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iD4 & iD14 MK II - Audient updated their Audio Interfaces
- Thread starter Dreyfus
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If its the old iD14 ( I have one ) bevare of using a windows machine - the software is kind of buggy.
Sometimes the unit dont recognise the computer , and the problem goes away completely with a Mac.
The newer iD14 mkII might be better but Im not sure.
Short USB cables are good , but 2 meters shouldnt be a problem.
After a bunch of A/B testing with ID14 MKII and Discrete 4 Synergy Core, I was wrong on my first impressions, Audient sounds very detailed an all, great sound quality for the price, but Discrete 4 is on a whole new level. Soundstage, imaging, fidelity. There's no comparison. For 5x the money you get what you've paid for.
Good to hear !
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Aren't they specc'd for up to 5 meters just like USB 2.0 with either connector? If you were using USB 3.0 or higher on it then the suggested max is 2 meters.
Yeah, it's the iD14 mkii. Just ordered one so I can test with a USB-C cable I have.
I forgot to mention that I meant if bus powering works fine with more length than the supplied 1m cable. My Clarett needs 15W, so just any USB-C port and length wont work. Looks like the Audient is less power hungry though.
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With Audient iD14 mk 1 and II you will need an extra mains socket anyway, to use phantom 48 v . This is also one of the reasons it sounds so good, it has a separate 12 V power supply only for the pre amps. Interfaces with everything ( including 48 V phantom power ) driven from the laptop 5 V USB port is a big sound compromise.
The iD14 mk2 only draws power from USB. It doesn't even have an AC plug on the back.
Youre right ! A clear cost cut . But practical.
Old Audient Mk1 on the upper picture.
The more expensive iD22 and iD44 have a separate power input.
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After I recently noticed that my Fractal Audio FM3 Guitar Processor was actually outperforming my RME Babyface Pro FS when driving my DT1770 Pro I fell down the "limited power budget of USB-powered devices"-rabbit hole. I upgraded to the RME Fireface UCX II. Amazing interface. But since it's now completely wired up as a central device for home recording, I wanted some device I can use for mobile recording. Long story short, as Audient (opposed to for example Focusrite with their Scarlett series) at least seems to care about not starving your headphones by utilizing the little extra juice you get from USB3.x, I tried the iD14 mk II, today.
While it doesn't sound bad at all, compared to my UCX II, cymbals tend to sound anything but detailed on the iD14 mk II. Also the sound-stage isn't as wide as on the UCX II. While you can identify instruments nicely on the RME in the panorama and frequency-wise alike, the Audient lacks that. I tested that using Peter Gabriel's Secret World Live album, especially "Talk to me". Manu Katche is so expressive on the cymbals, while there's a lot of bassy stuff going on on the same time. While the UCX II sounds detailed, the Audient sounds somewhat stressed, if that makes sense. I was playing that track at 44.1 kHz. I wonder if that has to do with the design of the post-DAC LPF or something chopping off a bit too much of the high frequencies?
Anyway, I will return the id14 mkII, remaining unsatisfied. Any suggestions of alternative devices below 600 bucks?
While it doesn't sound bad at all, compared to my UCX II, cymbals tend to sound anything but detailed on the iD14 mk II. Also the sound-stage isn't as wide as on the UCX II. While you can identify instruments nicely on the RME in the panorama and frequency-wise alike, the Audient lacks that. I tested that using Peter Gabriel's Secret World Live album, especially "Talk to me". Manu Katche is so expressive on the cymbals, while there's a lot of bassy stuff going on on the same time. While the UCX II sounds detailed, the Audient sounds somewhat stressed, if that makes sense. I was playing that track at 44.1 kHz. I wonder if that has to do with the design of the post-DAC LPF or something chopping off a bit too much of the high frequencies?
Anyway, I will return the id14 mkII, remaining unsatisfied. Any suggestions of alternative devices below 600 bucks?
Have you considered the Motu M4?
Dilettante
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For what it's worth, here are some ID4 mk. II measurements in loopback mode, mono balanced TRS:
| Frequency response (from 40 Hz to 15 kHz), dB | +0.07, -0.21 | Very good |
| Noise level, dB (A) | -105.8 | Excellent |
| Dynamic range, dB (A) | 105.9 | Excellent |
| THD, % | 0.00683 | Very good |
| THD + Noise, dB (A) | -79.5 | Average |
| IMD + Noise, % | 0.00968 | Very good |
| Stereo crosstalk, dB | -40.2 | Poor |
| IMD at 10 kHz, % | 0.00869 | Very good |
| General performance | | Very good |
Dilettante
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Level sweep and spectrum using the Multitone Analyser by @pkane , line input.
Preamp is disabled, gain is set to around -6 to -2 using the in-built LED meter.
Preamp is disabled, gain is set to around -6 to -2 using the in-built LED meter.
Dilettante
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JTest 16
TD+N: -85.5dB @ -24dB
1000Hz sine
Both via Audient ASIO.
TD+N: -85.5dB @ -24dB
1000Hz sine
Both via Audient ASIO.
Grooved
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Thanks, but in your tests, it seems you only used a low input level, so you're killing the SNR and by extension the TD+N values
You get better results in harmonics distorsions, but everything is killed by the lower SNR
Dilettante
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Indeed. I will source the better cable (tests were conducted using unbalanced TS) and repeat it again.
Grooved
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There's something I need to check in the future regarding TS and TRS:
I tested a loopback with both cables one interface, and using DeltaWave, and while the standard analysis provide the same results with both cables (around -56.7dB difference), once doing an advanced analysis with Level EQ/Phase EQ/Non-linear drift correction turned on, the TS result is -88.8dB while the TRS results is -109dB.
I tested a loopback with both cables one interface, and using DeltaWave, and while the standard analysis provide the same results with both cables (around -56.7dB difference), once doing an advanced analysis with Level EQ/Phase EQ/Non-linear drift correction turned on, the TS result is -88.8dB while the TRS results is -109dB.
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Grooved
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By the way, Audient launched the iD44 MKII recently, and it uses the ES9842PRO as ADC, which is interesting as it's the 4 channels version of ES9822PRO used in the Cosmos ADC.
It has been tested by Julian Krause:
Also here:
It has been tested by Julian Krause:
Also here:
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