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Today we are going to review the Audient ID14 MKII - a professional audio interface with a fairly affordable price tag. We will discuss all the features of this unit in detail and tell you what this audio interface is capable of. But before we get to the central part of our review, let's start with a little introduction/preface.
If you think that all musicians are very knowledgeable about musical instruments, musical equipment, and at least part of the music production process, you're wrong. We are all different people, we all have different experiences that have shaped us, preferences, aspirations, and ambitions. A musician can have specialized education, know the theory, sing, and play, but will never touch a mixing desk or know about the existence of compression on their record. Many musicians play their instruments brilliantly but don't know how to tune them. Even to change strings and clean their instrument, they take it to a specialist. Some vocalists sing beautifully but have no idea how to record their voices. Some musicians don't listen to music (at all!) except for the material they're working with. Some people play a lot of instruments, sing, have perfect ears, and understand studio work, but never go on stage.
And then there are people who don't play anything, don't sing, don't have any musical training, but who once got hooked on the wondrous world of sound engineering and drowned themselves in it, turning the threshold and gain knobs on their favorite EQs, compressors, limiters and all manner of other hardware and plug-ins. And what about content creators, streamers, podcasters, or videographers? You can be anything you want to be, any way you want to approach your craft, or just do it as a hobby, it doesn't matter. What does matter is that your path will probably lead you to the need to convert the analog or MIDI signal from your microphone, instrument, etc. into a digital signal so that it can be processed on a computer. That's what external audio interfaces are for. They contain an ADC (Analogue to Digital Converter) that converts the signal from analog to digital for processing and then sends it through the DAC (Digital to Analogue Converter) to outputs of all kinds for listening or monitoring.
Like many of you, we love music, but our love of music comes in many forms. Ours is not just consumption. We had to get involved in creating material, recording, and performing, but over time a very, very longstanding fascination with guitars and other musical instruments came to the surface. We knew almost nothing about how to do it ourselves and what was needed. At first, there were unsuccessful attempts with combo amps, but the neighbours for some reason get very annoyed if you play the same thing for hours on end, so we had to find ways of playing with headphones. And of course, our research led us to the little red box from Focusrite and the use of plug-ins. Can you please tell us in the comments section who else has come across this wonderful device? We know there are many of us (and we are not suggesting that this is an entry-level audio interface, just that it has its limitations).
Whilst the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 was perfectly adequate for simple guitar tasks, over time we found that certain tasks could not be achieved. For example, when connecting another pair of studio monitors, acoustic or floor wedges - the outputs were not sufficient, there were only two balanced and headphone outputs. Or the impossibility of using "tight" dynamic microphones (such as Shure SM7b, Rode Procaster, and Rode PodMic) without additional signal amplification. Turning up the gain resulted in a lot of noise and little signal at the microphone input.
And so it gradually became clear that we needed to take a step forward. There were several options, all worthy in their own way, but there are certain solutions for certain tasks, and our choice was the Audient ID14 mk2, which had just been launched. Yes, we bought this unit for our SoundGale studio a few years ago, and we have a lot to tell you about it. But before we get into the main part of our Audient ID14 MKII review and take a closer look at its main features, let's familiarise ourselves with the specifications of this audio interface.
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Best Price on Audient iD14 MKII Audio Interface
The Audient iD14 MKII is the second-generation iteration of Audient’s highly regarded iD14 audio interface, designed to offer premium sound quality & professional features at an accessible price point. |
Classic Package
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Microphone Preamplifier
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D.I / Instrument Input
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AD Converter
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Line Outputs (DAC)
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Headphone Outputs
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USB-C High Speed
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The packaging of Audient iD14 MK2 is very ascetic - a USB-C to USB-C cable, a pictorial instruction manual, and the interface itself. The cardboard box is as compact as possible. If you decide to transport the interface in a suitcase, you can transport it directly in the box if you don't have a suitable case. We mention this because the audio interface itself is a versatile and powerful combine for audio production and processing, any stage of production right out of a hotel room or anywhere else. Our team has also taken this audio interface with us on several occasions to different countries and we've found that it doesn't cause any luggage problems at all.
The aesthetic component should also be mentioned. The line was designed with Apple devices with Thunderbolt ports in mind, and it's hard not to notice that Audient ID devices are made in similar colors.
It's been three years since the Audient iD14 MKII sat on one of our SoundGale editors' desks and we haven't noticed any chips, scratches, or scuffs. The quality of materials and workmanship is simply excellent - thick aluminum front panel, metal chassis, rubber feet, quality switches, and encoders evoke the best associations. And the weight is quite impressive - 1kg, which is noticeable even if you can't immediately say so visually.
Audiophiles will be interested to know that chips from well-known manufacturers have been used to create this audio interface - Asahi Kasei's AK5574EM ADC is inside, and Cirrus Logic's CS43198 chip (still used as a DAC in dongles, DAPs and stationary devices) plays the role of DAC here.
The device's hardware makes it possible to achieve very low latency compared to the previous generation and is generally average compared to the competition. As always, it also depends on the buffer size chosen, the resolution, and the number of samples.
The difference between the ID4 mk2 and the ID14 mk2 is only in the software (or software chips) and the inputs/outputs installed - the hardware performance of both devices is absolutely identical.
What's unusual for an external audio interface is the lack of such controls:
The first thing to mention in our Audient iD14 MKII review is the intuitive mixer interface built into the system driver - after installing the latest driver, you get a handy tool that lets you customize the audio interface's inputs and outputs, and enable/disable all functions. Once installed, the driver will automatically check for updates and prompt you to install them. In the future, however, it is worth checking for updates yourself via the menu, or registering your product on the manufacturer's website, in your personal profile, and receiving email newsletters about the availability of updates and the latest company news.
By the way, are you familiar with audio interfaces that work with Apple iPad or iPhone devices? - Yes, there are quite a few, but… Well, this line from Audient can - all devices that have USB-C on board support interaction with Audient ID (and even from the first generation). To connect to devices that have a Lightning port, you need to use a USB hub to connect your iPad and Audient ID through it. In other words, the Audient iD14 MK2 can be used with almost any device running Windows, MacOS or iOS.
Almost all manufacturers of such devices also offer certain software solutions, such as free versions of VST plug-ins with trial periods, light versions of paid DAWs (Studio One, Cubase LE, Ableton Lite, etc.) so that you can start creating at least the simplest projects right away, and quite valuable sets for which you would otherwise have to pay hundreds of dollars (effect plug-ins, sound processing, various monitoring tools, libraries, virtual instruments, synthesizers and even entire courses on production).
Audient has one of the best sets for beginners and those interested in developing in this direction - this is a course Produce Like a Pro (which teaches both the basics of working with sound and mixing compositions in different genres), and access to a huge library of sounds and samples Loopcloud, and very good software synthesizers (synthesizers Retrolugue 2, GForce AXXESS & Mtron Select and Waldorf Edition 2 LE; Spitfire Audio sample instrument, which allows you to create orchestral parts), as well as speaker cabinet emulators from leading manufacturer Torpedo Wall of Sound, Strymon BigSky reverb plug-in and mastering tools from Softube. Best of all, in our opinion, is access to a trial period of Sonarworks' Sound ID Reference software, along with a further 20% discount on their product. The company is the undisputed pioneer and market leader in software solutions for correcting the sound of almost all known models of studio headphones and studio monitors with equalization. It offers correction profiles for headphones, and for monitors you can buy a special microphone for room measurement and use it to correct the sound for any room, eliminating resonance. And all this for two whole months, free of charge.
Such software kits are already the norm among audio interface manufacturers - Focusrite, Steinberg, and Presonus have all been mentioned - and can be one of the deciding factors when choosing a brand.
One of several important factors in our decision to use the Audient interface was the microphone inputs and their amplification implementation. It's important to note that while condenser microphones are easy to power up and ready to go when you get 48V, dynamic microphones are a bit more difficult. The best dynamic microphones on the market today have quite high preamplification requirements. The signal they send to the audio interface is usually quite weak and requires the use of external preamps (e.g. Cloudlifter Cl-1), which means additional budget, additional desk space, and an additional element in the chain that directly affects the nature of the signal. Just when the performance of the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 was not enough for us, we were faced with a problem, the solution to which was the Audient ID14 mk2 audio interface. Obviously, such a device reduces the load on the audio interface's preamplifiers, but our personal choice was in the opposite direction.
The built-in preamps, together with the ADC, give one of the best possible results. There is no need for additional preamplification, the signal is clean (microphone preamp noise level -131 dBu(A)), loud, very wide dynamic range, and the distortion level of these microphone inputs is very low and can be used as a reference.
The microphone inputs are as close to linear frequency response as possible, with a slight rise from -2 at 10 dB when the gain control is turned to maximum (which is quite possible with the Shure SM7b). With the gain at 50%, the response is almost perfectly flat, without the aforementioned slight attenuation at the bottom.
For use with condenser mics, as already mentioned, even the simplest interfaces are usually sufficient, as the bottleneck here will be the noise level of the microphone itself - so it's important to choose mics with a low noise level. Dynamic range is also very important for condenser microphones. Again, the ID14 and ID4 are among the market leaders at 113 dB (A).
In general, the microphone inputs of the ID line are one of the best solutions in terms of all the indicators, and in some characteristics, they are even the market leaders (among all the audio interfaces available on the market, together with those that have a price tag of more than $1000).
The picture is also quite clear for instrumental inputs. One of our tasks was to find a device that would reduce the influence of static current and allow the signal to travel with as little delay as possible.
On this card, the line inputs have an almost perfectly flat frequency response from 10 to 40 kHz, and the 125 dB(A) dynamic range is a significant improvement over the previous generation. Equally important is the ultra-low distortion performance, which guarantees a conventionally perfect and accurate signal reproduction in any loudspeaker system.
This combination of ultra-high dynamic range and ultra-low noise makes Audient ID line outputs truly transparent and accurate.
A rather niche feature also worth mentioning in our Audient iD14 MKII review - is Talkback! It is activated in the driver's system mixer using the TB button. The main idea is to communicate with a person who is isolated in a separate acoustically designed room. This allows you to give comments or instructions to the performer, voice actor or anyone else through their headphones. Usually, when you enable this function, you don't want the signal to go into the overall mix, so it's routed to one of the custom outputs (CUE-A or CUE-B) in the mixer - it's possible to customize different devices for the Talkback input signal (webcam microphone, connected external devices, etc.), and the level of the custom output is also adjustable by a separate slider in the mixer. A pre-assigned ID button can be used for activation.
The CUE-A and CUE-B custom outputs are another unique feature of the unit. They can be used to adjust the sound of the mix for individual performers. For example, a singer in a band might want to hear more of his voice or less of the band - no problem! Set his headphone output to CUE-A on the panel and use the sliders to adjust the desired configurations. Voila! Now the main mix is separate and your singer gets a modified, more personalized signal. The same can be done for the participants in a podcast you're recording.
The ability to control parameters using the main encoder is very useful. To do this, simply set the ID button in the mixer's control panel to ScrollControl mode. Now, pressing the ID button will activate this mode, and wherever you can adjust parameters with the mouse wheel, you can do it with the Encoder! This is necessary for changing parameters in live mode, for example, when a particular effect needs to be changed during recording (or already during editing) according to the engineer's ideas - for example, "drawing" the automation curves of a particular effect, the length of reverb tails, compression levels, equaliяation parametrics, panning, volume, project tempo and so on. All you have to do is point the mouse and turn the encoder. Best of all, it works not only in your DAW, but also in any other program - DaVinci Resolve, Photoshop, in Windows when scrolling through lists or parameters, and even in a browser.
The point is that even with the most sensitive touchscreens on laptops, or separately, you can't set certain parameters precisely because you're always skipping back and forth between the marks you want, but with an encoder, scrolling becomes smooth (remember the photos of videographers using scroll wheels to control parameters - this is the same thing).
An interesting feature of the Audient iD14 MKII audio interface that we couldn't resist mentioning in our review. What we didn't expect was the advanced override and redirection capabilities implemented with the native driver and loopback function. In simple terms, you are given the ability to programmatically control and redirect all inputs and outputs for any, even the most unique scenarios. It would be time-consuming to list all the scenarios, but we'll give you just one very telling example. It's quite simple, but multi-step, so I suggest you follow the diagram for convenience:
Imagine you're holding a guitar (microphone), your computer, and an Audient ID14/24/44 mk2 soundcard (the newer ID4 mk2 models and the previous series don't have these features). Normally, when you plug your guitar into the card, you send your signal to a sequencer program (another DAW), where you use the power of the sound card to process the signal with plug-ins. For example, you can add gain, cabinets, effects, equalization, and so on to the guitar. Remember that if you connect any device that sends a MIDI signal to your computer, you can assign encoders or switches (or even pads or keys) on that device to control plug-in parameters in your DAW.
A normal external audio card could only pass the signal through its outputs. But not Audient! Loopback can take specific outputs (such as the master from your DAW, or individual tracks from your project) and route them separately to another device on demand. Let's say you have a game running on the same computer (Counter-Strike 2 or any VALORANT) and you communicate with other players using a microphone that has its own input in the interface. So, if you change this input from microphone direct to loopback, which has already picked up your guitar signal and the same (!) microphone from your DAW, you can use switches directly in live mode to change the pitch of your voice (make it higher or lower), apply various effects to your voice (which streamers often get with a separate device like Rode Caster), and while waiting for your move/landing/lobby, entertain your teammates and spectators by playing guitar! After that, the only thing you need to do to finalize the result is to create a scene in your streaming software (e.g. OBS) that collects several digital audio inputs and sends the total signal to your Twitch/YouTube stream or any other platform (don't forget to add a webcam signal, because what is a stream without a "webcam"? The card will pull more than that!) That's it, you're a streamer with a powerful setup and unique tricks on the stream! But more generally, this tool will be useful to anyone who needs to record podcasts in high quality, as the logic of building a complex circuit with good sound design direction requires exactly the kind of flexibility that Audient's loopback feature provides.
It's also possible to send a signal from outside your DAW into it (for example, audio from any website in your browser) for recording and further processing.
The available power of the Audient ID14 mk2 sound card is not only sufficient for processing one or more signals but also for more complex operations. And there could be many more such unique scenarios! The main thing to remember is that the settings will be different on different systems, and on different DAWs - we have spent some time on the forum of our basic DAW trying to work out the circumstances for our own tasks, and you may have to do the same, through various so-called "remapping presets" and various channel redirection matrices. However, general instructions are available both from the Audient manufacturer on YouTube and from enthusiasts who have already encountered almost every possible scenario for using this technology.
The only thing we didn't need was to increase the number of inputs. But this is possible with the digital connection.
Using an SPDIF connection with a suitable mixer or preamp, you get two additional channels (+2 main channels on the card). This is useful if you have such equipment and are recording several artists.
A more advanced type of digital ADAT connection allows up to 8 streams to be fed through a single cable from a mixing console that also supports this type of connection. This makes it possible to record an entire drum kit with ten microphones, which can be routed through the sound card as separate tracks in your DAW. Or record a whole group of musicians at the same time. Or use an external mic preamp to capture the voices of your podcast participants. For the drummer, for example, there is a separate console with pre-adjusted settings (it will not allow you to adjust all the microphones separately, but it is suitable for "live" and just in tight conditions), the signal from it we send to the general console stereo cable, there is already ready signal of vocals or vocals, bass, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, synthesizer, brass microphones (up to 10 inputs in total), and then each instrument will have a separate track in your DAW, on which you can make additional settings in the form of equalization, compression, saturation, limiter and so on.
If in the past you would have needed rack-type units with many inputs (and a lot of money), there is now an intermediate option that will solve many problems for both the average musician and the professional.
Amplifying the headphone output and listening to music on the headphone output
The headphone output has a perfectly flat frequency response in the specified range of 10-40000 Hz. An unusual feature, however, is the high input impedance (~22 ohms), and the peculiar structure of the amplification chain requires the use of headphones with an impedance of at least 75-80 ohms for critical listening levels (e.g. MOTU M2 and Focusrite Scarlet 2i2 of the 3rd and newer generation have a much lower headphone input impedance and are better suited for beginners and those using low-impedance headphones - their input impedance is ~0 ohms).
The entire Audient ID range can easily outperform even high-impedance full-size headphones. Even at an impedance of 300 ohms the card delivers 76 mW, and at 600 ohms (!) 41 mW - which is exceptional. And it is important to note that this high performance is achieved thanks to the USB-C connection interface. And if the sound card is used with a USB-A to USB-C connection (yes, you can), the output power to the headphones will drop dramatically. The audio interface should therefore only be used with a USB-C to USB-C connection in order to achieve the performance specified by the manufacturer.
Distortion is very low, ranging from -96 dB (32 ohms) to -100 dB (300 ohms), and the headphone output itself is extremely quiet thanks to the excellent work of the engineers. Because the volume is controlled digitally, the channel balance is perfect - 0 dB. This means that the L and R channels are always perfectly balanced. The crosstalk is 79 dB, which is very important for an accurate stereo image.
If you are interested in headphone outputs in audio interfaces, we recommend you to get acquainted with Arturia audio interfaces that also have powerfull enough headphone outputs. On our resource you can find detailed reviews of Arturia MiniFuse 1, Arturia MiniFuse 2, Arturia MiniFuse 4 audio interfaces.
The monitor outputs are balanced and have excellent performance - 125 db(A) (A-Weighted) dynamic range; THD+N - 0.0006%; Crosstalk >120dB. With an operating range of 10Hz to 40kHz, this sound card provides reference sound for any application.
No offence, but it's been a few years now and none of the existing manufacturers have ventured to release anything similar. One name that will be able to compete favourably with Audient ID devices is Solid State Logic SSL (SSL 2, SSL 2+, SSL 12). In terms of features, these units can be considered very strong, and even have certain advantages (in the form of direct inputs/outputs from MIDI devices, more possible input channels when expanding), but the price of the older model is quite high, and the newer ones do not have similar Audient software "features". The dynamic ranges of the inputs are quite close, and the noise of the input amplifiers on the microphone inputs is also in parity. However, the SSL's line inputs have a noticeable noise floor during recording that even the cheaper Focusrite Scarlet doesn't have. The SSL's headphone gain is quite modest, and you'd have to think twice about using it for headphone work only. The Focusrite Clarett 2+ Pre, for example, is more suitable for such work - very good headphone gain, better microphone preamps in terms of dynamic range (even better than the Audient ID), but more noise at this gain (which is not good for working with dynamic microphones) and a much higher price (almost x2 the cost of the Audient ID14 mk2). For this reason, these devices should always be chosen for specific tasks, not according to mood or the colour of the packaging.
Finally, we've reached the end of our Audient iD14 MKII review, it's time to summarize the results. But it's hard to compete with devices that have a precise positioning in terms of consumer needs. Audient ID has made a certain bet that will suit a very wide range of consumers - it's a USB-C interface that has a high ability to power the device; it's not just the internal signal processing and quality capabilities, no - it's also a perfectly implemented driver integration with Windows, MacOS, iOS; the ability to connect two pairs of monitors, two pairs of headphones simultaneously; a separate 48V power supply for each microphone input, and much more.
Yes, this is not an entry-level product, and for many of you, this will be enough for the most basic of needs - others may not need the unique features of Loopback, and thus retain almost all the benefits of the ID line in a smaller package (ID4 mk2), or generally turn to a more popular but more interesting product in a red box (Focusrite Scarlett). You may be tempted to go for a solution that goes against the logic of other people, but is much better for you! But one thing you can't take away from Audient ID is its modernity. It is thanks to their conceptual thinking that this range of devices, and the Audient ID14 mk2 in particular, have reached a very high level, and only time and the needs of users will tell whether they will survive in a very competitive market of similar devices.
We hope you enjoyed our review of the Audient iD14 MKII audio interface. Please feel free to leave your comments, questions, and suggestions in the section below. We will be happy to answer them all as soon as possible. If you already own Audient iD14 MK2 and have used it for a while, don't forget to share your impressions and tell us what you liked or disliked about this audio interface.
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