PreSonus AudioBox USB 96 - REVIEW (25th Anniversary Edition)
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- Опубликовано: 17 окт 2020
- In this video I review the PreSonus AudioBox USB 96.
Amazon | PreSonus Audiobox USB 96 25th AE: amzn.to/2YNEoj2 *
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Хобби
"What does it sound like? Well, hear for yourself."
Like a fucking jetplane, apparently.
A memorable day for Steinberg; Julian found an even noisier box.
This made my day!
😂
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!!
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.
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!
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!
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!
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.
Love how you explain everything dude! Thank you!
I LIKE YOUR WAY OF VERY CLEARLY DESCRIBING EVERYTHING.
Thank you for this review! I was considering a purchase of this unit, but now I think I'll go for the Scarlett Focusrite 2i2 3rd Gen. ;)
Thank you very much for your honest reviews on these products. It is much appreciated.
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?
Very thorough test and helpful review, thank you! I wonder if I will ever find a nice interface without any obvious flaws :) Anyway, keep it up!
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!
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! 💪🏼
Thank you. A HQ Presentation. Very impressed. Look forward to following you here on RUclips.
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).
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.
George Kollaros thank you! Helps a lot!
Thank you for helping, appreciate it! Faced same issue today in a newly bought audio interface and didn't know what to do
@@gkol69 can suggest an affordable attenuator or preamp for both active and passive pick up guitars......for extreme high gain inputs
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!
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.
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.
hi!! what did you ultimately end up getting?im deciding between these 2 as well... i assuming you went for the focusrite then?
This unit had such great reviews... but I have a dynamic mic. I learned a lot, Thanks!!
Julian, your videos are so helpful. Thank you so much for the great work!
Was just about to pick one up on sale. Glad I watched this first!
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 RUclips, 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.
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 RUclipsr, 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)
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
After this video i change my mind to PreSonus Studio 24c :) THAKS !
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.
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
Thank you. I agree totally with your findings. Good work.
very informative, i almost bought this. I know what to buy now. Thank you for this
What’d you buy?
Based from ur reviews i got the M Audio Air 192/4 , the preamps are very good while having one of the lowest preamp noise.amazing
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 ✌️🤓😎😃
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 feel your pain. I did the same.
I got 2
From what I've heard it's that it's static noise. The good thing is, I don't plan on needing much gain
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.
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.
Absolutely nuts this thing costs more than $20.
Even a UM2 has a much better noise floor.
You explained very efficiently
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.
Great review, thanks!
Great video as always! great info. Im really sad about Presonus, I have a 192 Mobile that works excellent and they release a firmware update that kill my interface... leave me with tons of work left to be done... now I own a iD44 from Audient and is a really step up from presonus hardware.
Thanks Julian. It is helpful. Could you please create tutorial on how to setup MG10XU to PC. Thank you
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?
I'd love to see your review of Mackie Onyx Producer 2.2. Just gotta make sure I got the best interface.. :D
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.
Thanks for the information.
*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!
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.
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.
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.
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
Will you be reviewing and measuring the new UAD stuff I can’t find any IRL measurements anywhere
Your Reviews are simple great.
HI, Thank you, I cannot upgrade, but I do have a condenser mic... Will give it a try now.
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!!!!
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!
Hey Jul,
are you going to make a video about monitor calibration for mixing using the SPL-meter?
Very good video thanks! Can you make a video on the Rodecaster pro? Thanks!
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
Thank you so much for this video
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.
Audiobox definitely showing its age here. I agree, I was hoping for some touch ups for this anniversary version!
Thank you for this!
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!!
Hey Julian, any chance you'll be reviewing an RME Babyface Pro FS? It's known in the industry as the best interface money can buy, and I'm really curious to see how it fares against the current top interfaces with your testing methodology. Thanks again for the quality content :)
Just bought one today. I subscribe for your honesty. Keep that up bro. I'm still gonna rock the shit out of this interface though.lol peace
Nice, enjoy!!!
@@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.
The table at 8:00 , is that available as a google sheet doc so we can filter by a specific specification :) Great video as usual, friend 💪
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.
again a super great review !!!
which one should I buy ? i'm between this and the presonus 24c, btw fantastic channel with a fantastic quality ¡
Great vid! Does the noise problem also occur when plugging electric guitar directly into “instrument input” ?
Please also review super budget interfaces like the Muslady 422A. Thanks!
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.
Exactly!
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.
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
My first audio interface. I don't miss it.
Same, thing died less than a year into it. Garbage.
Do you think you could get your hands on and review the GoXLR?
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!
@Julian Krause are you planning on trying the PreSonus PD-70 mic?
Hey man, for around 300€ what interface with 4 good mic/line combo jack inputs would you recommend for windows ?
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
Enjoyed!!!!
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 imagine he prefers the umc202
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.
I used one of these and noticed that in headphones when tracking with phantom power on there was a high pitched whine in the headphones which was not recorded (thankfully). Not sure if it was just the unit I used or this interface in general.
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?
Can you do a video about using the zoom H1N with an Iphone?? that would be great
I really wonder how the preamp on the iTwo performs
Hi. Nice materials... Somthing about Tascam Series 102 soon?
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.
Would Love to see a review on the old M-Audio Firewire 410 and why M-Audio put out a product that doesn't work.
Would you review a Mackie PROFX10V3 as an audio interface?
Thanks
There's something very odd going on with the input section. It sounds like there's some crosstalk from digital circuits bleeding into the inputs in the EIN test...
Hello Julian, Could you make the test of UAD Apollo Twin USB? This audio interface will crush them all.
Thank you for the video. Just a question, do you have problems with discord?
Same sounds card using my window operating system, when working, sometimes it's automatically audio disconnected. Any solution...?
Great video. Very profesional!
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?
Thank you ❤
What I'm curious is if the StudioLive 16R/24R/32R is plagued by similar noisy preamps...
What’s a good setup to purchase without the noise?
Hi, nice video, please do a Mackie Artist 1-2 rewiew like this, thx