Wave XLR MK.2
interface_dac
$159
Used market: $110*
Specifications
6 of 12 values have a recorded sourceExpert Audio Engineering Commentary
Gain Staging Advice
80 dB is the most gain in this batch by a wide margin and the reason the box exists: an SM7B at speaking distance wants about 60 dB, so there is headroom left for a ribbon. The input ceiling of 6 dBV (8.2 dBu) is high enough that the same preamp will not be embarrassed by a hot condenser. Elgato publishes no headphone voltage or output impedance at all, only that the jack is 3.5 mm and the response is quoted into 32 Ω, so the monitoring side cannot be assessed from the data sheet.
What the datasheet actually says
Quoted verbatim from the manufacturer’s own page, with the date we checked it. We state what is printed, not what anyone intended by it.
«MAXIMUM INPUT LEVEL 6 dBV»
The reference is dBV, one volt, while the rest of the interface industry prints input ceilings in dBu, referred to 0.775 V. The difference is 2.2 dB and it runs in the manufacturer's favour when the number is read as dBu: 6 dBV is 8.2 dBu, so this input actually takes 2.2 dB more than the printed digit suggests to a reader comparing it with a Focusrite or a Zoom. Elgato states on the same page that the analogue chain was built with LEWITT, which publishes its levels in dBV as well.
checked 8/5/2026«EQUIVALENT INPUT NOISE (EIN), A-WEIGHTED -130 dB»
Equivalent input noise is a voltage referred to the input and needs a reference to mean anything: -130 dBu is a level against 0.775 V, a bare 'dB' names nothing. The source impedance of the measurement is not given either, and it matters — the same preamp measured against 40 Ω reads several decibels quieter than against 150 Ω.
checked 8/5/2026* Estimated with the depreciation fallback (~69% retained value). · checked on 8/5/2026