Sound Devices USBPre 2 - Microphone Interface for Computer Audio

Comments about Sound Devices USBPre 2 - Microphone Interface for Computer Audio:

I'm working with test and measurement, and the features it's complete to do it. Besides that, it's a premium mic preamp, with one of best qualities interfaces of the market.

Comments about Sound Devices USBPre 2 - Microphone Interface for Computer Audio:

Built like a tank, sounds great, no drivers needed on XP, Win7, OSX and iPad.
Particularly interested in the standalone mode.
I use it to provide first class preamps to consumer grade digital recorders with S/PDIF digital input.

Comments about Sound Devices USBPre 2 - Microphone Interface for Computer Audio:

I wanted to use this to dj from my laptop. But to do that you need 4 channels of output not just 2 as on the USBPre 2. So I returned it. But I really wished I hadn't had to; it's DtoA output and AtoD inputs are amazing, it has more ins and outs than any other device I researched (plus 2 headphone jacks), and the build quality is easily the best I've ever seen. If you only need 2 channels of output, and you want to input mics or instruments, buy this, it's the best.

Comments about Sound Devices USBPre 2 - Microphone Interface for Computer Audio:

I am using the USBPre 2 as a phono preamp, ADC and DAC in my home sound system. This unit amplifies the signal from my low output MC cartridge (an Ortofon A90) and converts the amplified analog signal to 192K / 24 digital. This data stream is sent to my computer via USB. The computer handles storage and RIAA equalization using Pure Vinyl software. The USBPre 2 also handles conversion back to analog, which is sent to my conventional sound system (preamp, amplifier, speakers) for playback.

I am simply amazed at the sound this unit produces. Its performance is actually better than what I can achieve by playing vinyl directly through a conventional high quality phono preamp.

When used as a DAC, I can not tell the difference between it and my tubed stand-alone DAC.

I am making these comments based on listening through a high end sound system (preamp, tube mono bloc power amps, and monitor speakers) that is very capable of resolving subtle differences in source components. So, I feel pretty comfortable in recommending this unit.

Not much more I can say. since this is my first experience with computer audio. Others have compared this unit favorably to the highly regarded Lynx sound card, which is high praise indeed.

Comments about Sound Devices USBPre 2 - Microphone Interface for Computer Audio:

Easy to use right out of the box. I like flexible configuration options (via dip switches), stand-alone capability, and excellent metering. The built-in headphone amplifier makes monitoring very easy.

Worked flawlessly on a Windows XP 32-bit laptop, but I had some trouble with the class compliant drivers when connecting to a USB 3.0 port on a Windows 7 64-bit laptop. Installing the ASIO drivers for Windows 64-bit solved my issue and now everything is working well.

Comments about Sound Devices USBPre 2 - Microphone Interface for Computer Audio:

I'm a graduate student at North Carolina State University studying sociophonetics. So, I mainly use the USBPre 2 in conjunction with the Audix HT5-P headset microphone and my laptop computer to record interviews for my research. The USBPre works as a great preamp and analogue-to-digital converter. Most importantly it allows for high sampling rates and bit-depth and thus quite a bit of spectrographic detail - an important part of any sociophonetic analysis. One feature that makes it better than the previous model is the stand-alone mode which allows for interfacing with a portable recorder such as a Sony PCM-M10, and not just a computer. The quality of the recordings I am capable of capturing now that I've purchased the USBPre 2 is head and shoulders above any of the previous recordings I've done. As such any linguist looking for a preamp-A/D converter in one package should look no further than the USBPre 2.

Comments about Sound Devices USBPre 2 - Microphone Interface for Computer Audio:

My USB Pre 2 came and, like Sound Devices recorders, it is another finely engineered piece. I run it on a USB battery in standalone mode with small digital recorders, a MicroTrack II, a Tascam HD-P2 and a DR-680. It's a perfect complement to SD744T recorders which have two preamps but 4 channels. This little box will make top notch digital recordings with portable digital recorders or a laptop computer, and what you get for the price is incredible. The mic preamps, converters, headphone amp and analog outputs all sound stellar.

P.S. The little mixer knob lets you adjust precisely how much recorded vs playback sound you want which is ideal for layered multitrack recordings. Nothing in this price can touch it.

I'm excited that truly pro-level preamps now fit inside a portable computer interface, and smaller budgets too.

Comments about Sound Devices USBPre 2 - Microphone Interface for Computer Audio:

Sound Devices has hit a home run with their new USB Pre 2 external sound card. It's really well thought out with just the right inputs, outputs, monitoring functions, 23 segment multi-color LED VU/Peak metering, etc. They use pro quality components like Neutrik connectors, metal case and knobs, etc. I've done some test recordings at 24bit/192kHz with my MKH416 using a 11.6" screen Acer Netbook running Vista and Sound Forge Studio 10. The most striking thing is almost NO discernable hiss on the mike preamps. Sound Design has put exactly the same mike preamp technology in this [$] jewel that they use in their high end 700 series digital location recorders. So for that price and a netbook running entry level professional recording software like Sound Forge Studio (SFS10 is the first version that will support 24/192 recording) you get a Hollywood quality recording system for about 1/2 of what it would normally cost. In my opinion it's a much more versatile system than a stand-alone recorder since you're using a computer for software and capture.Now if they would just include Time Code. ;-)