Xcellent

A very good interface looks good sounds good and works well... What else???

From Gear Setup

Beautiful piece of gear

I previously had (and reviewed here on Equipboard) the Volt 2, but it had some minor quirks I wasn't enjoying so I decided to replace it with the 276 mainly due to better control layout and proper visual metering, but I was also curious about the compressor. I was pleasantly surprised by the upgrade and can say the 100€ price difference is worthy, and not just because of the compressor. I'm not sure if the Volt 2 has a different Quality Control (maybe the 276 has tighter tolerances?) but really the 276 feels a bit better in almost everything, so here are the 4 main differences I noted between the two units I tested:

• Layout and metering are obviously much improved on the 276, the Volt 2 front panel was just too crowded and made me accidentally hit wrong buttons. Operating the 276 is way more convenient.

• It's heavier and bigger! Now I can switch the power button without pushing the unit out of it's place.

• Headphone amp on the 276 definitely has a bit more power, at least on my units. Julian Krause didn't notice it in his measurements, that's why I'm guessing it has to do with tighter QC on the 276.

• Monitor knob on the 276 feels to have a bit less steep logarithmic curve, in other words it feels more linear compared to the Volt 2.

• 276 doesn't make speakers pop when turning on power, unlike my previous Volt 2.

• And of course, the 276 has the built in compressor/limiter.

If none of these are important to you then I suggest you spare yourself 100€ and check out the Volt 2, as it sounds just as good as the the 276.

The interface is solidly built, sounds terrific and has a really nice design with that vintage mojo to it. I like it's "vintage" EQ setting and found the compressor very useful to limit and beef up piezo equipped guitars.

As for the compressor, "inspired by the UA 1176 limiting amplifier"... Of course it's not even close to an 1176, I'm really not sure what kind of circuit it is, but my guess is just a very simple FET limiter/compressor. You can't blame Universal Audio for the Marketing, and you can't expect for it to behave like a unit that costs 10 or 20 times more... Switching it on it boosts your signal by +7dB, which also raises noise floor (as expected). The FAST preset is nicely tuned for the maximum gain of the 276 preamp so that you can never actually never clip your signal, it limit's it (very hardly indeed) to -3dB, even if you use boost or overdrive pedals. It has a fixed ratio of 6:1, and the 3 different presets have different values of attack and release. According to the manual these are the values (approximated):

• VOC Attack 2 ms / Release 300 ms
• GTR Attack 1.5 ms / Release 700 ms
• FAST Attack 30 µs / Release 35 ms

Since you can't clip your input using the FAST preset it makes me guess that the compressor circuits are placed after the preamp and before the AD conversion. This is a unique feature on the Volt 76 range, since it allows you to intentionally generate from light to pretty intense analog distortion without clipping the digital converters, which really lends itself to experimentation, like you would on an analog console. I found myself using the unit standalone without plugging it to a computer (yes, it's possible!) using a 5V phone charger (don't risk plugging anything with more than 5V!) and enjoy really dirty console like distortion, using the fast setting on the compressor you guarantee your converters never clip (thanks to ultra fast attack time). Actually you can power it and play "direct" standalone from a 5V phone charger with both USB-C and standard 5.5mm x 2.1mm barrel DC connector, center negative! The unit even recalls your last settings compressor and vintage settings after power cycling, really nice touch!

If you think about it you actually get no one, but two independent compressors, one for each input, as simple as they are it's a feature that adds value to the Volt 276 IMO. There maybe some very nice compressors on the market around 100-150€ price range, like the Wampler Ego Mini, and you can say that's a way more flexible compressor, yes, but the convenience of having a simpler compressor that's built into a bus powered audio interface with xlr combo inputs and phantom power, that might appeal to a lot of people.

Overall I liked the Volt 2 very much, but I gotta say I love the Volt 276. I highly recommend both.

I hope UA adds loopback functionality in future firmwares and develops some kind of virtual console. If you could tweak the compressor values and direct monitoring level on this hypothetical virtual controller (it must be possible since the analog compressor is most likely digitally controlled), that would definitely place the 276 as the new King of non DSP audio interfaces.

Oh, and for guitar players, there is an AMAZING discount for Softube's Marshall Plexi Super Lead 1959, the plugin costs 100€ but registering your device you get something like 85% discount!! I just payed 12€ for it!I honestly think it's one of the best Marshall plugins out there.