As we celebrate the best of 2021 and look forward to 2022, the Audient iD14 MKII takes the award for best new audio interface.
Despite the many and varied challenges faced by audio hardware manufacturers in 2021, we’ve been blessed with a number of excellent new audio interfaces this year. Fighting the combined forces of chip shortages, cargo ships wedged in canals and all the rest, manufacturers served up a strong selection of new interfaces. We were particularly excited by the recent arrival of the Arturia MiniFuse range, while at the slightly more premium end of the scale the Black Lion Audio Revolution 2×2 proved that smaller interfaces don’t have to sacrifice sound quality.
But if there’s one brand whose interfaces really caught our eye this year it’s got to be Audient. We loved the 4-in/4-out Evo 8 when we reviewed it back in March, praising its classy sound in a simple, compact package. Offering a bit more in terms of hands-on controls, the iD4 MKII is another solid option which arrived this year.
You really can’t go wrong anywhere in the Audient range, but if we had to pick the sweet spot, the updated MKII version of the iD14 is where our money would go. It’s a proper all-rounder, with two mic pre-amps derived from the circuits found in Audient’s high-end recording consoles, clean conversion, ADAT expandability to add further inputs and outputs, plus excellent monitor controls via the assignable iD button. Excellent quality at a very reasonable price.
Check out our list of the best audio interfaces here. The Audient iD14 MKII is in stock now, priced at £170.43.