iD4 & iD14 MK II - Audient updated their Audio Interfaces

[dylanmitchell]

Great info and details. Improves on the weak spots of iD4 MKI and better headphone output. Expect high ohm headphones to sound better on the MKII. Really like my MK1 but it was getting dated. MKII keeps analog controls and brings it up to date. Never like the idea of on EVO 4, I want my buttons and knobs.

How is wall-powered iD14 MKII vs. bus-powered iD4 MKII? Chart shows very similar specs, does iD14 have better output in real-world use?

Probably stick with my iD4 MKI until I upgrade my laptop. Laptops only USB C port is used for a dock. I'd have us a USB C to USB 3.0 type unless the l MKII could run off dock My iD4 doesn't work through my dock. iD14 MKII wal power could be better if I have to use it on a USB B port.

 

[AnalogSteph]

Since the iD4 MkII has no wall power option per se, one would have to ask Audient about what would happen on an underpowered USB port while pushing major headphone output current. Does the interface "hiccup" and go haywire (or reset at least)? It seems to me that running the interface on a powered USB Type C hub with an A-C cable from the computer may be worth a shot, assuming it does not flat-out hate hubs like some devices do. (The old iD4 seems to work with Apple CCK + a powered hub, and the MkII manual still mentions iOS, so I'll assume it wouldn't object right away.)

 

[Mesh]

RME explained that they had to go with a higher impedance for the 1/4" jack on the BF Pro FS just to give enough power to headphones that are harder to drive, so that might be the case here too. I don't see anything about this in the specs above though so just speculating.

 

[Adahn]

Trying to figure out how this high powered dual headphone out on the same volume control with no additional circuitry gonna play out and it doesn't seem like a great idea any way you look at it.

Seems like a recipe for disaster actually, which might very well be the case, judging by their track record.

 

[AnalogSteph]

Trying to figure out how this high powered dual headphone out on the same volume control with no additional circuitry gonna play out and it doesn't seem like a great idea any way you look at it.

What exactly do you mean?

Seems like a recipe for disaster actually, which might very well be the case, judging by their track record.

Oh my. Looks like the poor iD22 has some longevity issues, a lot of them relating to a single obviously stressed 85°C electrolytic in a warm environment that is wreaking havoc on the DC/DC converter creating the analog supplies. These units are constructed relatively conservatively with high analog supplies but little in terms of ventilation, which is not an ideal combination.

To be fair, few manufacturers are truly immune to quality problems, especially in the semi-pro realm. I bought a used Focusrite Forte last year that will run indefinitely on its external power supply but start to "hiccup" after a while and eventually go into a boot loop when bus-powered - clearly something is either not soldered properly or has degraded. This interface was abandoned suspiciously quickly in terms of drivers, too.
For a much older case, the Terratec Phase X24 FW was notorious for little black electrolytics going bad back in the day. This may still have been the original capacitor plague at work, given that this particular model came out in 2005.
You could even spend 4 grand on an Apogee Symphony I/O less than a decade ago only to be hit with power supply issues.

The part that's not cool is Audient burying their head in the sand and just saying "tough luck, you're out of warranty", not even offering paid repair services. Music gear manufacturers usually tend to be more helpful than that. It's not leaving a good impression if they can't stand behind their product at all like that, and you bet affected customers will buy something else next time - there's enough competition left in this field. Oh well. At least the unit's construction does not seem to pose any major hurdles to repair efforts. Yay for folks who can wield a soldering iron and may now be able to find a cheap "fixer-upper", I guess.

BTW - someone still needs to figure out why there seem to be relatively many non-working Asus Xonar DX' around. The old PCI version D1 generally seems to keep working fine, some relay contact issues aside, as you would normally expect from a card using all solid capacitors. Funnily enough, these cards can go for less than the ADC alone sells for these days.

 

[Adahn]

What exactly do you mean?

One volume control, same output impedance, serving headphones of different impedances and sensitivities. Seems like they're relying on the current limitations to moderate the power going into low ohm cans? Seems to me that at best you'll end up with terrible volume mismatches with the potential to even fry the low impedance ones.

 

[dfuller]

Looks like the poor iD22 has some longevity issues, a lot of them relating to a single obviously stressed 85°C electrolytic in a warm environment that is wreaking havoc on the DC/DC converter creating the analog supplies. These units are constructed relatively conservatively with high analog supplies but little in terms of ventilation, which is not an ideal combination.

Yup, that cap failed on the one I used to own. Replaced it, no issues any more. Luckily it's through hole, so no big deal for your average dummy (like myself) to replace.

 

[AnalogSteph]

One volume control, same output impedance, serving headphones of different impedances and sensitivities. Seems like they're relying on the current limitations to moderate the power going into low ohm cans? Seems to me that at best you'll end up with terrible volume mismatches with the potential to even fry the low impedance ones.

Ah, now I get it. When I see both 1/4" and 3.5 mm outputs I tend to think of them as either/or, mostly just because this setup has all the potential issues of running two headphones on a splitter cable. If you were to try and combine some K240Ms or HE6s with some BA IEMs, you'd get two unhappy listeners for sure. Not to mention that loudness preferences between people may vary by up to +/-10 dB to begin with.

Yup, that cap failed on the one I used to own. Replaced it, no issues any more. Luckily it's through hole, so no big deal for your average dummy (like myself) to replace.

I still wonder why it does fail in the first place, and why there would be a 2.2µ/63V part seemingly at the input of a 1 A switching boost converter where I imagine there ought to be power supply 12 V or thereabouts. Even at 12 V, 2.2 µF is not a whole lot, more of a local bypass than anything else. The LT3439 datasheet shows a 10µ/25 for 5 V in, still not exactly huge. This one may be following some LC input filtering or an LDO for all I know and may thus have to endure a fair bit of high-frequency ripple current from the following boost converter.

(2.2µ/63V would be in line with what I might expect on the output of the P48V boost converter, but it doesn't seem to be there. *headscratch*)

BTW, there currently is only one series of Fujicon capacitors that's a polar radial 85°C, the "general purpose" RA series. 2.2µ/63 is a 5x11 mm (2 mm lead pitch), rated ripple current 34 mA for a 2000 hour life at 85 °C. Why would anyone use a "general purpose" type in such a spot with ripple and heat? I have a feeling a 10µ/50 Panasonic FC (same dimensions, rated ripple current 125 mA for 1000 hours @ 105°C) or its 22µ/35 cousin (same, rated 175 mA) would last a lot longer.

Has anyone bothered to measure the maximum permissible dimensions for this cap and PCB lead spacing? From pictures it seems like these is a fair bit of room relatively speaking. That said, even the original cap dimensions seem quite adequate.

 

[Mesh]

Has it been confirmed that the Mk II has the same issue with that component, or did they do changes to the design to get away from it?

 

[AnalogSteph]

This particular problem seems to specifically affect the iD22 only. There's no new version of that one out yet.

 

[Mesh]

This particular problem seems to specifically affect the iD22 only. There's no new version of that one out yet.

Thanks. Their hands off approach for helping is still bothersome, but I am also intrigued to test this new model...

 

[Mesh]

I just got confirmation of the headphone impedance from Audient, as that is not visible on their spec sheets:

The nominal headphone impedance of the iD4 MKII and the iD14 MKII is 22 Ohms.

Too bad for me, as that places my own IEMs and headphones outside of what would be suitable to use.

 

[Adahn]

They told me 30ohms when I asked a couple weeks ago. Seems to be dropping at least. Maybe ask again next month.

 

[Mesh]

They told me 30ohms when I asked a couple weeks ago. Seems to be dropping at least. Maybe ask again next month.

Haha. Reverse inflation is my hope

22 (actually closer to 23) is what the previous models had, so I'm suspecting they simply use the same stuff.

 

[raterbil]

does anyone have an idea of how the new id14 mk2 fares against the motu m2/4? i need a new interface and i’m struggling to decide. any input would be highly appreciated!

 

[BergTenevoi]

- russian language
Sorry, i dont speak in english. Time code with data:
1. 6:00 - mic in
2. 9:20 - line in (the signal goes through the same preamp)
3. 10:40 - line out
4. 12:20 - phone amp (he have 55-56 Ohm):
4.1 13:20 - USB2.0 (33 Ohm)
4.2 14:15 - USB2.0 (68 Ohm)
4.3 14:50 - USB2.0 (510 Ohm)
4.4 15:40 - USB-C (33 Ohm)
4.5 16:22 - USB-C (68 Ohm)
4.6 17:00 - USB-C (510 Ohm)
5. 19:00 - ASIO DAW

"Goodbye, Motu, goodbye" - Demis Roussos ©

 

[notabenem]

@BergTenevoi Thanks for posting. Not speaking Russian so I had to rely on the automatic translation. Didn't they say in the video that MIC ADC THD+N is -81dB (or 96?) vs the ~100 of the Motu? Specifically at

 

[BergTenevoi]

notabenem
7:55 He says, in specification indicated distortion with 0 dbu on input and gain=????
In videos:
- 1ch - signal on input 0 dbu and increase gain to level signal 0 dbfs, result = -80.9(THDN ratio), -81(THDN level)
- 2ch - signal on input 0 dbu and gain = min, result = -96.2(THDN ratio), -107,6(THDN level)

I think you can all ask questions to the author of the video in English. It will help you with the device. Don't be afraid)))

 

[umbral]

Very interesting, use the subtitles for English

So you can't use two different headphones with different ohm right on the two headphone jacks (non independent) ? And if they have same ohm both will hear the same thing ? Will it have enough power to power both headphones ? Just need an adaptor for 1 of them correct to be able to plug it in ?

Also two or 3 reviews here ID4 : https://www.thomann.de/gb/audient_id4_mkii_reviews.htm??ar=510532&page=1&order=0&rating=0&reviewlang[]=all

They claim :

Negative points:
- You only have 1 mic input.
- At maximum boost for your headset you will hear some noise
- Mic gain is good, unfortunately you cannot turn it to the maximum without noise.
- No mic mute button
- No headset mute button

Perfectly silent, no background noise except with maximum gain.
The cable supplied is a usb-c to usb-c but it can be used with a usb-c to usb-a cable, preferably usb3.

And on ID14 MKII : https://www.thomann.de/ro/audient_id14_mkii_reviews.htm??ar=510533&page=1&order=0&rating=0&reviewlang[]=all

Only regret, the USB C connection seems fragile to me ... and the metal frame of the card that I received was poorly closed ... Well, it's the time of COVID and the factories doing what they can, we forgive, but we must be careful.

I have a little problem with the headphone levels though. It's not loud enough for me to drive an open back DT-990. It's loud, really loud, but I want to go way past that if I'm mixing so that I don't have trouble hearing anything that is soloed but the mix level is low.

the huge problem is with the id audient software program, the handling of the software needs a lot of improvements .

The headphone outputs are loud and therefore high-impedance KH can be fired without any problems. (this is positive and contradicts the above)

The input and output sockets are unfortunately a bit wobbly or unstable and I have the feeling that there could be problems at some point.
The biggest point of criticism (and also the reason for the return) is the driver! Under Windows 10, there are cracks every now and then and the interface sporadically does not wake up from sleep mode of the PC (but USB connection is available).
Unfortunately, these circumstances force me to look around for a different interface, although I would have liked to keep the Audient because of its nice look and also because of the two headphone and monitor outputs.

Biggest drawback: Since March 15th (after Windows update to version 10.0.18363 Build 18363) the interface is no longer recognized sporadically. I'm still looking for a solution here. Maybe something is known about this from Thomann, the manufacturer or another user.

---------------

Now since Motu M2 is available in 5-7 weeks, i want to ask if ID4 or ID14 is good or better than Motu M2 ?
What about the video ? Any preference in tone and volume of different frequencies ? The M2 has more bass and less highs, the audient more highs and less bass. Motu is dark/night, Audient is day/light.

The ID4 has 1 input and is almost twice as cheeper as ID14. Actually i think the ID14 is a little bit too expensive compared to their single ID4.

 

[umbral]

The old interfaces look quite bad compared to Motu.