Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 vs UA Apollo Twin | Sound Quality Test & Comparison

Does the UA Apollo Twin sound better than the Focusrite Scarlett? Is the UAD Apollo Twin worth it? Why is the Apollo twin so expensive? In this video, you'll hear the difference for yourself.
Ear Training Guide (Free Download): audiouniversityonline.com/ear...
---- SPOILER ALERT ----
Interface A: Universal Audio Apollo Twin DUO MkII
Interface B: Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 (3rd Gen)
Other Differences Between Cheap vs Expensive Audio Interfaces: audiouniversityonline.com/bud...
Focusrite Scarlett 2i2:
- Sweetwater: imp.i114863.net/kjQqxd
- zZounds: geni.us/rNLaRpX
- Thomann: geni.us/thomann-focusrite-2i2
- Amazon: amzn.to/2Y1fkB4
- Reverb: reverb.grsm.io/focusrite-scar...
- Guitar Center: guitar-center.pxf.io/6bVxEG
- Musician's Friend: musicians-friend.pxf.io/ORyabn
- B&H: bhpho.to/3zV4TAL
Universal Audio Apollo Twin X DUO:
- Sweetwater: imp.i114863.net/vn1a7j
- zZounds: geni.us/0wrcr
- Thomann: geni.us/AIRVfOg
- Amazon: amzn.to/3p40eqg
- Reverb: reverb.grsm.io/universal-audi...
- Guitar Center: guitar-center.pxf.io/mgoaG1
- Musician's Friend: musicians-friend.pxf.io/DVRq3d
- B&H: bhpho.to/3d8zBwx
- Learn More: audiouniversityonline.com/ua-...
0:00 - Introduction
1:43 - Dynamic Microphone
1:57 - Condenser Microphone
2:14 - Acoustic Guitar
3:07 - Electric Guitar (DI - Clean)
3:49 - Electric Guitar (DI - Amp Simulator)
4:31 - Subscribe To Audio University!
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[@AudioUniversity]

You can find the key to which interface is “A” and “B” in the description below the video. Thanks for watching!

[@FilthyClean]

i own the apollo this is a cool video for that fact thank you!

[@erasmomoreno9460]

I would say Example A is the Apollo and example B is the Focusrite

[@m4drums]

@@erasmomoreno9460 same! The A has more ransparent sound wile B has a bit more 'mud', like less clear.To my ear, atleast)

[@Radianation]

I liked the Apollo better for your instruments and the Focusrite better for your vocals. I would have assumed that was reversed until I read the comments. Cheers

[@1Charly_B]

Thanks

[@Spaceboysteve]

Cheers for that, that was a great little experiment/demonstration! I actually thought that "A" sounded better when you spoke into the mic, but preferred "B" with the guitar examples. Both were incredibly similar thought. Would be great to try the same experiment right through the chain and see where it's worth spending the big bucks.

[@samuelhausmann397]

Same here, I think that for voice recordings the Apollo is better and for instruments the difference is slightly less noticeable 🙌

[@Logos2k]

Loved how simple you made this video , clear and precise knformatjon ! Thank you !

[@billwarner213]

This is an OUTSTANDINGLY well-done and helpful video - thanks for the great info!

[@CreateCommander]

This was a really good blind comparison. It also shows my ears are terrible after years of live sound and working in car shops. I picked A for the first guitar in the intro and B for the rest. But I have been a Scarlett 2i2 user for almost 10 years now. 1st Gen!

[@gurpyarsingh574]

I'm really Glad that At Last someone Actually Did a Video on this. Very well done 👍

[@AudioUniversity]

Thanks, Gurpyar! Glad to be helpful.

[@1_jahwarrior]

Thank you for creating this channel 🙏🏽

[@jjeremyhaze]

Apollo owner for more than 2 years, not really the audio difference that made me retire my Scarlett, it was the zero latency and UAs plugins that run with its own DSP instead of computers cpu. These of course aren’t required to get into recording but for me it’s definitely worth the money. To each their own though

[@AudioUniversity]

I agree, JeremyHaze. The next video goes into those features in more detail. Thanks for sharing your experience!

[@AgallowayGFX]

Need that if you want that no latency auto tune too

[@gphiproductions]

Good comparison video! Something to think about either way! 👍🏽

[@modernmusicstudio303]

This was really helpful, great video!

[@briansransom]

Thank you for making this video! It's great to hear that the difference is so small, considering I can't afford the expensive stuff.

[@AudioUniversity]

Glad to help, Brian. Thanks for watching!

[@zenncatt]

Listening via the speakers from my computer, to me A sounds more balanced across the frequencies with clear mids and a tighter bottom end. B sounds a bit compressed in the mids and a looser bottom end. The higher frequencies are pretty much similar. Thank you for doing the video.

[@AudioUniversity]

Thanks for watching, zenncatt!

[@copiusmaximus9696]

Honestly that could be something as simple as subltle microphone position changes relative to the audio source

[@vittogol]

ME too, I hate the scarlett solo compression when I play clean funky guitar part. I want to change it but not with a so expensive apollo one

[@cebastianlayneOffical]

I like the timbre of your voice great content as always thanks

[@JoshCzoski]

With the first demo I had a REALLY easy time hearing that the sample that turned out to be the Apollo was much better. The other sounded more like a blur. I have very little experience with this audio interface tech anyway but now I'm sold for the benefits of the Apollo.

[@OssianEMills]

Contrary to other comments, I heard B to have more "dynamic range," less compression, and seeming to be more transparent (which made me think UA).

[@AudioUniversity]

Thanks for watching and commenting, Kevin!

[@ronaldinocrosdale7622]

i agree with you, i personally own both scarlet and UA. I thought b was the UA. To someone looking on what to buy honestly if you aren’t making money off your music get the focusrite. There is a difference in quality that with good mixing and especially mastering you can make up.

[@d00m69]

B was picking up alot more muddy tones tho

[@kenl.3298]

@@d00m69 more like raw data

[@lawpenner]

@@kenl.3298 more like raw doo-doo

[@burntalmonds9203]

Great video. I was not able to tell a difference at first. After listening carefully to the guitar samples multiple times I was able to hear that A sounded a little clearer than B. But wow is it subtle.

[@djwickit]

I've been doing this for many years, and I'll admit I was pretty confused. At the beginning of the video I thought acoustic guitar B sounded brighter and better, but once he got to the voice examples I was hearing more harsh frequencies with the B ones. Very interesting video, thank you.

[@clicks59]

Back in the days before digital recording, engineers relied on good mics, preamps and compressors. Oh and good ears too. There are many great recordings from them. I still believe the same holds true today. Good mics, preamps, compressors and recording techniques are the key. Yes, a good recording interface will produce better results than a mediocre one but it would be the last upgrade I would make.

[@AudioUniversity]

Thanks for watching and sharing this info, TB Player!

[@BenTBrown]

yeah but that's hard man

[@thebornmusician]

Not just what you mentioned but also your power factor, such as the cables you use and how you treat the electricity in your studio. Power is a major factor we constantly over look..

[@clicks59]

@@thebornmusician So true. Every part of the equation counts.

[@professahbruno1578]

@@thebornmusician basically how the signal is been processed ain’t that right?

[@jaimomo65]

For vocals and first electric guitar, I like option A, but for bright electric guitar and acoustic guitar, I like option B better. We must keep in mind that the audio quality of an interface like Focusrite today is far superior to the best interface of 20 years ago. The quality of the result today depends much more on the quality of the music and the expertise of the producer, than on the price of the interfaces. In my opinion of course ;) Great video!

[@AudioUniversity]

I agree, Jaime. It’s amazing how far digital audio has come!

[@KrunkCobain]

I preferred A but B was not too far off honestly. Modern Technology is wonderful! Thanks for comparing

[@AudioUniversity]

Thanks, Krunk Cobain!

[@Wizardofgosz]

But did you prefer it before you knew which was which?

[@AliBekirKlckaya]

Thanks for the very nice comparison. The difference was quite small. From the 5 comparison, I chosed 4 A. But only in the latest comparison I was sure that there was some more distortion from the B. If there was not A-B comparsion, I'm sure that I cannot identfy if the recording belongs to A or B. But still, getting the bets still feels good :)

[@adrianomarchesini627]

Well done! I believe that just applying a little equalization the difference would be even less.

[@AudioUniversity]

Thanks, Adriano!

[@rlouisj54]

I agree. I was thinking the same, even though I knew immediately which was which.

[@LEWITT-audio]

Awesome video, as always! 💚

[@AudioUniversity]

Thank you!

[@soyuntraderrentable]

Entiendo que Apollo UA sea más versatil y con mayores prestaciones, imagino que a largo plazo vale su dinero, pero para empezar y aprender durante 2 o 3 años merece la pena la opción B. Suena muy bien. Gracias por tu video, eres grande.

[@evelyntelevision]

Great comparison, thank you for this. There's more of a difference than I expected to be able to hear, and it might have swayed me to get a UAD for my next interface even though I would ideally want more inputs. But A sounded a lot more detailed than B, which sounded more focused and tight. I actually liked the sound of B more often, but that was because it sounded more like it was already mixed, whereas A sounded like it captured a lot more of the original signal and thus might need some more processing to get it sounding smooth.

[@blueswe332]

Good video. A, sounded notably more open even on my phone and I did not expect it. So I guess worth the investment for the pros. But standalone b sounds just fine, I have a focusrite myself and it is fine.

[@Livingindecibels]

Thank you so much for this video! As an audiobook narrator, I’ve been looking to step my sound up so i can go for bigger projects and audiobook publishing companies. I currently use a scarlette 2i2 3rd gen pack. I’m reallly wondering if an Apollo twin and TLM103 combo would be worth it. What do you think?

[@perrykeshahwalker5321]

I must be honest. Interface A sounded harsh in the upper mids and interface B sounded fuller and more detailed. So I guess I like the 2i2. You guys tend to forget that Rupert Neve had his hand in the focus rite designs and that man is a legend; may he rip.

[@joeferris5086]

I was 1000% sure B was going to be the duet.

[@Christopher._M]

I felt the same way.

[@leeonpiano]

True indeed. I really thought B was the Apollo.

[@mikenorrismusica]

Absolutely: for me B sound more warmer. Glad to know that my 2i2 3 gen it's an excellent interfase

[@ampinghard111]

Holy shit I thought the same… maybe it’s because I use the scarlet 2i2 so it’s what I’m used to, but that shouldn’t make it sound better to me. I wanted to make sure if I’m spending $1k on an interface it better be night and day difference. This kind of just throws another notch on the belt of skill/musical ability and mixing/mastering.

[@theplowandfluteproject5269]

Great video! Subtle difference. A for the voice and acoustic. Preffered B for the electric.

[@Fessant]

At some point at the voice samples i slightly moved my choice to the B just due to more deep and bassy sound of voice but the detailed, clear, not dirty sound of instruments on A clearly told me which interface is. Thank you for the comparison. Hope A will replace my audio DAC for music listening as grate as it does records sound.

[@znbh]

using some KZ ZS10 Pro iems into my iphone, i found more warmth in interface B. not gonna lie, i was INCREDIBLY surprised with these results, especially considering i own interface B! very nicely done on this video !

[@AudioUniversity]

Thanks, ZN!

[@arangr6457]

Thanks for the video😜

[@AudioUniversity]

Glad to help! Thanks for taking the time to watch!

[@RedCarRecords]

I agree with your opening sentiments completely. It’s so cool where we’re at with the accessibility of producing music. Unfortunately, with that comes less quality over quantity. Yet still, I think the pros outweigh the cons. Concerning the results: Wow, my initial instinct was that B was the Apollo Twin (sounded slightly nice to my ears). I’m even more content with my decision to stick with the Focusrite interfaces for now.

[@AudioUniversity]

I agree, Red_Car_Records - I’m willing to sacrifice a bit of quality if it means more musicians are empowered to create. Thanks for watching!

[@lam6291]

In all honesty I have both but I run the Apollo but I thought the same thing you did 😆 but I still am content with my choice for the Apollo yes the pres matchup but you got to consider there still a huge difference on the focus you can't run a chain of plugins live this was just him running it without any plugins clean so they match up when the Apollo has no plugins on it but once you start slapping plugins in the unison and create a vocal chain the Apollo easily is going to sound better and you can use it for live applications and especially if you're an artist like myself that loves Auto-Tune you can run it live and when you're able to do that the artist that you're recording and producing is going to perform better and when they perform better the music comes out better.

[@Clarineat]

So my question is can I get away with the Volt 476p? I don't need the onboard processing features, and it's my understanding that the pres are the same along with that great DI. Thoughts? It's 1/3 the price in Canada.

[@yosoymichaelmyers]

Do you use fl studio? I have an apollo but when I record it dont register the sound waves

[@accentontheoff]

Greetings. Have you by any chance tried the Focusrite Clarett. Is it significantly better than the Scarlett. Esp in terms of quality of audio capture. Thanks.

[@palodine1]

I actually prefer the Focusrite. my music tends to be pretty heavy on the low mids anyway, but Apollo does have some great plugins.

[@ibalrog]

In my listening environment (one person office, door open, fan about eight feet away), through my signal chain (Fiio E10 to HD600), with tinnitus on full blast, A sounded a tiny bit clearer at the high end on the acoustic guitar samples. Both sounded great, and I'm completely agreed that we're in a wonderful place where top notch gear is so affordable and prevalent. (I'll come back and give the samples another listen once I find the knob to turn down the tinnitus)

[@AudioUniversity]

Thanks for watching, ibalrog!

[@atheisthumanist1964]

B sounded warmer to me for some reason. A little more low end forward. Thought it might be the headphones (Grado SR80x), so tried a better pair (Hifiman HE 400i) with similar result. Better headphones seemed to pick up the warmth a bit more.

[@raaphor]

I was surprised to hear a difference at all, didn't expect to. Only explanation I can think of is that interface B has a bit higher harmonic distortion which gives an overall warmer sound.

[@AT-wl9yq]

You really think that?

[@DeadVidsUSA]

A is def cleaner.

[@proverbalizer]

So I closed my eyes and I was still waiting for clip B when you finished playing 😂

[@thevelointhevale1132]

Wow, well that proved my years of growing up in Recording Studios and both sitting in on and performing Sessions rubbed off somewhere. I immediately determined that A was my preference regardless of dollar value. Frankly B sounded more woolly to my ears whilst A retained a better clarity and overall fidelity.

[@thejonathandoan]

Glad to hear that I was right in my guess that A was the Apollo and B was the Scarlett. On my speakers, I was hearing a little more boom in the low mids, less articulation, and less flat response on the Scarlett, but it was pretty subtle. Good to know the Scarlett is so good for such an affordable price! I love my Scarlett 2i2 3rd Gen.

[@julianmanjarres1998]

Nothing some eq can't fix in post anyway :)

[@1megawhite]

The problem I have is when I got record soft finger style acoustic guitar. I use a Royer ribbon Mic and need the Scarlett 212 gain on max to get a good input signal. However this high gain causes a lot of hiss and hum. My wonder is this - would the Apollo interface have a cleaner input signal at high gain?

[@mr117indeinefresse]

Greatest Video on this whole entire Planet

[@MarkVO]

A sounded better to my ears. More open sound, brighter acoustics without sounding harsh. I'm glad to see I can perceive the differences in preamp quality.

[@ChieUbaldo]

Hi, Im planning to get the Apollo, but I’m not sure how I’m going to route my external effects in stereo. Here’s the chain: Guitar > External effects (stereo) > Hx Stomp > DI (Stereo XLR out) > ???.

[@ParkerCharlesGabriel]

This channel is great. No bullshit, just the facts.

[@johnnyj1966]

I listened to the samples through the speakers of my Samsung 8" tablet (only because the dang headphone socket is intermittent and only works sometimes!). However the A samples did sound slightly clearer (or cleaner) to my ears, even through the tiny speakers of my tablet. But as another commenter pointed out, a small amout of EQ would probably bridge the gap to almost imperceptible...

[@alvaxrobi]

listen carefully again.. it's all about tone and clarity bro.. and it is currently only available by universal audio for now

[@RobKingRC]

Even though I mostly use external preamp’s, I still think my 18i20 preamp’s sound nice and full and would use them on anything!

[@MichelWesterhoff]

The differences are subtle. I use a Focusrite 3th gen myself and I'm happy with it. When I listen to the differences between A and B on my HEDD Type07 MKII monitors I must conclude that the Apollo Twin is a little bit warmer. But again... the differences are subtle.

[@alvaxrobi]

listen carefully again.. it's all about tone and clarity bro.. and it is currently only available by universal audio for now

[@Wizardofgosz]

@@alvaxrobi go away

[@RudalPL]

I picked interface B in all examples as the one "sounding better". Turns out it's the Scartlett. That just makes me wonder, am I biased? I use Scarlett interfaces for a while now, first Sscarlett Solo for quite few years and about 2 years ago I upgraded to Scarlett 8i6. Is it that I am just accustomed and used to the sound of those interfaces makes me think that Scarlett sounds better?

[@AudioUniversity]

That's an interesting thought, Rudal! You might be on to something with that idea.

[@jonbradbury3843]

I don't use an audio interface, as I'm just not into that, and I found B "sounded better" to me.

[@johnnulf624]

To me, the focusrite (which I have so no hate) sounded like it had less clarity, but one could also perceive that as warmth which could be good for certain contexts.

[@alvaxrobi]

listen carefully again.. it's all about tone and clarity bro.. and it is currently only available by universal audio for now

[@holyoutcast2723]

Thank, simple easy good stuff

[@ryanwyatt8733]

Couldn't you tweak the eq on the focusrite in the post and make it sound just like the apollo?...seemed like the focusrite had a rounder sound..🤔

[@xporto6526]

The Scarlett sounds much warmer, and picks up way more of the low end, where the Apollo twin is just picking up the natural tones from the instrument/mic, it’s easy to hear the difference for me when using the electric guitar

[@davidharpersongs]

A all across the board. It's like the difference between a Camry and Lexus, there is that last 10% of elegance to it. That said, I couldn't give a crap which interface I use as long as it is quality. I still use an old Tascam from 7 years ago and everything sounds great. What does matter... and this is where you all should be focusing your time... is getting a magnificent performance captured. People will stay attentive and glued to an incredible performance that was recorded on a Tandy cassette recorder form 1981.

[@Richard110173]

Even on my iPad I heard the difference immediately. Especially the voice sounds much better with the UA interface. (I have a Focusrite 18i8)

[@miguelsalami]

I couldn't tell any difference at all! I currently use the Scarlett Focusrite Solo & for the past year it has worked great.

[@PeterSu]

Awesome a/b test thanks for sharing. My ears liked A better right away vs B for the acoustic guitar. Felt slightly more full spectrum on my car speakers with a little more low end and nice clarity in the mids seemed full. B sounded slightly more clear but slightly harsher in the high end to my ears. For the electric guitar at the end I actually thought B sounded a little better xp. Lol. I will probably hold off on getting a super expensive interface and spend my savings on improving my room acoustics first. Thanks again for sharing this test.

[@amirtak9886]

Both sound great on the electric guitar DI's, sample B was a bit more colourful but sample A was pretty close. Nice to see budget interfaces delivering almost the same performance as a high end one. I would spend a little extra over the scarlett and get an audient id4 mKII.

[@HarvinderSingh-yy8th]

On electric guitar scarlett sounds more Pleasing.

[@amirtak9886]

@@HarvinderSingh-yy8th I currently have the audient id4 mk2, and previously had a scarlett. The audient definitely sounds better

[@RetroPlus]

That's why i love my 2i2

[@yega3k]

I preferred "B" but as some comments have pointed out, this could be because it had some color (?). I chose "B" consistently for everything but the electric guitar samples sounded the same to me (listening with Scarlett 2i2 + DT770). I have a Scarlett 2i2 already so I guess I'll be staying in my lane lol

[@methinksp]

I wonder how it fares against 4th gen Scarlett. Was the improvement large enough to justify another comparison?

[@MrSomchiman]

in comparison, A is brighter, while B is more low mid frequency. And I prefer A over B, not regarding to brand or budget. Good shootout!

[@jaymzdare]

In my AirPod pro I thought the Bs had a warmer fuller midrange but both sounded good

[@randorecumbent]

Thank you for this. I came up in the time of recording on tape and when home digital recording was just starting. It cost me $1300 for a multitrack 16 bit digital audio card in the early 1990's plus $700 for a 1GB hard drive (that's right, just 1 gigabyte) so I could record "CD quality" at home. Now you can do that and better for less than $100. What is considered "professional quality" gear has become more and more affordable and the line between "consumer" and "professional" gear has become so thin as to make no real difference. I did hear a difference in the audio samples and I guessed correctly but I also wouldn't have been surprised if I had gotten it wrong. The difference was so subtle and in the high frequencies. Also the samples were already compressed by KZbin. KZbin today is filled with gear videos talking about what mic is better, etc., when you can make great music with just about everything available now compared to 30 years ago...when we were still making good music on "inferior" equipment. Don't sweat the gear. Go make music with whatever you've got. If you can touch someone with your music it won't matter what mic or interface you used.

[@AT-wl9yq]

CD quality doesn't mean anything. Its 16/44. Just a recording resolution. Try this. Record a piano using whatever equipment you think is good. Then compare it to some professional recordings. Old, new, compare it to whatever you want. Better yet, record it in 24/96 and compare it to professional CD's (16/44). You may change your mind (If you are honest with yourself).

[@randorecumbent]

@@AT-wl9yq My reference to "CD quality" was only to give an example of what was considered state of the art in the early 1990s, and yes this was marketing jargon for recording 16/44.1k. My very next sentence was that today you could do better and more for a tiny fraction of what it cost in the 1990s. What is considered a professional recording is a moving target. Commercial music mastered for distribution on 78, 45, LP, cassette & CD were all professional audio. Now we're being sold that these standards are not good enough. What is not a moving target is music that stands the test of time regardless of what format it is recorded on. For example, If one can listen to Billie Holiday on 78 sing "Strange Fruit" and *only* think it should have been recorded on better equipment, well, I'd argue that person doesn't know what music is about.

[@AT-wl9yq]

@@randorecumbent I shouldn't have made that post. I work in the industry and the biggest problem we have, by far, is getting quality recordings. Sometimes I get frustrated and let my emotions get the best of me. Its not your fault the recording industry has failed us, its theirs.

[@randorecumbent]

@@AT-wl9yq I hear you. Coming up recording on tape there was so much focus on learning about getting gain staging right, and understanding how to use EQ to compensate for how the audio prints to tape. It even gets down to what instruments you track next to each other on the tape. With digital we don't have to worry about that anymore, but the attention to that kind of detail may be what you see lacking. For me, on the equipment side, everything is so good now, so much better than the analog days for the price, there's no excuse not to do at least as well as tape regarding quality. Headroom issues are gone. I'd never ever think of printing a track on tape at -12db but we can do that now with really no quality penalty. It's easier to get a clean recording. So why do we split hairs over the differences between audio interfaces that are objectively excellent? The electronic engineers and software developers have done their jobs. We've arrived. Recording with high quality at home is here and it's easier than ever before. There's really nothing to argue over, except maybe what to do with all this bounty.

[@staysmuth]

I’ve been recording on the 2i2 lately, perfect vocal booth and great mic. My vocals always sound tinny and I hate it. I’ve researched mic height techniques, distance, etc etc Was considering switching preamps and saw this video. The second I heard your vocals on Audio B I knew it. I knew I wasn’t alone…😂

[@mattiastofte7457]

Definitely close, the only difference I noticed is that the focusrite sounds a tad more "muffled" vs the apollo. So guitar strumming and vocals is a bit "boxier". But the difference is so slight.

[@Odyseuss08]

would liek to hear the Apollo vs a Motu Ultralite.

[@in.der.welt.sein.]

I liked the sound of "B" better. Sounded warmer and fuller in the low-mids.

[@erasmomoreno9460]

I could notice that Example A had more highs or clarity and B was a bit darker. I would use these quality as color. I wouldn't say one is better than the other. I would definitely use them both for different sound capture even within a project. I do it all time, great video I really liked this one.

[@epicmetalness]

using them for "color" is stupid. the difference is so slight that the slightest bit of EQing would 100% negate any difference in "color". if you need to "color" your signal like this, then you really need to learn the basics of EQing, and audio engineering in general. just my 2 cents (and common sense if im being honest lol)

[@anhkhangshow5803]

Sound B touch me more than sound A.I guess A is UA and B is Focusrite ( like the thumbnail picture )

[@bertolbretch]

Yep there is a… difference. I’m no sound specialist. I’m a photographer first… but I’m learning like crazy about sound for the past two years, in fact since I’ve started my business training and I had to build a home studio for live iPad & iPhone training. Anyway, I « think » the B sound (sort of) a tiny bit better… so I’m guessing A is the Focusrite. Right?

[@AudioUniversity]

The answer is in the description of the video.

[@mikesmith1290]

Here’s my experience with both. I had one hell of a time recording my acoustic guitar on the Scarlet using the SM 57. The difference really was night and day when I upgraded to my UAD Apollo X Twin. The Scarlet was decent when using a condenser mic, but it would clip really quickly

[@gnoviandy3148]

thats because the differences of dynamic range, so with UA you basically can push more

[@stjomsss]

B felt so warm and it's great for my taste.

[@AudioUniversity]

Thanks for watching, Jomer!

[@joa1232]

Is it possible that the difference is not that big due to youtubes compression?

[@user-nf8jj7pz6c]

Considering headphones on a phone - B was nice on the spoken voice. Also bit more body on the acoustic. However, the electric examples were clearer or brighter on A. I thought B was the Focusrite

[@AudioUniversity]

Thanks for watching, G!

[@korkenknopfus]

I don’t have super trained ears and was hearing using normal earbuds. I tend to hear B with less middle highs/highs. But I noticed that only with the guitars. With voice I can’t hear a difference, at least in the actual conditions.

[@AstronautDown]

Thank you for this video! This comment section is very telling. First of all, it pretty much proves there is no real difference other then purely subjective (and/or biased) preference. Second of all, it shows the huge difference in the two types of people. Folk who care about the music and people who consider gear über alles. It’s particularly fun for me to see the former be like “I though B was better, oh well” while the latter go, “yeah the UA is _so_ superior” sometimes not even mentioning if it’s A or B they picked. One person even used the word “mellifluous”! Are you kidding me? Mellifluous is not a word you use for voice samples and generic guitar chords! Anyway, music is what’s important - never the gear, no matter how expensive. There is not *a single listener in the world* throughout time who’s ever said “what wonderful preamps this song was recorded through”.

[@armando9740]

Gear matters a lot but not in this case. I agree with you on what some of these fools are saying about how the Apollo sounds "much better" - what a joke - there's a slight difference but it's not an improvement either way, and definitely not a 10x improvement in the case of the Apollo. The same song could be produced twice, an Apollo version and a Focusrite version, and there will be close to no difference between them.

[@samuelgeorgejohnson3302]

Great vid, could tell the difference even through my iPhone. Voice sounded great through the Apollo, electric guitar could go either way and acoustic felt warmer and more round through the Apollo. Apollo sounded like it had less noise. Would like to hear someone else’s thoughts regarding the noise

[@kiko8u]

B sounded a little low passed with a small bump around the low mids compared to A. So which ones are which?

[@AudioUniversity]

There is a key in the description of the video. Thanks for watching!

[@musicmediaproductions]

Great video! Both similar but yet its all about your preferences and budget! At the end of the day apollo's price tag is not just because of its interface and its amazing converters but the plugin package you chose can make a big difference in price! also keep in mind one has DSP and the other doesnt! I like both and had both but we are now running apollo and notice a different when listening through monitors. and not on a youtube video that has been processed already! Believe it or not to understand and hear a difference you need to be in realtime and present! Dont get me wrong this is an amzing video and great details you provided but anything on youtbe already gets compressed and leveled for the daily listener. So if you really want to hear the difference the best way is to connect them to your monitors and hear the difference in person! When this is done you will hear apollo shine over the Focusrite! Another variable that comes into play about this, are the units usb, usbc, or thunderbolt? Beleive it or not connectivity make a difference as well Nice work on the video and hope have a great day !

[@volyumstudios]

I have both of these interfaces. The true benefit of the Apollo comes in with the use of the console software. Right out of the box, the Scarlett "sounds" more pleasing to me. Thanks for the comparison!

[@amateurmakingmistakes]

Wow! I picked B as the better sounding of the two, but I thought it was the UA. (I happen to use a Focusrite Scarlett 214, so this video pleases me no end.)

[@AudioUniversity]

Glad to hear that, Ben! Thanks for watching.

[@MurdaMetz]

It’s not so much the gear as it is the talent , arrangement and composition, i for sure thought b was the Apollo , and was wrong haha . I’m very dumbfounded that the cheaper focusrite sounded better to my ears then the higher end Apollo . I own an Apollo twin x and x16 and should have been able to notice but guess the guys at focusrite really put some magic in these cheaper interfaces . Cool Video man !

[@Travisstyles]

The scarlet is really good and has gotten even better now with the 4th gen .

[@bobcat6653]

I chose A as the better sound, most times, very subtle as you say, The Features of the UA make is WELL worth the higher cost, I speak as a UA Solo owner! Affordable hardware is good for mankind!

[@ClairvoyantEntertainment]

I genuinely convicted that B was the more expensive one as I preferred the sound of it, I am surprised. I'm also pleased as I am an owner of the 4th gen Scarlett . Happy days.

[@aaroncobeng]

Oh wow I was able to tell

[@DirtyRottenInstrumentals]

Does he hever say which is which?! I am guessing the Focusrite is A because it sounds like it has the high end boost which I attribute to it

[@pirojfmifhghek566]

Good stuff. I'd love to know more about what internal components are having an effect on the signal. I can tell that the apollo is picking up more high end stuff with much more clarity. I've personally got an SSL2 that does really well in that upper range, but I wonder what's actually doing that. I'm especially suspicious of that "4k" button for each preamp because it immediately boosts those higher frequencies. Is it post-processing trickery? From the ifixit teardown it looks like a variety of analog chips that bypass the normal circuits and give a wider band signal, but it's also noisy AF. I'm sure there's a deeper dive to be found here, because a person looking for a particular sound or a particular quality of signal might want to be aware of what those internal components are doing or seek out a device based on the components used within. Though I suppose calling that a "deeper dive" would be on par with telling someone to take a casual trip down to Mariana's Trench.

[@IndyRockStar]

With audio interfaces it's not so much about sound as it is headroom. I can hardly keep the 2i2 out of the red when using the Helix. Oddly, enough I picked B in your demo....

[@lillightstruck5378]

my apollo solo doesnt work anymore ;( normally when i put the power on it made a click sound, not anymore and my mic and headphones dont work anymore ;(((

[@MrMadhatter2000]

Thank you for reminding me that I don’t need to buy yet another piece of expensive gear and I should start to use the stuff I have and focus on building/composing my sounds. My goal is to compose and if I have a piece of music strong enough to pro record I can enlist a pro to record it. …On the other hand using all the universal audio plug ins could give me a pretty polished work that would sound fairly pro…. Ok now I’m back to wondering if I should buy it for the plug ins. Damn!

[@Wizardofgosz]

Also, I suspect the biggest player here was the different mic preamps, not the "converters" per se. I build mic preamps and such, and have lots of Neve/API/SSL clones, so I don't use the preamps in the interfaces. I used the line inputs with my external preamps. So one way to test and see how much of these differences is in the different preamps designs would be to use an external preamp and go line in for the tests. I suspect we would see no differences at all because of how flat converters have been for so long.

[@CCGbluegrass]

I had it totally backwards. It seemed that B has more bass definition (low end) on both the voice and most of the guitars and more crunch and distorted guitar definition in that example. So I guess I have cheap taste in music. LOL. Thanks for the video.

[@redeemer6828]

Writing comment before hearing the answer - B is feels much natural, warm and more representative of actual sound

[@BluesRootsMusic]

Interesting I chose B maybe because that's my interface and I'm used to its sound?

[@AudioUniversity]

Thanks for watching, John!

[@Wizardofgosz]

This test revealed what I thought it would. Some preferred one over the other, and they used the same words to describe the ones they liked and didn't. ie one was too compressed sounding, then someone else said the other was too compressed sounding. But the reality is that converters have been very flat and neutral for a decade. There is little difference. A bigger difference here might be in the differences in the two performances. You simply can not play both parts exactly the same twice, and subtle biases (because we're human and can't control it) might be working their way into the different performances.

[@trys10studios]

We need a double-blind test lol

[@Wizardofgosz]

@@trys10studios yup

[@GUiTERtUbE]

I learned dynamic listening and listen uncompressed music for years so I’m definitely sure the sample A is UAD Apollo! Let’s see 😁👍🏼