Scarlett 18i8 3rd Gen
interface_dac
$400
Used market: $190*
Specifications
4 of 13 values have a recorded source- Type
- Audio Interface·
- Ein dBu
- -128✓
- Bus Powered
- no·
- Max Gain dB
- 56✓
- Analog Inputs
- 4x XLR/TRS combo (Mic/Line/Inst), 4x 1/4" TRS Line In·
- Analog Outputs
- 4x 1/4" TRS Line Out, 2x 1/4" TRS Headphones·
- Digital Inputs
- USB-C, ADAT optical in, S/PDIF coaxial in·
- Min Usb Power W
- 0·
- Headphone Output
- Max Voltage Vrms: 1.74·
- Max Input Level dBu
- 9✓
- Max Sample Rate kHz
- 192·
- Phantom Power Provided
- yes·
- Release Year
- 2019·
Expert Audio Engineering Commentary
Gain Staging Advice
56 dB of gain, 13 dB less than the 4th Gen units. With a dynamic microphone at -59 dBV this is the generation where an inline booster starts to be a real question rather than a preference.
Amplification Warning
+7 dBu at the headphone jack is 1.74 V, and no load is stated next to it. That is modest: 250 ohm studio headphones at 96 dB/V will reach about 100 dB SPL, which is loud enough for tracking but leaves no reserve for quiet classical material.
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.
«Noise EIN -128 dB (A-weighted)»
The 3rd Gen guides print EIN as "-128 dB (A-weighted)" with no reference — dB alone is a ratio, not a level, so strictly the number says nothing. Focusrite's own 4th Gen guides write "-127dBu" in the same table position, which is why we read the 3rd Gen figure as dBu too. If it were read as dBV instead it would be 2.2 dB better than printed, which is precisely the size of error that decides whether a quiet ribbon microphone is usable.
checked 8/5/2026* Estimated with the depreciation fallback (~48% retained value). · checked on 8/5/2026