AudioBox USB 96 (25th Anniversary)
interface_dac
$129
Used market: $75*
Specifications
6 of 12 values have a recorded source- Type
- Audio Interface·
- Bus Powered
- yes·
- Max Gain dB
- 35✓
- Analog Inputs
- 2x XLR/TRS combo (Mic/Instrument)·
- Analog Outputs
- 2x 1/4" TRS (Main), 1x 1/4" TRS (Headphones)·
- Digital Inputs
- USB 2.0·
- Min Usb Power W
- 2.5✓
- Headphone Output
- Max Power mW: 60 · Max Voltage Vrms: 1.897 · At Impedance ohms: 60·
- Max Input Level dBu
- -3✓
- Max Sample Rate kHz
- 96·
- Phantom Power Provided
- yes✓
- Release Year
- 2020·
Expert Audio Engineering Commentary
Gain Staging Advice
35 dB is the least gain of any interface in this batch, and the -3 dBu input ceiling is the lowest. Read the two together: this preamp is built around condenser microphones at close range. The instrument input on the same box is specified at +5 to 50 dB — fifteen decibels more than the microphone preamp gets, which is the reverse of the usual arrangement.
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.
«Professional-quality mic preamps: … this low-noise, high-headroom design with 35 dBu of adjustable gain and switchable 48V phantom power»
Gain is a ratio and is measured in decibels; dBu is an absolute level against 0.775 V. '35 dBu of adjustable gain' mixes the two. The specification table lower on the same page gives the quantity correctly as 'Microphone Preamp Gain Control Range (± 1 dB) 0 dB to 35 dB', and that is the figure the catalogue stores.
checked 8/5/2026«Microphone Preamp Common Mode Rejection Ratio (1 kHz, 55 dB Gain) > 45 dB»
The common-mode rejection is specified at 55 dB of gain, while the same table states the preamp's gain control range as 0 to 35 dB. One of the two figures does not describe this preamp. The 55 dB condition matches PreSonus's XMAX preamps in other products, which suggests the row was carried over.
checked 8/5/2026* Estimated with the depreciation fallback (~58% retained value). · checked on 8/5/2026