Focusrite Clarett+ 2Pre USB-C Bus-Powered Audio Interface for Music Production, with Two Professional Quality Pre-Amps and Powerful and Transparent Headphone Outputs/Instrument Inputs

Unlike many other brands of cheaper USB audio interface, the Clarett+ 2Pre has enough microphone gain to max out the USB audio headroom. M-Track audio and Behringer units don't seem to be able to do this. I've done lots of recordings in Audacity and everything is as you'd expect it to be. The Focusrite control software (downloadable) is more than a little confusing, though. I found I didn't need it to get the unit up and running, and you may never need it. Remember to install Focusrite's ASIO driver too. One thing I found that has been reported by other users is a potential issue with selecting the Clarett for sound OUTPUT from the PC. If I plug this into a USB-C socket on my laptop (Acer Nitro 11th gen i7) then sometimes when I try and select the Clarett as the sound output device, I get sound for just a second or two, then it cuts out. Selecting the device through Windows doesn't help, nor does reinstalling drivers, etc. My fix is to run the unit from another USB socket on my laptop (I have a combined hub / SSD unit) and then it works. Of course, if you're not connecting to USB-C then you need to use the power adapter as no other socket type will provide the power required for the unit (power light will flash and the unit won't work). I think the recommendation is USB-C or USB-2, and don't use a USB-3 socket. No idea why (noise perhaps?) This problem is only apparent with playback sound output. Recording sound input to the PC always works, even on my USB-C socket. Users have pointed to driver problems as the cause. I think it could be about how Windows prioritises one audio device over another, regardless of the settings you change. But given the ultra-low noise and distortion and the flat frequency response over the audible range, this unit has to be high on your buy list. It's useful not just for home recording but also for audio analysis as you can't argue with the accuracy of the results obtained. If you're reading this and you like the positive comments about the MIC gain but don't want to spend out on the Clarett+ 2Pre, I'd recommend trying the Scarlett range on the basis that if Focusrite have seen fit to provide decent MIC gain on this unit, they have probably done the same on the Scarlett range too, although I can't confirm this. Worth a try.

Very well made. You will need to use the Focusrite Control software to manage the audio routing. Very straight forward to use as long as you know what settings to choose. The interface can double up as a DAC for just listening to music - I have an S/PDIF connection working with the optical input - 48kHz is the default for most connections.

Great Preamps and phenomenal quality!

Great little work horse, does what it says on the tin unlike other sound modules of this price range.Great for the home studio, recommend.