bare bones interface: emphasis on converters?

[Jawsome]

For my purposes, Ableton plugins are fine. I don't need to run something like UAD plugs on an Apollo. Is there a bare bones two-channel interface with quality converters? Want to spend my money on the converters, and not all the bells and whistles like the Apollo.
Running 2015 MacBook Pro.
Thanks in advance.

[The Scum]

For reasonable prices? Over USB?

I've had favorable experience with both the Focusrite Scarlett series, as well as the Yamaha/Steinberg interfaces.

[Jawsome]

For reasonable prices? Over USB?

I've had favorable experience with both the Focusrite Scarlett series, as well as the Yamaha/Steinberg interfaces.

I was thinking no more than $600. I can do USB or Thunderbolt 2 on my Mac.
I have a Scarlett 2i2, and it's a bit mushy, to my ears. Could just be GIGO, of course.

[kslight]

Not a first hand recommendation, but "on paper" the MOTU M2/M4 look pretty good/bare bones, early reports seem favorable. I would look into that. I don't know if there's a perfect slot that says only 2 channel interface, where exactly $600 went into converters or whatever...there's really nothing (IMHO) to suggest converters have to be terribly expensive at the component level. And its not like most brands are making their own converter chips, they are building interfaces/converters around off the shelf parts, frequently.

However, the specs suggest that they use the same/similar ESS Sabre converter chips as the 828es and 1248...which in turn are also used in several other noteworthy interfaces like certain Apollos, Apogees, and others. Though their spec in the M2 achieves 120db not 123db like in the 1248, so maybe there is something different in the signal path.

At NAMM SSL just announced some new 2 channel interfaces that are well under your budget, but these are of course not available yet and I don't know what SSL firmware support looks like long term...and I suspect you're paying some kind of premium for the name. And again, that doesn't necessarily mean they are using any different/better converters than someone else.


I have a 1248, which is not at all the same price bracket...but given my experiences with MOTU, I would buy from them again.

[drumsound]

I've used a couple of Stienberg models doing a small chamber ensemble, A UR22 and a UR44 AFAIR. Both sounded really nice, using the onboard pres and sE T2 in XY. Now you can get them with the Rupert Neve Designs transformers. I've considered a 4 channel version to do occasional remote things.

[The Scum]

SSL just announced some new 2 channel interfaces

Those are adorable.