Motu M2 Review (Audio Interface)

[txbdan]

I think you're overthinking it. :-D MOTU makes good stuff and it'll work and sound great.

 

[Omid]

Thanks, yes I know, actually this raises another question:

The microphone that I will be using is a Sennheiser E906, which has an impedance of 350 Ω.

My understanding is that the mic preamp should have an input impedance of at least 10 times the mic impedance.

The input impedance of the Motu M2 is 2650 Ω, which is "only" 7.5 times higher.
The input impedance of e. g. the Scarlett 2i2 is 3000 Ω, which is 8.5 times higher.

So the Scarlett 2i2 is still below the 10x ratio, but is above the Motu M2 (8.5x vs 7.5x).
Should this difference make me want to choose the Scarlett 2i2 over the Motu M2?

Sorry I had misunderstood your question. Adahn’s answer was much better!!

 

[HelgenX]

Can you explain your setup a bit. Do you have a preamp between the turntable and the motu (I’m guessing you don’t). If you don’t do you have a a step up transformer for impedance matching (because your cartridge may not play optimally at the impedance of the motu’s input).
if you use the trs input make sure the ring is disconnected for lower noise floor.

Thanks all for the response. I know what I said sounded rather confusing, I just found it strange that I could hear audio from both sides if I had only put the turntable left cable to the left of the M2.

As for my setup, I have an Technics 1210 MK2 which I did an internal ground mod to and connected to a BBE pre-amp, on my preamp I have RCA L/R to quarter inch cables L/R which I connect to the front of my M2. I realized to get true stereo I have to adjust the knobs on left and right. I do the full left and finger roll over both to try to even them out, haha.

 

[Sentenza]

I think you're overthinking it. :-D MOTU makes good stuff and it'll work and sound great.

Haha, ok I'm buying an M2 then!
Thanks all of you for your replies.

 

[Ultima Thule]

oh, only now discovered M4's smaller sibling M2 being tested here, overall looks good but somewhat unsettling with the higher noise on one channel, although some asymmetric performance discrepancies can be expected I am still wondering what could cause the noise to change so much on one channel only due to warm up, what kind of components/circuitry or phenomenons could make noise change so much only due to thermal changes and only on one channel?
The ESS hump was "expected", would like to see some of these USB ADC/DAC manufacturers to come out with new products based on other than ESS chips.
Thanks again Amir.

 

[phoenixsong]

Is channel balance an issue on this device?

 

[Tks]

RME ADI-2 Pro V2.

Still in the backlog?

 

[AnalogSteph]

Is channel balance an issue on this device?

Doesn't look like it would be, actual output level control seems to be digital. Having a fancy DAC has to be good for something, right?

 

[infinitesymphony]

Doesn't look like it would be, actual output level control seems to be digital. Having a fancy DAC has to be good for something, right?

That could be a cool feature -- at least in the case of similar Focusrite Scarletts the volume is an analog pot. Does the M2/M4 pot control OS volume?

 

[artburda]

That could be a cool feature -- at least in the case of similar Focusrite Scarletts the volume is an analog pot. Does the M2/M4 pot control OS volume?

no

 

[narcsoul]

Anyone with issues on Windows 10?

 

[phoenixsong]

Anyone with issues on Windows 10?

Not for me

 

[phoenixsong]

Curious how the Schiit Hel's ADC section compares

 

[umbral]

ADC worse for combo input compared to M4 ? Means worse microphone quality input compared to M4 combo ?
What is a recommenced headphone for the lower volume of M2/M4 in terms of Ohm, what is the maximum it can drive properly ?
(if i understand correctly, the quality is great for headphones, but the volume is low)

Is there any better new Audio Interface for the price ? Is the mixing headphone knob on M4 useful at all or can this be done from software too ?

Thank you.

 

[mrbungle]

ADC worse for combo input compared to M4 ? Means worse microphone quality input compared to M4 combo ?
What is a recommenced headphone for the lower volume of M2/M4 in terms of Ohm, what is the maximum it can drive properly ?
(if i understand correctly, the quality is great for headphones, but the volume is low)

Is there any better new Audio Interface for the price ? Is the mixing headphone knob on M4 useful at all or can this be done from software too ?

Thank you.

I don’t think you would have any issues with the mic quality. I assume you would need a perfectly treated recording booth and really great mic for that small difference being the bottleneck. Probably more relevant for something like vinyl ripping.

It drives my DT770 250 Ohm perfectly fine for monitoring and it gets loud. Sounds a bit better with a more powerful amp connected to the balanced output, but it’s great for such a cheap device.

I don’t have a need for the monitor mix knob, but assume if you do, it’s great to have this low latency solution right there.

Driver support is also great on both Windows and Mac, which isnt the case for most interfaces.

 

[Music1969]

That could be a cool feature -- at least in the case of similar Focusrite Scarletts the volume is an analog pot.

From Focusrite support have said there is an ADC after analogue volume pot.

Which is required for controlling volume digitally in their Focusrite Control software.

 

[umbral]

I don’t think you would have any issues with the mic quality. I assume you would need a perfectly treated recording booth and really great mic for that small difference being the bottleneck. Probably more relevant for something like vinyl ripping.

It drives my DT770 250 Ohm perfectly fine for monitoring and it gets loud. Sounds a bit better with a more powerful amp connected to the balanced output, but it’s great for such a cheap device.

I don’t have a need for the monitor mix knob, but assume if you do, it’s great to have this low latency solution right there.

Driver support is also great on both Windows and Mac, which isnt the case for most interfaces.

Didn't they test the back line inputs for M4 which are higher quality compared to front combo for M2 which is same as front combo for M4 but worse than back M4 for ADC ?

Regarding DT770 there are 3 versions : 80ohm, 150ohm, 250ohm. Do you recommend the 250 ohm as the best version ? Are they comfortable over long periods of time ?

 

[umbral]

General question, between Motu M2, Motu M4, Behringer UMC204HD/404HD, Focusrite Scarlett 6i6, Focusrite Clarett 2pre, M Audio Air 192|8, Native Instruments NI Audio 6, Presonus Studio 68C, SSL 2+, Steinberg UR-RT2 or Steinberg UR24c/44c, Tascam Series 102i, Audient Evo 4-8, Audient ID14 or ID4 MKII

in terms of ADC, DAC, using a microphone with XLR and headphones quality, good drivers for Windows 10, overall would Motu M2 or M4 still be the best option ?

https://blog.landr.com/best-audio-interfaces/

Which one is higher quality considering the price in everyone opinion ?
Loop-back function is also very nice.

 

[mrbungle]

Didn't they test the back line inputs for M4 which are higher quality compared to front combo for M2 which is same as front combo for M4 but worse than back M4 for ADC ?

Regarding DT770 there are 3 versions : 80ohm, 150ohm, 250ohm. Do you recommend the 250 ohm as the best version ? Are they comfortable over long periods of time ?

Looks like they indeed did. „This is with line in as indicated. With Mic in (not shown) and at minimum gain, SINAD drops just a few dBs to 100 or so. At higher gains it would go farther down to 94 dB or so“.

The Beyers are very comfortable. I don’t have the other versions. I like the coiled cable of the 250.

I think regarding alternatives, the Behringers are good enough for most if you use it mostly as mic input for streaming. The Focusrite are fine, but not much cheaper than the MOTU. The Steinberg measure worse. Don’t have any experience with the others.

 

[phoenixsong]

General question, between Motu M2, Motu M4, Behringer UMC204HD/404HD, Focusrite Scarlett 6i6, Focusrite Clarett 2pre, M Audio Air 192|8, Native Instruments NI Audio 6, Presonus Studio 68C, SSL 2+, Steinberg UR-RT2 or Steinberg UR24c/44c, Tascam Series 102i, Audient Evo 4-8, Audient ID14 or ID4 MKII

in terms of ADC, DAC, using a microphone with XLR and headphones quality, good drivers for Windows 10, overall would Motu M2 or M4 still be the best option ?

https://blog.landr.com/best-audio-interfaces/

Which one is higher quality considering the price in everyone opinion ?
Loop-back function is also very nice.

You sound rather new- as such, for a first interface the Motu M2 is probably the best all rounder and more than enough. The DAC section is good enough to impress me, and I have been a semi-audiophile since nearly a decade ago. I would say the ADC section is good enough to be end-game unless you're looking to record multi-channel complex mixes or super-clean studio recordings with mics costing upwards of $1000. The amp section isn't an issue for me- for my uses I find anything with decent sensitivity and reasonable resistance drivable through it with enough headroom, and clipping usually starts somewhere between the 2-3 o'clock position on the headphone volume knob. Even if the in-built amp is not powerful enough, you can easily get a ridiculously powerful and clean standalone balanced-in amplifier to pair with it via its balanced out connections.

In terms of features, the Motu M2 is heavily laden for its price. Out of the interfaces you mentioned, only the Focusrite Clarett series has been measured to be in another league- and that is only for its ADC section. Do bear in mind diminishing returns and the extra cost though, and also the fact that in suboptimal conditions with non-TOTL equipment, an ADC of the Motu M2's standard is probably all you ever require. There are many comparisons and sound demos available on Youtube- if you are unsure of differences after listening to those, chances are you do not need or are unable to measure up to something better than the M2 (current listening equipment limited). It's been said that when it comes to recording, skill is paramount as long as you have somewhat decent equipment at hand