Anyone have the new SSL2/2+ yet?

Does anyone here own either of these new budget-priced SSL interfaces yet? Is the 2/2+ noticably better (in terms of A2D and D2A quality) than (roughly) equavalent interfaces from others such as Focusrite or Native Instruments?

I'm in need of a bus-powered interface I can pop in a gigbag, that has the lowest latency possible for all my precious VST synths, and 2 headphone outs with individually adjustable volume knobs... the SSL2+ is one of the few on the market that claims to be able to accomodate... and the SSL name doesn't hurt either.

Who here has already taken delivery of either model?

(mods: deleted and re-posted this after I realized General section is only for talking about Equipboard itself, sorry!)

waiting for my 2+ :-( preordered months ago :-(

and it woulda be fine to put this in general.... tis is a very general piece of equipment.

I'll be very curious to hear your assement :)

Re: General vs. DJ & Electronic:

"Forum for the community to share ideas and have conversations on how to improve Equipboard"

I read this description as "share ideas on how to improve Equpiboard & also have conversations on how to improve Equiboard"

... and a quick scan of topics in General, after I posed, confirmed this reading... nearly all were about Equipboard itself... so I deleted and moved.

The shame of having one's post moved, it burns like fire... better safe than sorry. :D

Thanks for the clarification!

my take is that if its a general piece of gear like an itnerface it can go in general, but I don't know what anyone elsethinks.... we don't move psots anyway

If you say it can go there, it can go there. I just misinterpreted/second-guessed that section's purpose.

everything on ehre is like the pirate code....more of a guideline

@Simon, thank you! So glad you're liking it... and compared to a UA Apollo Twin Duo no less? That's great!

I've got the SSL2 as I couldn't wait any longer for the SSL2+, will probably get one of those in future, and pass my SSL2 onto someone else.

thanks for the great review above... I'm no longer regretting the wait for my 2+

So how are you liking the 2+, Jim?

I haven't been using it a lot because I don't go anywhere in thiswhole plague, but it sounds hella good for a bus powered device. That's like 5 crappy volts that I guess they charge pump up considerably. I'd call it best in class. Much better preamps than a focusrite scarlet if not claret. MIDI timing's fine, latency is low if your computer is up to snuff which mine is. But as far as playback quality and latency go it ain't touching the MOTU that's installed in a rack here so its kinda sitting right now. I preordered it back before covid19 hit so I thought I would be making music on the gomore and also didn't expect to buy the motu in august etc etc. Iw as just thinking new laptop and SSL2+ then

Thanks for the detailed rundown, Jim. Much appreciated. I haven't purchased a 2+ yet for the same reason: I'm no longer taking my laptop everywhere. Powering one headphone amp and/or one phantom-powered mic off of +5v is no easy engineering feat... even Focusrite switched to PSU-power-only for the latest Scarlett that has 2 headphone outs... so I'm curious/suspicious how this thing preforms off of just USB power.

I'll be honest I've not run a condenser on it yet but I should.... I ahd no problems with the mic amps using dynamics when i did a quick test in front of a guitar amp. The headphone amp functions fine for me. Its not the ebst quality in the world but its fine. Idon't like mixing on headphones anyway, the idea of the SSL was something I could do on the go and that's more like sketchpadding ideas with softsynths and its fine for that. Fr a fixed location studio interface that you're utilizing mainly for DI synths I can't say enough good things about MOTU's 828es. Amazing sound quality in and out, good ehadphone amps, very clean pair of mic preamps that really sound good with the XLR output on an Odyssey... expandable with over lightpipe so you can add color preamps. SUPER LOW LATENCY. Like can't tell there is ANY latency even tracking with plugins on. Its like a UAD without al the otehr nonsense. And the MIDI, oh yes, MOTU know clocking. All my stuff is so tight.

I started this conversation at $280, now we're at $995... you ever work for GC or Sam Ash, Jim? ;)

I was a tech for sam ash for a day

the SSL2+ is great, if you're let down complain to my manager LOL

I was a tech for sam ash for a day

the SSL2+ is great, if you're let down complain to my manager LOL

Ha! If there's ever a place where I'd actually consider going full-Karen on someone, it's some hungover sales associate making it a total chore to shell out $$$ at GC... but, uh, don't do that folks.

on the serious side man, I've not tried the wall-wart pwoered scarlets so I can't say if they outperform the bus powered SSL headroom-wise but the SSL's mic amps want to run out of headroom :-) You'll put 4k legacy on and forget there's another option.

on the serious side man, I've not tried the wall-wart pwoered scarlets so I can't say if they outperform the bus powered SSL headroom-wise but the SSL's mic amps want to run out of headroom :-) You'll put 4k legacy on and forget there's another option.

Is there maybe a typo in there, or is running out of headroom suddenly a good thing?

I mean to say SSL preamps like most british preamps, sound great run into clipping or close to it. Its a bath of harmonic goo up to a nice broadband fuzz. Working the 2+ too hard in 4k mode definitely adds some great color at the front end, assuming you're sure that's right for your song.

I mean to say SSL preamps like most british preamps, sound great run into clipping or close to it. Its a bath of harmonic goo up to a nice broadband fuzz. Working the 2+ too hard in 4k mode definitely adds some great color at the front end, assuming you're sure that's right for your song.

10-4.

I would never have imagined something this price range to have desirable characteristics when pushed... figured it was either "clean enough" or "hot garbage"... nice to hear.