Scarlett 2i2 vs. Behringer UMC202HD

kojohns · #1 11-25-2020, 11:14 AM

Good day folks... I decided to record a little head-to-head of my super cheap setup to compare the sound quality of the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 3rd Gen vs. the Behringer UMC202HD (Midas preamps).

Both were recorded with:

Spaced pair of Sterling Audio SL230MP (great mics / very affordable $150)
Audacity at 44.1KHz (32bit float)
No effects
For the 2i2... I disabled the AIR EQ curve to keep everything flat
Lowden F35c (Redwood/EIR)

You make the call.... The Soundcloud playback was slightly warbled... so I've shared the WAV files directly from my Google Drive:

Behringer UMC202HD

Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 gen3

Comparison UMC vs 2i2

FrankHudson · #2 11-25-2020, 02:58 PM

I'll let others with better ears and experience respond, but in a short test listening on my regular monitors I was surprised at the difference in sound. One had more upper end presence (an area where my monitors can sometime sound strident, though this didn't get objectionable). The other sounded a bit more boosted in the low end and or warmer, the sort of thing I think of being closer to the mics or changing my picking might engender. The warmer one maybe even sounded a bit compressed.

Now I'm an old guy, and I'm particularly untrustworthy regarding upper end response with my ears, so I'll wait to what others say.

You seem to have done an admirable job of repeating the piece, and normalizing levels between the two tests, but I'd still assume that performance in many of us would be a considerable variable. The scientist in me would wonder what would be found if one recorded two mono tracks at the same time (one performance) with presumably matched-ish mics placed right next to each other.

kojohns · #3 11-25-2020, 03:50 PM

That’s a great idea on recording one mic to each interface. I don’t believe Audacity supports more than one recording device at a time. But if I can get two laptops running side-by-side... could definitely pull it off. I’ll try to get that setup in the future.

I hear what you hear... and what’s obviously missing is your own ear’s interpretation of the instrument. To me, the Behringer is a better representation of what I’m actually hearing. The Scarlett is coloring the tone, lacks some high end detail/depth/presence.

keith.rogers · #4 11-25-2020, 07:57 PM

It's a surprising difference. The transient response (or it seemed to me) in the Focusrite was just not there. I almost wonder if there was something wrong with the Focusrite, or if those Midas preamps have a bit of "air" built in.

Nothing against Behringer - I've owned more of their stuff than Focusrite, but my old Saffire never seemed to be any different, or at least not that audibly different, than the Behringer ADAT plugged into it.

kojohns · #5 11-25-2020, 08:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by keith.rogers

It's a surprising difference. The transient response (or it seemed to me) in the Focusrite was just not there. I almost wonder if there was something wrong with the Focusrite, or if those Midas preamps have a bit of "air" built in.

Nothing against Behringer - I've owned more of their stuff than Focusrite, but my old Saffire never seemed to be any different, or at least not that audibly different, than the Behringer ADAT plugged into it.

I’ve also wondered if my unit was bad. I’ve ordered a used 2i2 gen 3 to compare

Something to remember about the UMC Behringer preamps... they were not designed/built by Behringer. They are Midas.

phcorrigan · #6 11-25-2020, 10:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kojohns

I’ve also wondered if my unit was bad. I’ve ordered a used 2i2 gen 3 to compare

Something to remember about the UMC Behringer preamps... they were not designed/built by Behringer. They are Midas.

Behringer now owns Midas.

KevWind · #7 11-26-2020, 10:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kojohns

Good day folks... I decided to record a little head-to-head of my super cheap setup to compare the sound quality of the Focusrite Scarlett 4i4 3rd Gen vs. the Behringer UMC202HD (Midas preamps).

Both were recorded with:

Spaced pair of Sterling Audio SL230MP (great mics / very affordable $150)
Audacity at 44.1KHz (32bit float)
No effects
For the 4i4... I disabled the AIR EQ curve to keep everything flat
Lowden F35c (Redwood/EIR)

I can tell after listening back that the Behringer gain was set a little higher than the Scarlett. I should have spent some more time getting the equal... oh well.

You make the call, I know which one I prefer:

Focusrite Scarlett 4i4

Behringer UMC202HD

IMO impossible to make an informed assessment other than that the recordings sound a bit different . Two different performances,, are just that,, two different performances
And it would much much much more informative (and accurate )if you place short 3 to 5 second ,,, alternating clips from each interface, consecutively in the same sound cloud upload ( ie. 3 second clip from Scarlet then 3 seconds (same exact clip) from Beh and repeat through the entire performance. And yes the output level has to be as equal as you can get it ... Just IMO

kojohns · #8 11-26-2020, 10:14 AM

Fair... so here’s the next comparison I’ll post up in a week or so.

On order is another pair of the same mics, and another Scarlett interface to rule out a bad one.

Two computers, 4 mics in stereo... will merge the tracks afterwards and bounce back and forth between the stereo tracks.

Stay tuned...

ljguitar · #9 11-26-2020, 10:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by keith.rogers

It's a surprising difference. The transient response (or it seemed to me) in the Focusrite was just not there. I almost wonder if there was something wrong with the Focusrite, or if those Midas preamps have a bit of "air" built in.

Nothing against Behringer - I've owned more of their stuff than Focusrite, but my old Saffire never seemed to be any different, or at least not that audibly different, than the Behringer ADAT plugged into it.

Hi keith
I gave away my 2i2 and bought a MOTU M2. The Mark of the Unicorn has better headroom, more output, lower noise floor as well as individually switchable 48v phantom, actual meters for input/output, USB-C interface & power, and ON/OFF SWITCH. It's instantly iOS compliant.

Neither the Scarlett nor MOTU small interfaces are pro level gear, but the MOTU can drive a Shure SM7B without a cloud lifter (barely).

I've had 10 years of great experience with Mark of the Unicorn interfaces (in studio), and I was disenchanted with the performance I was getting from the Scarlett (I've had 2 of them).

I'm coasting…
I'm actually expecting some company to drop a more complete, and more capable small interface in the next year or two, so for now the MOTU is just a better bridge preamp/interface for me. Until that happens, the MOTU M2 works for my needs (involving video, streaming, and recording use).

Even though I had 20 channels of simultaneous recording capability to work with when I owned/operated a studio for 8 years, 95% of my recording was done with only one or two channels at a time.

So ultimately, I'm hoping/waiting for a 4-XLR-¼" in/out with USB-C power and interface, which provides pro level in/out. I've been very happy with the MOTU M2 as a base unit with my pro mics.

Just my 2-cents worth…

keith.rogers · #10 11-28-2020, 08:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ljguitar

Hi keith
I gave away my 2i2 and bought a MOTU M2. The Mark of the Unicorn has better headroom, more output, lower noise floor as well as individually switchable 48v phantom, actual meters for input/output, USB-C interface & power, and ON/OFF SWITCH. It's instantly iOS compliant.

Neither the Scarlett nor MOTU small interfaces are pro level gear, but the MOTU can drive a Shure SM7B without a cloud lifter (barely).

I've had 10 years of great experience with Mark of the Unicorn interfaces (in studio), and I was disenchanted with the performance I was getting from the Scarlett (I've had 2 of them).

I'm coasting…
I'm actually expecting some company to drop a more complete, and more capable small interface in the next year or two, so for now the MOTU is just a better bridge preamp/interface for me. Until that happens, the MOTU M2 works for my needs (involving video, streaming, and recording use).

Even though I had 20 channels of simultaneous recording capability to work with when I owned/operated a studio for 8 years, 95% of my recording was done with only one or two channels at a time.

So ultimately, I'm hoping/waiting for a 4-XLR-¼" in/out with USB-C power and interface, which provides pro level in/out. I've been very happy with the MOTU M2 as a base unit with my pro mics.

Just my 2-cents worth…

The MOTU stuff looks very good, and per Julian Krause's tests/specs, really top of the heap. The problem right now is availability, and, as you say, there's probably a shift coming as more of these consumer/pro-sumer devices pick up the next level of chip development, and, especially, the USB-C/3.x+ capability.

I've probably mentioned that I made a move from the old FW F'rite when I got a new/refurb iMac and the old Mini & Saffire landed in another room. There was bupkis to choose from, but the Steinberg UR44C has been working well. It was literally the only thing I could find with 4 mic pres (so I can leave stuff set up all the time) and USB-C/3 capability. Yes, the noise spec is high, but the reality of my space is there is so much external noise from AC compressors, pool pumps, and the constant drone of yard crews and hobby pilots it literally is inaudible. I do wish it was supported by OS X core audio, but the Yamaha driver seems stable (for the most part, with only 2 glitches in several months now that seem to be sleep related, and immediately obvious and quickly fixed with a power cycle of the unit - wish it had a power switch!). JK complains about the headphone impedance on these, but as I use a separate amp it's also not an issue.

I do expect if I'm still poking around in this stuff in a couple years I might replace it, but with the better half's looming retirement, there might be a whole lot of other changes in store, so for now it's meeting my needs.

kojohns · #11 12-29-2020, 03:54 PM

OK... had to get through the holiday... but made some time to finally get this recorded.

I utilized two pairs of identical Sterling Audio mics stacked right on top of each other and setup as a spaced pair. So one pair (to Behringer UMC202HD) was roughly 2 inches higher than the other (to Scarlett 2i2 Gen3). Each interface to independent computers running Audacity.

I made a few recordings, but this is the only one I took the time to create true side-by-side comparisons of short clips (3rd track/link). My findings were the same regardless of what I played.

The Soundcloud playback was slightly warbled... so I've shared the WAV files directly from my Google Drive:

Behringer UMC202HD

Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 gen3

Comparison UMC vs 2i2

My take: Pretty much identical to my ears... the Scarlett may be a touch warmer?