PreSouus AudioBox 44VSL Review Posted

[MikeRivers]

I've just posted a review of the 44VSL 4x4 USB2 recording interface. It's my most long winded one yet, 30 pages, and includes some description of test methods that you might be interested in even if you aren't interested in the interface.

Visit the Product Reviews section of my web page or download the PDF directly here.

Your comments and questions are welcome. I'll be checking back here.

[brew]

Hi Mike,

I'm very impressed by your review. It's exactly the level of tech detail I'm curious about on gear, especially these dime-a-dozen interfaces. I think it's a new benchmark for what a gear review covers--it's no longer acceptable to just say "sounds great!"

Most useful was the bench testing showing distortion before reaching stated maximum levels. I think this is the main source of people's complaints about gear, and it's a good reason why people like Bob Katz advocate for a "headroom cushion" when using analog gear, especially consumer stuff! Couple that with the way people record to 0 dBFS all the time, and no wonder it sounds like razor blades.

Thanks.

[MikeRivers]

Hi Mike,

I'm very impressed by your review. It's exactly the level of tech detail I'm curious about on gear, especially these dime-a-dozen interfaces. I think it's a new benchmark for what a gear review covers--it's no longer acceptable to just say "sounds great!"

Thanks for the kind words. I wish I could get someone to pay me to write these extended reviews but it seems that the magazines that still pay want 1600 words, not 16,000.

Yes, there are a lot of misunderstandings out there, some based on fact, some based on net lore that no longer applies but dies hard. I try to provide some education in my reviews so people will learn something about the technology and applications in general whether they want to buy the product or not.