MOTU M2 Reviews

Great audio interface

- Great audio quality - Loopback - Individual phantom power on each preamp - LCD level meter - Works flawlessly without any configuration on Linux (Fedora) - Solid build quality - Metal case feels robust - Sleek, black look Overall a great audio interface. I highly recommend it.

Quality Audio Interface

Still going strong after 3 years of use. As of now I mainly use it with Lewitt LCT 440 PURE and Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro and they both sound great with mininal THD. The only thing I wish was also possible is, that there would be an option for dimming the LCD display or that you could turn it off completely. So 4/5 on the features. All in all, I highly recommend it.

Overall a good product!

I decided to launch myself in the sound production world with this product and overall, it's a good one! I'll be testing the midi outputs soon. You should give it a try!

Quality Compact Budget 2-Input Interface

I was looking for really compact, transportable, bus-powered interface with very low-noise mic preamps and a decent headphone amp and the MOTU M2 fulfils that. I was not interested in on-board processing such as Air mode (Focusrite) or 4k (SSL) as all of that can be done in the DAW. After some use it is still almost all positives but I will list the couple of things that hold it back from being perfect... for me. POSITIVES: - smaller dimensions that the direct competitors - very clean mic preamps (-129dBu EIN) - decent amount of gain (60dB), although less than the Focusrite 2i2 4th gen which has 69dB. - gorgeous screen with detailed coloured level meters for both inputs and outputs - bus powered - powerful and transparent and noiseless-sounding headphone amp, even with relatively high-impedance headphones - built-in 5-pin MIDI in and out - good build quality. Some reviews have highlighted some lateral movement in the dials - mine doesn't do this so maybe MOTU has addressed this - switchable 48V phantom power on *each* channel - nice rubber feet - won't slide around the desk - loop back (see caveat below) NEGATIVES: - there doesn't seem to be any way to gang the gain levels for channels 1 and 2. This would be important for stereo recording in XY, ORTF etc. This is one area where I think the Focusrite 2i2 has an advantage MINOR - loop back only appears as additional inputs within a DAW. What this means is that once the MOTU driver is installed, device software inputs 1 and 2 are whatever is plugged into physical inputs 1 and 2 on the M2 only, device software inputs 3 and 4 is the looped back stereo sound received from the computer into the M2, and device software inputs 5 and 6 are a mix of both the physical inputs and the looped back computer audio. This is quite a flexible arrangement when working in a DAW but when using something with less flexibility such as Audacity or OBS this can be an added complication. I am coming from Zoom's implementation of loopback where it is a switch made on the hardware which them simply mixes the loopbacked audio in with the hardware inputs (like inputs 5 & 6 on the M2). This has always been sufficient flexibility for me. - bundled USB cable a bit short - no dB indications on meters - hard to see the benefit of the 32-bit float implementation on the M2. It is not like the implementations on field recorders like the Zoom F series or the Sound Devices Mix Pre series where it removes the possibility of clipping the sound file. You still need to watch you gain setting; exceeding 0dBFS results in clipped audio. I think the converters are just 24 bit and then this is converted to 32-bit format. In summary, a great little budget interface which I can recommend.

Motu M2 - Amazing !

I am loving the quality of the sound also the power on this thing. It handles my 250 Ohm headphones with ease ! Great audio card ! Also i have finally got rid of this noise from my monitors that i had before.

Great product

I'm really satisfied with this audio interface, it's very straight forward to use.

The quality is impressive for the price, it has good headphones quality as well and no crackling.

I've seen people complaining about the supposedly bad windows drivers, but I'm happy to say that I haven't had any issues so take that as you will.

Bang for the buck

The number of possible uses of that audio interface for the money you need to pay is hard to conquer.

A huge plus is possible of paring it with for instance Beyerdynamic 880 dt pro 320 ohm with no additional devices.

Super

Super satisfied with the device. Does everything it promises and does it well.

Great product!

Sounds great, easy to use. Loud headphone amp works great on 250 Ohm headphones.

Looks nice too

Excellent audio interface

Excellent audio interface

pros

- made of rather thick metal. Weighty (a controversial plus but I like it)

- There are separate gain knobs for both mic inputs

- you can connect different types of microphones at the same time, because you can turn on phantom power for only one input (or both)

- you can give different levels of gain to different microphones

- good headphone amplification (250 ohm headphones are quite loud)

- usb type c connection

- separate volume control for headphones and monitors

- There are balanced and unbalanced outputs

- works without problems with windows and poppy (didn't check with linux)

- no external power required

minuses

- no xlr outputs, but devices of a completely different price range usually have them

- I would like to have a little more gain for microphones by about 15-20 percent in order to have a margin.

I can’t say anything about the work of midi devices, because I don’t use them

The controversial moment is the front connection of microphones. For some people it is more convenient to connect at the back. But this is not a plus or a minus, but rather a matter of habit.

The best for this price

Great sound, sturdy build, simple to use, good headphone amp and that small display is incredibly useful!

Fantanstic quality and usability

I've spent quite some time researching the market for the best balanced audio interface for my needs - record voice and electric guitar.

The best review I've seen is from Julian Krausse on YouTube, really deep technical analysis and comparison, watch it!

Now Motu M2 may cost above average for this user level devices, but I think it's worth it. It's just amazingly perfect in all aspects, but I'd mention 2 things:

- do upgrade firmware, I did have occasional weird noise in monitoring channels, and upgrade solved it

- power is just enough to drive Sony MDR-7506, maybe it will not be enough for some monitors with higher input impedance, but probably it's still better than other interfaces

Perfect replacement for my Scarlett interface

Got rid of the driver issues that plagued me from the very beginning with my Scarlett Solo interface. I could not be more satisfied with my purchase as I have had zero issues so far, also the small LCD comes in handy.

Amazing features, but mine came with a poor sound

Would love to keep it but came defective, time to time the sound makes a huge hiss. Tried with a different cable, it was better but still nit perfect. Drivers were up to date.

But when the sound was audible, it was very pleasant. Lots of power. But feel it wasnt as open as the Audient id14 per example.

Beautifully well build on the outside. Feel robust and lovely on hand.

Decided to return it and order another audio interface, unfortunately.

Would give 4 stars on sound and 5 on quality, if it wasnt this problem.

Looks like I am not the only one having this issue.

The best in it's class

I have bought it after many recommendations from my friends and never regretted it. Mic preamps are top notch and powerful, headphone output is very, very low on noise, really helpful monitoring buttons, a pretty bright display. The only thing I'd like to have is the second headphone output but I can do with one.

Worth its price

Works just as you expect it to work. Display helps a lot.

Great value for a spectacular interface

Looking at its specifications and what it offers, it's definitely one of the best and if not the best audio interface in the price range!

Amazing sound-card!

I use it with PC and with my Macbook and Traktor DJ +Z1, X1. Really love it. Small size but it gives really high quality.

Great product for a good price

I bought it to replace my Audient id4 mkI since I needed the Loopback feature - and it works very well. I find it much more intuitive in use and the latency is much lower than id4's.

Order it one and a half year ago, had 2 times issue with Phantom Power Stopped working, overall good sound quality and good audio interface, when it works.