My first test with a new Universal Audio Volt 2 interface

**Jim Soloway** · 01-09-2022, 10:21 PM

I picked up one of the new Universal Audio Volt 2 interfaces yesterday. So far I think the results have been really impressive. There's no EQ on this yet so it might be a bit bass heavy but I think this sounds pretty good. In a fairly controlled A/B test, it sounds way better than my Focusrite Scarlett 2i2. It was recorded with both a direct signal from my Quilter Superblock line out into input 1 running the "Vintage" setting" and a mic on the cab into input 2 without the Vintage setting. and then blending stereo and mono signals.

**burchyk** · 01-09-2022, 10:27 PM

sounds really nice!

**callouscallus** · 01-10-2022, 12:29 PM

Sounds great Jim! I think this sounds better than your past setups on a casual listen. Sensitive playing!

I'm not really a fan of the warbly always on vibrato thing tho. I know you didn't ask but I find it distracting, especially always on.

**Jim Soloway** · 01-10-2022, 01:42 PM

Originally Posted by callouscallus

Sounds great Jim! I think this sounds better than your past setups on a casual listen. Sensitive playing!

I'm not really a fan of the warbly always on vibrato thing tho. I know you didn't ask but I find it distracting, especially always on.

Interesting comment about the trem ... after decades of mostly playing with trem, I've been phasing it out over the last few years. It's completely gone from my live playing but I suppose habit plus the ease of adding it to recordings with plugins has kept it in my recording, possibly past its expiry date. The upside of plugins is that it's easy to remove, so here's a version of the same recording with no trem.

**callouscallus** · 01-10-2022, 01:49 PM

Hey Jim, for my taste I like that much better. These things are really subjective tho and guys create "their sound" and that is that. I'm sure there are many players/listeners who would like that treatment.
Exciting to get a new setup, enjoy it Jim!

**Jim Soloway** · 01-10-2022, 01:54 PM

Originally Posted by callouscallus

Hey Jim, for my taste I like that much better. These things are really subjective tho and guys create "their sound" and that is that. I'm sure there are many players/listeners who would like that treatment.
Exciting to get a new setup, enjoy it Jim!

Thanks. Change is difficult but I think I like it better too (and it is what I sound like when I'm actually playing these days).

**Dirk** · 01-11-2022, 03:08 AM

Sounds great Jim! I ordered the 276 yesterday...

**Jim Soloway** · 01-11-2022, 08:18 AM

Originally Posted by Dirk

Sounds great Jim! I ordered the 276 yesterday...

Thanks Dirk. I'm sure you'll enjoy it. It was my first choice but I really didn't want to wait. I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts when you get it.

**TedBPhx** · 01-11-2022, 12:09 PM

Can’t wrap my head around why one DAC would be better than another assuming a basic level of engineering competence.

**Jim Soloway** · 01-11-2022, 01:08 PM

Originally Posted by TedBPhx

Can’t wrap my head around why one DAC would be better than another assuming a basic level of engineering competence.

The Volt is noticably quieter and they've added preamp functions. For the one Dirk ordered they've also added a compressor.

**stevus** · 01-11-2022, 02:49 PM

I have a Volt 276 for several weeks now and love it. Great reverb plugin too. Preamps are so much better than Scarlett's. Never understood why that one is so popular.

**Ukena** · 01-14-2022, 10:22 PM

Originally Posted by stevus

I have a Volt 276 for several weeks now and love it. Great reverb plugin too. Preamps are so much better than Scarlett's. Never understood why that one is so popular.

Scarlett has been a dependable, affordable audio interface for quite some time; UA interfaces have been relatively expensive up until this latest generation. The Scarlett interfaces are also incredibly easy to set up. They've basically been very low-hanging fruit, so lots of beginners have used them and gotten used to them.

I have been using the Apogee Duet for quite a few years. It's been more expensive than the Scarletts, but the preamps were basically the best available at the price point back in the day, and I got used to using them (I'm on the third generation: there was the original firewire – which also had the best latency – then the Duet 2, and currently the Duet for Mac and iOS... the Duet 3 is actually the 4th generation). Now, however, I'm torn between the Duet 3, the Volt 476 (which apparently isn't available until February), and the Antelope Zen series. My Duet is really good (I use it as a daily audio interface to drive my near-field monitors), but it's getting long in the tooth. And now the Duet 3 has some serious competition.

But I agree, Jim, your set up sounds incredibly good.

**0zoro** · 01-15-2022, 08:31 AM

As many are aware, one observation leads to another question, here it comes. To those of you with more expensive,and presumably cleaner performing Audio Interface gadgets. While several have observed better recording sound performance, is this also the case for sound quality played through studio monitors? More specifically, if there is a betterment, is this observed or a theoretical improvement? On a practical level, I hae an inexpensive Behringer AI device, would audio out be of better quality with a better AI?

As I indicated with a like, I thought the second recording above Jim to be the better of the two,without the trem effect.

**Ukena** · 01-15-2022, 10:06 AM

Originally Posted by 0zoro

[...] On a practical level, I have an inexpensive Behringer AI device, would audio out be of better quality with a better AI?[...]

TL;DR – Yes.

All the information on a computer is stored in a bunch of zeros and ones. In order to get sound converted to those zeros and ones, an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) is needed. To get those zeros and ones converted back to audio, a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) is used.

If you are more concerned about the sound quality coming out of the computer than about the sound going in, it's the DAC that should interest you.

You can easily spend as much on a stand-alone DAC as on a full-featured recording audio interface (AI), which typically has both an ADC and a DAC, for the round-trip audio recorded into the computer and played back out through speakers.

This round-trip is what introduces latency: the time it takes to convert the audio to digital information added to the time it takes to convert it back to audio. A recording AI will make trade-offs, trying to get the most faithful rendition of the sound with the least latency. A good recording AI will enable near-zero latency by letting you monitor the sound going into computer before the digital conversion.

For a stand-alone DAC, latency isn't really an issue, since the time between clicking on "play" and the sound coming out of your speakers is negligible: 25 milliseconds (ms) won't be noticeable, whereas 12ms latency between the time you pluck your guitar and when you hear it will drive you crazy. On the other hand, over 25ms may also be noticeable if you play games.

The difference between a cheap DAC and a better one is the quality of the conversion. Most sound cards built into computers and phones and tablets are not stellar, and even a $50 DAC will improve the sound (but perhaps also color it, making it warmer or bass-heavy).

So the Berhringer is almost certainly an improvement over the sound coming directly from your computer's headphone output, but the short answer to your question is that a more expensive AI will give you better audio, especially through studio monitors.

**0zoro** · 01-16-2022, 07:33 AM

Originally Posted by Ukena

TL;DR – Yes.

All the information on a computer is stored in a bunch of zeros and ones. In order to get sound converted to those zeros and ones, an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) is needed. To get those zeros and ones converted back to audio, a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) is used.

If you are more concerned about the sound quality coming out of the computer than about the sound going in, it's the DAC that should interest you.

You can easily spend as much on a stand-alone DAC as on a full-featured recording audio interface (AI), which typically has both an ADC and a DAC, for the round-trip audio recorded into the computer and played back out through speakers.

This round-trip is what introduces latency: the time it takes to convert the audio to digital information added to the time it takes to convert it back to audio. A recording AI will make trade-offs, trying to get the most faithful rendition of the sound with the least latency. A good recording AI will enable near-zero latency by letting you monitor the sound going into computer before the digital conversion.

For a stand-alone DAC, latency isn't really an issue, since the time between clicking on "play" and the sound coming out of your speakers is negligible: 25 milliseconds (ms) won't be noticeable, whereas 12ms latency between the time you pluck your guitar and when you hear it will drive you crazy. On the other hand, over 25ms may also be noticeable if you play games.

The difference between a cheap DAC and a better one is the quality of the conversion. Most sound cards built into computers and phones and tablets are not stellar, and even a $50 DAC will improve the sound (but perhaps also color it, making it warmer or bass-heavy).

So the Berhringer is almost certainly an improvement over the sound coming directly from your computer's headphone output, but the short answer to your question is that a more expensive AI will give you better audio, especially through studio monitors.

Now that I have gotten to the tangents, thank you Ukena for your explanation. I am not at home with all the innards and outards of tech, your explanation was crystal clear. Thanks 0zoro