The Best Sounding Budget Audio Interfaces

The Best Sounding Budget Audio Interfaces

Most budget interfaces are sold on features: more inputs, more buttons, a bigger software bundle. If you're producing in the box, almost none of that matters. What matters is the converter feeding your monitors and headphones, because you hear it every second you're working.

So this list is about sound first. These are five two-channel interfaces where the conversion and the analogue stages punch above the price, with an honest note on where each one cuts corners. Specs are taken from each manufacturer's published figures at the time of writing.

What to look for

Look at the line output dynamic range. That's the DAC you're mixing through. Around 120dB is now normal at this level, which is remarkable given where budget interfaces were a few years ago. After that, check the headphone output if you mix on cans, and whether it needs a USB 3.0 port or extra power. Ignore the 32-bit and 192kHz stickers: 24-bit at 44.1 or 48kHz is all most music production needs.

Audient iD4 MkII

Audient iD4 compact audio interface with metal case and large volume knob

The best converter in this list on paper, with Audient quoting 125.5dBA on the line and headphone outputs. In use it has an open, natural sound and a well-built metal case. The JFET instrument input is smooth and warm on guitar and bass, and the mic preamp is quiet and clear.

It's limited, though. There's one mic preamp and one instrument input, so you can't record a stereo line source like a synth in stereo. The headphone level is shared with the main output, and ScrollControl, which turns the knob into a mouse wheel, feels a bit lumpy. It also needs a USB 3.0 port or better to power it properly. For a producer who records the odd vocal and mixes everything in the box, the sound makes up for all of that.

  • 1 mic/line input, 1 JFET instrument input
  • 2 line outputs, dual headphone sockets (3.5mm and 6.3mm)
  • Line out: 125.5dBA; ADC: 120dBA
  • USB-C, bus powered, up to 96kHz

MOTU M2

MOTU used the ESS Sabre32 Ultra DAC from their pricier interfaces, with 120dB on the line outputs, and it shows. The M2 has a clean, punchy sound with a tight low end, which makes it a good match for dance music where you need to hear what the kick and bass are doing.

The full-colour level meters on the front are genuinely useful, and you get MIDI in and out, which is handy if you've a hardware synth or two. Loopback on the Mac driver is a bonus for streaming.

The weakness is the headphone output, which is rated lower than the line outs at 115dB. It's fine, but if you mix mostly on headphones the Audient is the better bet.

  • 2 combo mic/line/Hi-Z inputs with 48V phantom power
  • Line out: 120dBA; headphones and mic in: 115dB
  • Colour LCD metering, MIDI I/O, loopback
  • USB-C, bus powered, up to 192kHz

Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 4th Gen

The interface most people start with, and the fourth generation is a real step up. The line outputs are now rated at 120dB, the mic inputs at 116dB, and the preamps have 69dB of gain, enough for quiet dynamic mics without a booster.

The two clever features are Auto Gain, which listens to a few seconds of your performance and sets the level, and Clip Safe, which turns the gain down if you suddenly get louder. Both work very well. The Air button adds a presence lift, and a second mode adds some harmonic drive. The sound is clean and neutral.

The weaknesses are small. There's only one headphone output, the software doesn't show a numeric gain readout, and Air's drive mode is on or off with no in-between. If you record vocals and guitar more than you mix, it's the easiest interface here to get good results from.

  • 2 XLR mic inputs and 2 front line/instrument inputs
  • 69dB gain, Auto Gain, Clip Safe and Air
  • Line out: 120dB; mic in: 116dB
  • 2 balanced line outputs, 1 headphone output
  • USB-C, bus powered

SSL 2 and SSL 2+ MkII

The MkII versions moved the outputs up to 120dB and the mic inputs to 116.5dB, and the preamps are quiet with 64dB of gain. The 4K button adds a bit of high-frequency lift and saturation inspired by SSL's 4000-series consoles. It's a nice touch on vocals and dull synth pads, and easy to overdo.

Both have two headphone outputs on the front. On the SSL 2 the second one simply copies the first. The SSL 2+ lets you send it a separate mix from outputs 3 and 4, and adds MIDI in and out, which is worth the extra if you have hardware or record with someone else.

Weaknesses: they're bus powered only, with no power supply option, and the improvements over the original models are more noticeable on paper than in most recordings. The 4K button is the real difference from the Focusrite: if you like a bit of console colour on the way in, it's worth having.

  • 2 combo inputs with 4K mode and a 75Hz high-pass filter
  • Output: 120dB; mic in: 116.5dB
  • 2 headphone outputs; SSL 2+ adds outputs 3 and 4 and MIDI I/O
  • USB-C, bus powered, loopback

Steinberg UR22C

The UR22C is here for features rather than outright sound. It has onboard DSP running a channel strip and Steinberg's REV-X reverb, so you can record with compression and monitor with reverb at no latency. It also has MIDI in and out, loopback, a USB 3.0 connection, and the option of a separate 5V supply for iPad use.

The weakness is the converters. Steinberg's own figures are 105dBA on the main outputs and 102dBA on the mic inputs, well behind everything else here. It's perfectly usable for recording and mixing, but it's the one to pick if you want the DSP and Cubase integration, not for the cleanest playback.

  • 2 D-PRE mic preamps, 1 Hi-Z input
  • Main out: 105dBA; mic in: 102dBA
  • dspMixFx DSP with channel strip and REV-X reverb
  • MIDI I/O, loopback, USB-C (USB 3.0), up to 192kHz

The verdict

For in-the-box producers who care most about what comes out of the speakers, the Audient iD4 MkII sounds the best, as long as one mic input is enough. The MOTU M2 is the best all-rounder and our pick for dance music. Recording vocals and guitar? The Scarlett 2i2 4th Gen's Auto Gain and Clip Safe make it the easiest. The SSL 2+ is the one if you need MIDI and a second headphone mix.

Need more inputs or better monitoring? Have a look at our guide to the best mid-range audio interfaces. And if the budget's gone on the interface, there's plenty to play with in our list of the best free synth plugins.

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