Focusrite

I
spend plenty of time testing
budget audio devices and the
quality is often very good.
Even so, as your listening
becomes more discerning
you’ll probably outgrow your
entry-level device and want
something more revealing. Clarett
are Focusrite’s premium studio grade
USB interfaces and with only three
devices to choose from, offer a more
focused product line than Focusrite’s
entry-level Scarlett. All three operate
at up to 24-bit/192kHz, include
MIDI I/O and additional connectivity
via ADAT interface. They also have a
decent bundle of software including
Focusrite’s Red 2 and Red 3 plugins
and Plugin Alliance’s bx_console
Focusrite SC. Their recent update to
Clarett+, as you might expect from
an audiophile device, focuses on
improving the performance rather
than expanding that feature set.
The Clarett+ 2Pre I have for
review is the smallest of the three
and has two mic pres with front
mounted combination mic/line/
instrument inputs with gain controls
and individual self-illuminating
phantom power switches. There’s
also an Air LED indicator for the
optional ISA transformer input
emulation. Next to these you’ll fi nd
the main Monitor output level and a
single headphone output with level
control. Round the back are four
balanced outputs on ¼” TRS jacks,
MIDI I\O and the aforementioned
throughout and improved dynamic
range. It’s tough to judge this
without A/B ing the unit with the
previous generation. Nevertheless,
the mic inputs are silky smooth and
have plenty of headroom, and the
outputs crystal clear and suitably
noise free. If you want to add some
life to your input, the Air option does
just that, and although this is
software controlled, you’ll hear the
welcoming sound of a relay switching
the circuit inside the unit. Also
excellent are the two JFET
instrument inputs. These sound
substantially better than a regular
instrument input and clip in a nice
fuzzy way if you push them hard.
Overall, the Clarett+ 2Pre is a
reasonably simple interface with
some very handy features, that offers
subtle yet welcome improvements
over its predecessor.
ADAT optical input. This delivers a
total I/O of 10-in/4-out and coupling
the 2Pre with Focusrite’s own Clarett
OctoPre would deliver a pretty
compelling 10 mic input Air enabled
tracking setup.
Clarett+ 2Pre is a USB 2.0
compatible device and connection is
via a USB-C port on the back. This
supports USB-C bus powering, but
you’ll need a USB-C equipped device
that provides 15W rather than 7.5W.
If that’s not an option you can use
the included PSU and you’ll fi nd
both USB-C and USB-A terminated
cables in the box.
Control software
The 2Pre works in conjunction with
the Focusrite Control software and
some functionality including
selecting the instrument input is only
accessible via this software. This
won’t please everyone, but it’s
extremely easy to use and setting up
your low latency monitoring is pretty
self-explanatory. The software also
provides some great extra features,
including choosing which output
pairs, if any, are actually controlled
by the hardware Monitor knob.
Rather usefully, Focusrite Control is
also available as a slightly simplifi ed
iOS app, so you can control levels,
including your low latency
monitoring mix from your phone.
Clarett+ has new, improved
independent A-D and D-A converters,
slightly better noise fi gures
THE PROS & CONS
+
Crystal clear mic
preamps with plenty
of headroom
Air transformer
input emulation
Useful JFET
instrument inputs
Low latency
monitoring and
additional features
via the PC/Mac
software and
iOS app
-
Bus powering
requires a 15W
USB-C connection
Control software
won’t be appealing
to everyone
FM VERDICT
9.1
The latest generation of
these excellent interfaces
delivers handy software
control alongside rock solid
audio performance
Focusrite Clarett+ 2Pre | Reviews
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