Recommended Audio Interface for sm7b, krk 5 g4, hd800s

[Azra]

IHi i was looking for an audio interface which i could connect my Shure sm7b, Sennheiser HD800S and my KRK Rockit 5 g4’s. I would've  loved to get the go xlr for the simplicity-ish and to get that warm podcasty voice with the shure sm7b but unfortunately I dont think it has balanced outputs for either my KRK’s or my HD800s. I was thinking the focusrite scarlet 2i2 would be perfect for me but i’m kinda biased due to jayz2cents bad experience Shure with using the shurewith the focusrite solo: (here). I’m also considering the rodecaster pro ii but it seems a bit oberkill. So essentially i’m looking for something that can power my mic, headphones and speakers 

[OfficialTechSpace]

You shouldn't be running everything off of the same source, they're all designed for their own purposes. An audio interface should be used for a mic exclusively. For speakers and headphones, a dedicated DAC/Amp (if applicable) is preferable. The difference in audible quality is very obvious, because it has one purpose to focus on. It doesn't have to be many things at once.

 

The Scarlett would be perfectly fine for the mic, I use one personally. I'd recommend getting something to the effect of a sub-$200 THX amp for the headphones, and a DAC sporting an AK4493 chip or better to match in quality. I use an SMSL SP200 THX-888 amp, paired with an SMSL Sanskrit 10th MKII DAC. THX made a big splash in the amp industry a few years ago, and were pretty much the go-to amps on a reasonable budget. They've since come down even more in price, and remain a solid option. Also, the $3000 Benchmark amp uses the same THX chip as the SP200.

[H713]

3 hours ago, OfficialTechSpace said:

You shouldn't be running everything off of the same source, they're all designed for their own purposes. An audio interface should be used for a mic exclusively. For speakers and headphones, a dedicated DAC/Amp (if applicable) is preferable. The difference in audible quality is very obvious, because it has one purpose to focus on. It doesn't have to be many things at once.

 

The Scarlett would be perfectly fine for the mic, I use one personally. I'd recommend getting something to the effect of a sub-$200 THX amp for the headphones, and a DAC sporting an AK4493 chip or better to match in quality. I use an SMSL SP200 THX-888 amp, paired with an SMSL Sanskrit 10th MKII DAC. THX made a big splash in the amp industry a few years ago, and were pretty much the go-to amps on a reasonable budget. They've since come down even more in price, and remain a solid option. Also, the $3000 Benchmark amp uses the same THX chip as the SP200.

Not sure where you get this idea - there is nothing wrong with using an audio interface as a DAC. In fact, some of them have really, really good DACs in them. The line outs in the RME ADI-2 are good enough to push the limits of modern audio analyzers. 

 

Also, the chip used is only one small piece of the puzzle. A good implementation of an AK4490 is far better than a bad AK4499 implementation. Furthermore, since AKM still hasn't gotten their act together, you may be looking at hardware using TI, AD, ESS or Cirrus Logic chips in it.

 

The Scarlett 2i2 has a very good DAC in it. I measured the line outs on mine to have a THD+N of about 0.0007%. While there are certainly more linear DACs out there, the differences won't be very audible.  The MOTU M2 performs a tiny bit better but seems to be pretty difficult to find.

 

I'm generally quite happy with the Scarlett. It's about as good as anything in that price range. The headphone amp in it is pretty weak (distortion and output impedance are fine, but it's pretty limited in power), and I'd like to see a bit more gain in the mic preamp, but the converters and USB interface in it are solid.

 

Since most audio interfaces have mediocre mic preamps, spend the extra $100 or $150 and get a decent headphone amp to go with it. I quite like the way Schiit designs their headphone amps. The newer Magni amps are linear enough and powerful enough to be more or less transparent. I don't care for how they design their tube amps though - I'd look elsewhere for tube gear.

 

 

[Azra]

21 hours ago, H713 said:

Not sure where you get this idea - there is nothing wrong with using an audio interface as a DAC. In fact, some of them have really, really good DACs in them. The line outs in the RME ADI-2 are good enough to push the limits of modern audio analyzers. 

 

Also, the chip used is only one small piece of the puzzle. A good implementation of an AK4490 is far better than a bad AK4499 implementation. Furthermore, since AKM still hasn't gotten their act together, you may be looking at hardware using TI, AD, ESS or Cirrus Logic chips in it.

 

The Scarlett 2i2 has a very good DAC in it. I measured the line outs on mine to have a THD+N of about 0.0007%. While there are certainly more linear DACs out there, the differences won't be very audible.  The MOTU M2 performs a tiny bit better but seems to be pretty difficult to find.

 

I'm generally quite happy with the Scarlett. It's about as good as anything in that price range. The headphone amp in it is pretty weak (distortion and output impedance are fine, but it's pretty limited in power), and I'd like to see a bit more gain in the mic preamp, but the converters and USB interface in it are solid.

 

Since most audio interfaces have mediocre mic preamps, spend the extra $100 or $150 and get a decent headphone amp to go with it. I quite like the way Schiit designs their headphone amps. The newer Magni amps are linear enough and powerful enough to be more or less transparent. I don't care for how they design their tube amps though - I'd look elsewhere for tube gear.

 

 

Thank you for the info, just to clarify i should get the scarlet 2i2 for the mic and speakers and also connect an amp to it which will power the headphones?

[H713]

2 hours ago, Azra said:

Thank you for the info, just to clarify i should get the scarlet 2i2 for the mic and speakers and also connect an amp to it which will power the headphones?

Yep, and the 2i2 has balanced outputs, so there is some (relatively small) advantage to getting something with balanced inputs like the Magnius. 

[Fluph]

On 7/6/2022 at 2:49 AM, OfficialTechSpace said:

You shouldn't be running everything off of the same source, they're all designed for their own purposes. An audio interface should be used for a mic exclusively. For speakers and headphones, a dedicated DAC/Amp (if applicable) is preferable. The difference in audible quality is very obvious, because it has one purpose to focus on. It doesn't have to be many things at once.

 

The Scarlett would be perfectly fine for the mic, I use one personally. I'd recommend getting something to the effect of a sub-$200 THX amp for the headphones, and a DAC sporting an AK4493 chip or better to match in quality. I use an SMSL SP200 THX-888 amp, paired with an SMSL Sanskrit 10th MKII DAC. THX made a big splash in the amp industry a few years ago, and were pretty much the go-to amps on a reasonable budget. They've since come down even more in price, and remain a solid option. Also, the $3000 Benchmark amp uses the same THX chip as the SP200.

No not true.  You fell for the audiophile bull ****.   Sorry.