". Even the instrument inputs have an impedance of 500kohms but it's required 1Mohm for a good guitar sound and the manual states that if you have active pickups you need a D.I. box first or you'll damage the inputs! More downsides besides the things you mentioned.
If we talking normal audio interfaces (basically every other one), which input should I plugin the guitar with active pickups? What if it has dedicated instrument input (guitar icon)?
@@drakegostream If you have active pickups you plug in the instrument input but with the level lower than passive pickups. Start with input level at 0 and increase slowly from there to avoid loud distorted signal, don't start from the level you had for passive. You may need to activate the line level switch found in other audio interfaces if you can't avoid clipping even when the level is too low.
I am impressed by just how noisy it is. I guess between my old TASCAM and this, i'd still choose a barely working TASCAM. And those were notorious for their bad noise.
Could you provide an Excel sheet with all the tested interfaces to downnload for your community? Dropbox or Google Drive would work perfectly and could easily be updated. That would be killer!
Great review. It's terrible that I found your video a month after I bought my Presonus 96. I agree with you in everyway about it, which is why I went looking on youtube for a more in depth review. The reviews I found before I bought it must have been done by people who just don't hear very well.
I got the "Limited Edition" black with white trim about 10 months ago. I can definitely confirm a high amount of preamp noise and not enough usable gain. I found it nigh unusable for voiceover purposes and rushed for a SSL2 after selling off the AudioBox. This is one of those cases where I highly advise spending a bit more money for a higher quality interface.
Hi Julian! Just wanted to say that your videos helped me A LOT with choosing my audio interface, your studies, graphs, knowledge, and overall quality of your videos are absolutely great!!
As a novice who just bought this unit, I appreciated the thorough and reasoned review. Now I know, from an eloquent insider, what I need. Already have a condenser mic so we shall see, Thank you for your work!
Variable frequency response depending upon control knob setting indicates poor internal impedance matching between the circuits. They really should know better given they have a decent reputation and are not exactly new to the industry.
i have the blue one and use it for VSTi in live performance.. the great thing about this interface is the very low latency (4,5ms output in 128 buffer size 48kHz), MIDI i/o and good gain in headphone and output.. i notice the noisy preamp when cranked, but it is still useable and did an album using solely this unit for vocal recording.. there are many better substitute for this unit though.. awesome review Julian! you are the best!
This information falls into the hearsay category. Presonus software is coded and developed in Germany and the hardware in the US. If that is the case it may be worth moving the design process of electronic hardware to Germany also. I enjoy your analysis and reviews of equipment immensely, it is so good to have reviews devoid of "marketing speak" or influencers getting paid to push products under the guise of a review.
I have the black version with silver knobs. It does what it needs to do--I don't record much with microphones, but when I tried it with an EV N/D 267 dynamic mic, I didn't notice any noise issue. My beef with the unit is that after around 14 months, input 1 crapped out on me (input 2 still works fine).
Thanks for the review! I love that you used visuals and graphs to explain your points. You cover so many great points in your analysis and I appreciate your thoughts on this audio interface.
Thanks so much for this video, Julian! I don't get how Presonus manages to make my favourite DAW yet anytime I'm interested in any of their hardware it turns out to be... really disappointing. And the chart you show in 9:06 has been a godsend, I was looking for a USB interface with a nice headphone output and I was shocked to see the Focusrite ones had the worst THD, I was considering the Solo 3rd Gen. I've had a Saffire (the firewire version) for some years now and the headphone output was really great, now I'm not sure I want the USB Focusrite interfaces. Might as well save money for the MOTU M2, I keep reading great things about it and it seems to outperform every other interface in this regard in your chart. Greetings from Spain!
Been using this for music production and I havent had any problems at all. I dont know why people complain. I made a beat and put it on spotify. When I tell people my gear, they get surprised. You just have to know your gear.
I mean he highlighted all the issues, the tested them and provided date… idk how you ‘don’t know why people complain’. He just showed you why in a very detailed way.
Hi Julian. I have an Audiobox USB 96 (not the anniversary version) and was a little disappointed with the data you demonstrated in this video - although not totally surprised, given the price-point. However, I'm planning on upgrading at some point anyway. In the video, you say that the front inputs can take mic, line and instrument level signals; is this correct? The UI indicates only mic and instrument. Anyway, keep up the good work.
Great review, Julian. I was trying to decide between a Focusrite Solo & the PreSonus AudioBox 96 & your EIN & Dynamic range graphs cinched my choice. Thanks very much.
Great video. Its amazing how in-depth you look into the performance of these devices and show all the data from your tests. I have a question though: have you ever considered modifying an audio interface to improve its performance by changing components for example?
My friend, first of all thank you very much for the review. I also saw the Behringer UMC202HD review. I have a question. Which of the two do you prefer PreSonus AudioBox USB 96 - (25th Anniversary Edition) or Behringer UMC202HD? You are the best person to answer. Thank you very much again
I am on the same boat to this right right now. However, after watching a couple of reviews, they're all suggesting tha Presonus 96 creates a white background noise who knows where it's coming from. I'm just a beginner starting of recording, but I think I'll stay clear off Presonus 96 and run with Umc202hd. I just wouldn't be able to stand that background noise. Just my 2cents.
*steinberg mic pre noise* heh *presonus mic pre noise* ノಠДಠノ!! Was gonna comment the possibility of a defective unit, to be answered 60 sec later, what dedication to get a 2nd unit! Video suggestion: how to properly read some of those fancy graphs (or all of them), example comparison of two curves, what do bad/ok/good look like. Cheers!
Outstanding review! The 96 has always been a bit of an outlier for them. I wish they would kill it off and reprice the studio 24c for that customer price point. The studio series are so much better.
Very very detailed and informative! It would be a blast if you could do such a video about Latency and also Real Life Performance Latency, such as testing how many plugins can you load on your PC with the specs shared of course. Best regards and Danke schoen!
Man, I should've seen your review earlier. I was looking for budget interfaces well after you uploaded your video but somehow didn't come across it. I first got a unit with a defect and it was also very noisy. After RMA I got a second one without the defect but the noise was still as bad. On a personal anecdote, I certainly cannot recommend it either. I'm now eyeing the Motu M2/M4 or Behringer UMC204HD and was looking for data to cross-reference with Audio Science Review's (especially on the latter since their data is quite old). Thanks for the measurements! Especially the headphones measurements are very much appreciated since I'll use it as a single bidirectional interface. Dein Englisch ist übrigens sehr gut :) Meistens kann ich mir Deutsche RU-vidr, die Englischen Content machen, nur schwer antun, aber du sprichst wirklich schön klar, bravo! (Mal ganz davon abgesehen, was du Inhaltlich so erzählst; das ist nämlich auch Spitze)
Hey Julian. I really enjoy your reviews, you're awesome. I'd really like If you do more comparative and /or tops of similar interfaces. Greetings from Colombia! 💪🏼
Dang! In addition to the usual hiss, there's a low-end rumble, and the same digital artefact that my mom's old TASCAM US-122L had near the end of its operations
Hallo Julian, could you maybe make a video about the use of TRS jacks on the interfaces you test or give information about that topic? This topic is posted in so many forums and there is not really clarity about it. Especially using an external preamp going TRS into a combo jack of USB interfaces. Does it go through the interface preamp again then? Does this influence the sound colouration or add any noise? I was in close contact with the Motu support and they recommended not to use external preamps with combo jacks, since it adds noise. A lot of people do that though. A professional test by you would be wonderful. Thanks in advance. Keep going.
Before watching this (another great vid, Julian) I bought one of these. Yeah, it's not great. I use an Audient in my booth and this is a backup/utility unit for my other workstation, so it didn't have to be great, but from the noise floor, to the brittle sound from the headphone amp, I found myself saying something I NEVER thought I would... "shoulda bought a Behringer..." BTW, was there a full moon when you posted this video? You are getting a lot of bizarre and quite honestly, moronic questions and comments in this thread.
Thank you so much for this review!! I'm looking at buying my first audio interface and was really surprised at the background noise level with the Presonus! Just was wondering, when you did the noise test comparing the interfaces, was that used with a dynamic mic or condenser?
Hey, I used a 150 Ohm dummy load which mimics a dynamic mic. With a condenser mic the preamp noiseof the Audiobox is not that big of a problem as the signal is much stronger compares to a dynamic mic. Cheers!
@@JulianKrause Thank you for replying so quickly! It's really interesting to see the preamp noise mic input chart you made, and now I'm seriously considering the M-AUdio Air! I've previously been using a USB mic for recording, but I'm in the process of switching to an XLR/Interface setup because of all the background noise I've been getting from it. I'd most likely be getting the AT2020 XLR Condenser mic, so, would that condenser mic have even less noise with the M-Audio?
Hey, if you use a condenser mic the noise of the preamp does not matter as you are limited by the noise if the mic. The AT2020 is not the lowest noise mic out there. If you want to get ultra low noise, consider a condenser mic with a low self-noise.
@@JulianKrause Ooh yea! Just did some research and the AT2020 has 20dB! Thanks for saving me from ending up with the same problem! 😂🙏 Do you by any chance have a video with a similar comparison chart of all the self noise levels on XLR mics?
Hey there, thanks for this review. I have a question that I’d like to see if you could help with: I have an Audiobox 😕😑 and send my Digital Piano sound to it. I notice a huge change in quality and I am wondering if this has to do with the frequency response? Is that “coloring” my pianos sound in a bad way? Thanks for this review! Awesome channel!!
I was think of buying this for streaming Here is what i will be using audiotechnica at2020 and Beyerdynamic Dt 990 headphones. Some studio monitors speakers i have not decided which yet Do you think it will meet my needs or what do u recommend?
Can't say I'm surprised, I had a pair of Presonus R65 monitors and their self noise was extremely high, I personally found them unusable (no complaints about the sound, but the hiss was just crazy). I think I'll be staying away from anything by Presonus for good.
after test hearing like 20 different monitors ive settled for the personus eris 3.5 because of the incredible price/performance (dont need bigger ones) they have 0 self noise or any other issues, balanced or unbalanced, they produce incredible accurate sound and desipite other people saying, im not missing a sub at all if you set them up correctly. i am hooking them up through a focusrite solo (was able to get a huge discount on it, payed like $70 for a new unit) atm and i have 0 complains!
@@cjgoeson hahaha, funny one /s - if i would be working at presonus dont you think i wouldnt be allowed to endorse my focusrite im using... the audio interfaces are shit, thanks to my local music hardware store (they almost have everything for testing you can find on thomann) ive tried the audiobox 96 and itwo and they produced awefull noise to my dt 770 pro i also hated that the phone jack was on the back.... also tried behringer /km / audient & other interfaces but settled for the scarlet (was on sale aswell haha im cheap o_O and only use the stuff for gaming haha) but after test hearing jbl / presonus / krk / adam / swissonic / m-audio / yamaha / mackie & more under the $200 budget ive settled for the eris 3.5 - ive heared better monitors ofc but they were $100+ per piece which didnt fit in my budget anymore maybe someday i will invest in better ones but they are only used for when im not gaming.... so tldr: no benefits, cause im just a gamer that has an awesome local store for testing stuff & f'off
@@tomeguild so do you recommend the Focusrite over the others? I'm interested in the Focusrite and Steinberg, but I haven't decided yet. However, I have doubts about the Focusrite: I've heard that it doesn't work correctly with PC, and I use Windows; so I wanna know how true that is. Have you had any experience with Focusrite and PC?
Greetings! I have audio box 96 in black color but the issue is when I listen my project in logic pro x there is cracking sound with the music so how to get rid of that.
Thanks Julian, really like your scientific approach 👍. I was considering this, but now I know, what is your advice in this price-range ?? You also said even cheaper ones perform better.. which one is that and did you a video on that one ?? Thanks in advance ✌️🤓😎😃
In reference to the output impedance with differing resistance headphones: I was wondering if there was a way to increase the effective resistance of a set of headphones so that the frequency response would flatten out? I'd like the option of using in-ear headphones sometimes but they seem to almost always be
Is there any chance you could review something from the Focusrite Clarett series? I'm especially interested in the Clarett 2Pre USB but there aren't many quality reviews of any of the series.
Hey Julian :) Erstmal ein riesengroßes Dankeschön für deine Videos (y) Nun habe ich eine Frage bzgl. des Interfaces..ich bin gerade dabei mein eigenes Homestudio aufzubauen..ich werde ausschliesslich Rapvocals aufnehmen. Nun ist meine Frage welches Interface du empfehlen würdest aufgrund seiner Specs..ich habe das Focusrite Scarlett Solo 3rd Gen oder eben die Audiobox im Visier (Aufgenommen wird über ein Großmembran-Mikrofon). Würdest du sagen, dass sich das "Eigenrauschen" der Audiobox bei Vocalaufnahmen (um die -10db bis -6b Output Gain) bemerkbar macht oder nicht? Vielen Dank schonmal im Vorraus für deine Antwort & mach weiter so :)
Thanks for the video! I'm looking for interface for Rode Procaster. Do you have suggestions? Not expensive :) I ordered for test Roland Rubix22 USB Audio Interface
You should definitely do a review on the Rode AI-1. I heard the headphone output is really good, delivering what it seems to be 390mw into a 300ohm headphone and 210mw into a 32ohm headphone. Also interested to see how the mic input fares. Danke Julian.
@@JulianKrause Bro i lost alot of features as far as add on like pro eq reverb fatchannel and cant find them. i tried reinstalling them ad it says i have 4 of them some where. man my files are all over the place now and cannot for the life of me get ez drummer to uploAD to studio 4. i have windows 8 and shitty intenet. im barn buner producer. like minimal skills on the damn routing of each file. i think i need to start all over. can you help? all freaking night and i coulnt get it.
Thank you for the review. I would like to know if I could use a Bluetooth receiver on the midi terminals of the interface. I have a midi Bluetooth keyboard, and it doesn't have the old midi terminals. I know I can connect the keyboard directly to the PC, but I want to use the interface. Is it possible to use a midi receiver adaptor in the PreSonus Audiobox?
Hi Julian, and thanks for the great videos. I have just found your channel, and it is already my favorite and most trusted channel for audio interface reviews. I am about to pick up either a PreSonus 24c or Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 3rd gen., to go with my Shure SM58 and Sennheiser HD600 headphones. Since the 300 Ohms of the Sennheisers is right on the limit of what the 24c can use, I am probably going to go with the 2i2. I am about to start making some videos for RU-vid, and I am wondering what your mic and speaker setup is. I love that you don't have a visible mic, and are not wearing headphones, and I am wondering if this setup is also possible for streaming/recording gaming with commentary.
Kannst du ein Scarlett focusrite 2i2 3rd gen vs Steinberg ur22 mk2 machen ? Welches Asio lässt sich besser einstellen für weniger Latenz und welches arbeitet besser mit einem Rode nt1a
Hi Julian, i have a question. In the last week I've tested 3 different audio interfaces. It was Behringer UMC 404 hd, Presonus 68c and Tascam 208i. All of them I compered to my old Focusrite sapphire 40 pro. I had the same problem with all three interfaces. When I plug in my Instrument ( in my case it's electric violin) I have quite a big background noise on all three devices. When I put my hand on the device or I touch the cable, the noise will almost disappeared . Also when I connect a condens mic ( AKG Perception 170) on the hi gain I hear some low frequency noise. ( on all three) With my old Focusrite I don't have these problems. I think it happens because of power supply. On the focusrite it's built-in and it's earthed!!! These all make all audio Interfaces without earthed power supply unusable for more or less professional using. What do you think? Thanks Alexey
Please consider including into your testing rejection of noise from USB power - for example setup sound card with silent sound playing and do some computer intensive task on computer. After using with recently bought Audiobox USDB96 25th I have discovered when headphone output is set to low gain it picks up noise from computer activity (for example from scrolling pdf file). That noise could be clearly heard when there is no sound played on computer. Strangely enough that noise is most loud when headphone knob is turned to absolute minimum. I have discovered total headphone noise seems to be minimal that when headphone knob turned to approx 2/3 of full scale (when noise from USB is almost gone but at the same time noise from headphone amplifier is relatively small). I am planning to buy USB isolator with external power or maybe using external box to regulate volume. Disclaimer. This is only for information purposes - please never leave headphone regulator to 2/3 on a constant basis - always turn regulator to 0 and gradually increase it afterwards. Another thing I have noticed that this sound card seems to clip sound when very high signal is sent to it - even if headphone knob is set to minimum.
I was experimenting with different ways to connect Presonus Audiobox USB96. For now I have decided to configure it at 48KHz, output all sound from computer via DAW compressor in order to prevent overload, then connected main out via balanced TRS cables to old Soundking mixer and then connected headphones to mixer. In the future I am planning to connect monitors to mixer via balanced TRS cables.
Hey man! ive seen ur videos and there great! i wanted to buy an interface and i wanted motu m2 but in my country its unvaliable. So which interface would you recommend me? (i have ath20x headphones-47 ohms- and i want an at2020 mic) Thank you!!!!
I use only small- and large-diaphragm condenser mics (with low native noise), so these concerns are not relevant for me. This unit works fine and there’s no audible noise in my recordings, even when the sound drops to nothing in moments.
Do you have a recommendation for an audio interface that would have similar performance as a dedicated headphone dac/amp unit (something like the schiit fulla, or fiio e10k)? Thank you, and great video!
Bought this audio interface with a studio bundle, set it up and installed Ableton, Ableton launched with a example project and oh boy... The cracking noise coming through the headphones was horrendous, it didn't matter what I did to solve it nothing worked, then I found out in the forums that a lot of people had the same issue, I immediately returned it and bought the Volt 2. My recommendation... Never look at this interface.
I have learned so much from your videos; thank you very much! Do you have any plans to review Audient's EVO 16? I would really appreciate your comparison of this interface with the Audient id series before I buy either interface.
Strange results here. I've tried to recreate this test with with my 4 year old audiobox and a dynamic mic at full gain and I can't get anything like that amount of hiss. I'm also getting over 100db of headroom from 20--20000hz.
Please, I'm starting out and I'm going to buy a home studio kit. my budget is not that high. Could you recommend me, I'm not sure which of these 4 to buy: M-Audio Air 192/4 Vocal Studio Pro, Focusrite Scarlett Studio Solo, Presonus Audiobox 96 Studio or Audient Evo Star Recording Bundle It is to record my music. Thanks
Hello Julian! I writing to you this, in hope you can help me about my gear! Can you tell me, whether recording capabilities (input audio signal) of these Audio Interfaces, equals their output audio signal, when comes from computer/DAW? In terms of clean and flat sound? Almost all reviews of Audio Interfaces that I saw, talks only about recording mics and instruments, but I only care for output signal of these devices, because I pair them with studio monitors. Is there a big difference between them in that regard? I gonna order Focal Alpha 65 monitors, and currently I have Steinberg UR22 mkII. Does, for example, MOTU M2 or NI Komplete Audio 2, have noticeable better sound output than my UR22 mkII? Are they more crisp and neutral? Or they are just better in recording mics and instruments?
@@JulianKrause So I guess their DAC quality isn't that different, after all. Big thanks for your response! And in future reviews, you should add that topic, DAC dynamic range =maximum output level, not just for mic. Maybe even sound test between devices, when connected to same monitors. I hope to see review of iD4 MKII soon. Best regards!
204HD is gnarly. Def recommend that one. The Audient iD series and Motu M series are also good choices, but I prefer the interface features of the Behringer and the motu more than the Audient.
My latency on this piece is bananas... I had the usb audiobox first, then I got the 96 due to me having a hard problem with turning my computer off and it just stopped working. But hey I rarely shut my computer off...My main problem was the noise especially with phantom on. Currently I am awaiting the delivery of a studio 26...I swear if I hear 1 drop of noise or latency I will be done with presonus hardware... stay tuned
Really like how to take a look at the insides. Wish would would mention the cpu and d/a chips. After opening a zoom brand mixer and seeing a appalling mess, I now open all my gear. Danke.
Hi Julian, can you make a review for us? on the new Focusrite 2pre Clarett USB version Interface? I just got one and would like to know all the details on it
Please video guy, tell me what's a good cheap interface to look for, for trying to record hip hop and R&B music, but I want something cheaper, but good enough to record radio ready music. I'm basically looking for a gem of a budget interface. I need it to be also good on the line in instrument side. I have a couple of drum machines and samplers that I want to also utilize outside of working with computers based music making software. Your information would be gladly appreciated. Thanks in advance
Hey Julian, could you do a full review of the Steinberg AXR4U. It is a beast of an interface! - 2x Rupert Never Design SILK colourisation for the pre amps (wonder how they compare to the older Steinberg RT2 and RT4 designs) - Multiple line outs - 32bit integer and 384khz recording!
