The Focusrite Scarlet 2i2 Studio compared with the Presonus Audiobox 96 Studio.
Which one should you get and why?
Now, right on the get go, I'm going to say that the Presonus Audiobox 96 is the clear
winner in this class.
But again, we all have different preferences and different reasons why we buy one over
the other.
So, I am going to unbox these two boxes here, show you what is inside and explain a little
bit about them.
Then maybe, you be the judge.
Let's start with the Scarlett 2i2 Studio.
The Scarlett 2i2 Studio.
This is a 2nd generation model with the 2-in/2-out audio interface and it records up to a sample
rate of 24 bit & 192kHz.
So, opening it up, we can see we have everything in one box.
Your audio interface, a large diaphragm condenser microphone, the mic clip to go on your microphone,
your closed-back headphones with 50mm drivers and below, you can see that we have your USB cable.
This one, the USB that connects to your PC or Mac.
And your XLR cables for the microphone.
All you really need now, is just a microphone stand to get started with music production,
to start recording.
So, let's talk about the interface here.
You can see that we have nice pads down here that goes on your desk.
And let's talk about what we see in front.
We have two combo jacks here which take in XLR microphones each, and also a quarter inch
(1/4) input jack for your guitar or line instruments.
Of course, you can change between line and instrument levels, for the both inputs here.
And we have a gain knob that we use to gain the volumes.
And an LED indicator that tells you, whether you're going above the limit of the recording
level – it goes red.
And if its below, it'll be green.
Looking on the right side here, we have the 48V for phantom power, to add to your condenser
microphones, with a direct monitor switch.
You can monitor the sound, directly from the audio interface itself without having the
sound to go into the computer and coming back, causing latency issues.
Now we have the monitor level, which acts more like a volume button for the interface.
And your headphone levels with the headphone inputs here.
Going to the back of the interface, you see that you have your USB input, to connect to
your computer and we have line outputs for your speakers.
Alright!
So that's the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2.
Really nice.
Let's talk about the AudioBox next.
Okay, the AudioBox 96 Studio.
It records at a lower sample rate.
It records up to 24 bit / 96 kHz, but I still think it's a clear winner here, given its
lower price and I'll show you why.
So, we have nice manuals that nobody reads anyway, with these pads for the bottom of
your audio interface.
And there we go.
So, we have the carrying case for your large diaphragm condenser microphone.
The mic clip appears to be here already.
You can see it's a really nice microphone alright.
Okay, very simple.
A bit small compared to most of the large diaphragm condenser mics in the market.
Your USB cable to connect the audio interface to your PC or Mac.
This would be your headphones, which looks really really similar to the one inside the
Scarlett 2i2 – a semi-open back headphones, with 50mm drivers.
Okay, of course you have your XLR cables to connect your microphone to the interface.
And let's talk about the meat of the product of the package, which is your audio interface.
Now this is where this comes as the winner.
Although it looks a bit older in design, let's talk about what we have here.
So, we have the combo jacks again.
They take in microphones or 1/4 inch jacks for instruments.
And we have all the gain knobs here.
These two are gain knobs, with indication buttons to know whether you are clipping or
not.
The 48V for phantom power – used for condenser mics.
And interestingly, we have a mixer here to switch between inputs and playback.
So you can actually switch and mix in, the inputs that you hear directly from the interface
itself compared to playback from your computer.
So, you can actually really tune and mix what you really want to hear and what you want
to monitor.
So, all the way to inputs, if you want to monitor directly from your AudioBox and playback
if you want to monitor from your computer.
Very interesting.
This is your volume button for the main volume of the device and headphones.
So, if you look at the back, this is where you see the winner.
So behind, you have your USB interface here which is blocked by the sticker.
Again, we have an additional MIDI interface here.
What this means, is you can connect device, put in MIDI data here and play on the keyboard
and use this as a MIDI interface.
The Scarlett 2i2 does not have this feature but the AudioBox has this one.
So clearly, this one is the winner.
Now, there's the main outputs for your speakers and your phones, headphones.
Okay, so that's the AudioBox 96 (USB).
In my opinion, this is the clear winner.
Because again, who records up to 192kHz sample rates?
So, to really understand the difference between the AudioBox and the Scarlett 2i2, we've
gotten Farid, a friend of mine, to record a song on both these interfaces.
So, you be the judge, to hear which one sounds better and which one you would go for.
Let's get to it.
To test the sound difference between the mics we have here, the one from Scarlett and the
one from Presonus, we got Farid here.
You can check Farid out on his Instagram, I've placed the link down below.
And umm, Farid, you ready?
Let's go.
So, would you go for the Scarlett 2i2 Studio or the AudioBox
96 Studio.
In my opinion, I would go for the AudioBox 96 studio for one clear reason – because
it has a MIDI interface on the AudioBox.
And that's really really helpful.
It extends to what you can do with music production and in your studio.
I would go for the Focusrite if you're looking for something with a more solid pre-amp.
The Focusrite, definitely has a nicer pre-amp, to my ears.
But again, it depends on yourself and your personal preference.
They both sound very very similar but let me know what you think.
Comment in the comment section below and ask me if you have any questions.
Love to hear from you.
Thanks!
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