: Multiple Inputs, Balanced TRS outputs, Multiple outputs, Amazing build quality
: Headphone amp is quiet, mic pre-amps aren't super loud, can't listen to inputs 3/4 or Coax in real-time
First thing you'll notice is a very elegant design, brushed aluminum and nice LEDs for it's input/output displays. The unit has amazing build quality for something of this price, it's got some weight to it and the USB connector fits very snug and the unit has nice tolerances all around. Top volume knob is very large and gives you very fine control. Headphone output isn't the loudest or most powerful, for harder to drive cans I recommend using the fixed volume outputs 3/4 using TRS to RCA adapters to connect to external headphone amplifier like a Magni or O2.
I needed a small interface for using my Yamaha HS8 monitors and connecting my Shure SM7B mic. I've used a few budget interfaces, the Focusrite 2i2 and the Audiobox USB both ended up failing, the Audiobox was awful. I really recommend spending the extra money for this one if you are looking for a nice interface under $250.
The microphone input is a little quiet for the Shure SM7B (which is a very demanding mic) so if you are using a dynamic mic I'd recommend getting a Cloudlifter or Fethead to give them a little boost by using phantom power. I haven't tested with a condenser mic but I'm sure it's much more usable with one of those if you are going for a cheaper solution. It has MIDI support so you can feed a keyboard into it.
Also includes 4 TRS inputs, 2 of those being XLR/TRS combo inputs. Also has Digital Coax I/O which could be useful for connecting other devices, personally I haven't really used them and would of preferred Optical SP/DIF but that's just me. Overall I'm impressed with the quality for the price and would recommend this unit.
Be aware you can't listen to inputs 3/4 (the back TRS inputs) in realtime but you can use the headphone output to listen to inputs 1/2 (the XLR/TRS combo with volume controls) in real-time, which is great if you want to hear your mic through your headphones or speakers, as inputs 1/2 can be monitored on outputs 1/2 or 3/4 which you can use the headphone selector to choose which output to hear.
It's transparent to my ears, I'm not really sensitive to hearing if a DAC is "good" or "bad" but that's up for you to decide. I would of liked XLR outputs as those connectors are much sturdier but it would make the unit larger and more expensive.
