My main setup uses the Apollo Twin which is amazing because of the functionality it comes with. I travel with it, unison pres and zero-latency monitoring with DSP plugins is just indispensable to me. I would get another Twin but it's a little out of my budget at the moment since I've already forked out on my secondary setup. Also, most of my plugins are tied to that Apollo anyway.

Currently, I'm using my spare and first interface, the M-Track 2X2M, which is honestly fine but sounds like distorted goo compared to my Twin (once you hear the difference you can't go back). With the new 4th Gen Scarlett out, I am currently debating on these two interfaces. Just looking for something with slightly better converters/preamps than my current interface. I was hoping for people to share their experiences with either interface. Mainly to be used to record demos (vocals/guitars), and mixing/production sessions.

 

Julian Krause has all the important measurements in his review of the Scarlett 4th gen. He also reviewed the SSL previously, so if you watch the review it should pop in all comparisons. IMO, I like the new Scarlett features, but I would still go for an SSL or MOTU interface.

 

Just watched all his videos, the only worrying aspect of the SSL is the effect on low-impedance headphones, which I currently use. However, I'm still leaning toward the SSL 2/2+ because I like that the I/O is at the back. Would love to hear your thoughts as well on why you'd still choose SSL over Scarlett (MOTU looks good but it's not available locally).

 

11Ω on the Scarlett 4th Gen headphone output vs 0.3Ω on the 3rd Gen ? I guess they traded low-impedance in favor of lower distortion, but come on... With all the budget Focusrite has, I expected that they could've designed a better headphone amp.

OP, tell us what headphones/IEMs you have, I'll check for you if the output impedance on the Focurite or SSL is a problem.

 

Thanks @Fowly

I'm gonna be using ATH-M50x(s) for the most part.

 

Then it's not a problem at all, the M50x's impedance is almost perfectly flat

 

I'd pick the SSL for a pretty similar reason. I prefer my IO at the top (I use a Yamaha mixer) or at the back, but definitely not at the front. The preamps on the SSL are very high quality, and compared to the Scarlett, it has a good range of IO for extra monitors and stuff. I mix mainly on headphones, but impedance is not a problem since I have an external amp for driving it, so I can't comment on that. Wish I could say something about the drivers, but at least based on several reviews I've watched, no one complained about the SSL drivers, while Scarlett issues seem to appear in the forum a lot more often.

 

I would pick the one that is not a Focusrite. my problems with an 18i20 3rd gen MK3 software was with MacOS on 2 different computers. The MK2 and prior used Mix Control software. MK3 changed to Focusrite Control software. It disconnected over and over again, and their software would show a message "no hardware found". disconnecting and reconnecting, or rebooting, would generally fix it, but it was a headache so i sold it. i had done all there was to try with cables and reinstallations, and it became a waste of time. The problem could be the hardware, but it is a commonly posted issue and when communicating with the computer correctly it would function, so software catches the blame. Wouldn't buy another to use with a mac, anyway.

Did you look at prices of any UAD's used recently? To me it looks like prices are lower/more realistic now that people can use native plugins.

 

Last edited: Sep 18, 2023

Yeah I can relate to the driver issues with focusrite. There was a studio I had issues at cuz they hadn't hooked up their Apollo xs yet. Spent almost the whole session troubleshooting. Probably user error but I don't wanna go through that again.

Converting to USD, Secondhand SSL 2s are going for 160 and I saw a Twin MkII that's around 550. It's not bad but I know a portion of what I'm paying for is that DSP acceleration too, so the SSL 2 is more bang for buck.

Ugh, the more I write the more I'm tempted to get a Twin now... but it also doesn't make sense to have two laying around

 

Last edited by a moderator: Sep 18, 2023

I have the scarlett 2i2 first gen
I only got the card working properly with the beta drivers the original driver had latency issues with some software

 

my problems with the focusrite were with it connected to my macs. if that software/connection problem didn't exist, i probably would have kept it. this can all depend on the rest of your setup. i might lean towards buying a uad, if i was recording external sources; if not the ssl might make more sense. it's funny how many total dealbreakers there are with different music gear, which are stupid little details and usage context.

 

Last edited: Sep 18, 2023

I have the new Focusrite Scarlett 4i4 4th Gen, and i love it.
Got 5 ms latency on 44.1 hz recording.
No problems with the driver on Windows 10.
It sounds great, and i love the new features they added.

 

I had the 2i2 1st Gen and remember it being a significant step down from the Apogee MiniMe soundwise.

The SSL 2 that I now use as an auxiliary interface is a good value for money. The D/A section is just adequate, based on a non-scientific comparison with some other interfaces, including the Babyface Pro FS, which is another level overall and sounds cleaner, more precise, but also drier and slightly boring, not always subjectively better.

The preamps, however, and A/D converters are good. I don't think there's anything better in that price range.

According to Krause, the headphone output is also competent, except when paired with low impedance headphones, which results in high THD figures. I have tried it extensively with some nice low impedance cans and it sounded just right.

 

But the frequency response for ATH-M50X headphones is not flat, it has a 6db boost at 10k and 3db at 100hz.

 

That has nothing to do with the impedance. Headphones have different impedances over the frequency spectrum, like some Sennheisers have huge impedance spikes on low end. This is more about electricity than tuning.

 

The issue with the 18i20 3rd gen was not immediately out of the box. I "blame" the software because I have no way to prove the problem is a real hardware manufacturing defect in either workmanship or materials. I'm not going to put Windows on a machine just to test for their problem. I already had too much time invested and wasted to even bother doing anything but sell it. The resale value was great, actually. I lost about 100$ off retail price, and that was over about a 2 year time period.

You have to own and make regular use of a piece of hardware for quite some time, before you can do a real review of the product. These YouTubers with their "unboxing videos" are a bunch of morons. Many things, especially cars; will perform perfect for a long time, but once they start to go bad lots of stuff fails in quick succession.

 

Yep, and because its impedance is constant across the whole spectrum, Sonarworks will work as intended, no matter the amp used. Like @shinjiya said, some headphones like Sennheisers have inconsistent impedance across the spectrum, so amps with a high output impedance will have an inconsistent frequency response. Here's how different amps measure with a HD600 plugged in :



So sometimes it's a good thing, and sometimes not. The tuning changes for better or for worse. However when you try to correct the headphones with Sonarworks, you need the amp to be flat so that the correction is accurate.

 

Of course not but it has everything to do with mixing.

Now that makes sense, you're using Sonarworks. Gotcha!

 

My SSL 2 is arriving tomorrow. Thank you to everyone who shared their thoughts and information. I'll make an update on my experience with it soon.

 

Your reply solidified my purchase. I think it's a fantastic piece of gear for the price. The AD DA converters are definitely better than the M-Track. The DAC is alright but definitely more precise, finally no goop, and I can hear things way better. I will say that I can hear the THD, as expected with Krause's data - makes things sound gritter than they should be but it doesn't detract too much. After a few hours of listening, it sort of faded from my focus. Anyone getting this interface with low-impedance headphones beware.