SSL 2+ Reviews

Unbeatable and the best for the price

There is nothing on the market that could even be comparable to the SSL2 + in this price range, it works immediately after connecting to a Mac, Windows needs to download the driver - 10 seconds and the matter is settled, the operation is very easy even for someone who has not dealt with any interface, the manual explains literally everything, the rest depends on your hearing and the quality of the input signal and monitors. Very high quality SSL plugins included.

Very well product!!!!!!

I use it to connect my MacBook to my microphone and also my Adam T5V monitor and it does it’s work very well! The 4K button is very very very good. It is the most advantage of this little thingy. This is also why I choose this audio interface. There is still something I don’t really like about is that the headphone jack places backwards and my headphone line needs to cross the audio interface. Also the meter is nonsense. It shows not enough information but you can still get the basic volume information on it. The connectivity is awesome though. I can get midi in and out and also rca input and output. Therefore I can connect it to my ILoud micro monitor instead. The build quality is also awesome. The texture is very good for me and it impresses me when I first get the product. The look of the audio interface is also cool. It gives me a professional impression. Also, the sound it records is pretty awesome due to its price. I can bet that this audio interface does its thing more than its price. I would recommend everyone with a limited budget to get this awesome and wonderful audio interface!

awesome

I have owned original SSL G series channel outboard gear and bus compressor. Amazingly, this inexpensive piece of kit adds a taste of that magic. Cannot recommend highly enough. Being USB powered it has become the core of my portable studio when hooked up to my MacBook Pro.

nice interface love that 4k button

very happy with this interface

I'm writing this review after working with the SSL 2+ for about 5 months now.

I'm very happy with this product, it is build as tank and looks stunning but the most important thing: it sound amazing! The preamps are warm with enough clarity, the 4K option is brilliant as well because my voice can sound muddy.

Best of the Best

Best Audio Interface on the market !!!

ontstabiele drivers (MAC)

I have a MacBook pro 13" 2017 model and it did work at the beginning. Now after a resart it stopped working at the second day, showing input while nothing plugged in and no output. Rebooting, replugging interface etc, nothing works and driver can't be reinstalled (plug and play for mac). Probably a manufacturing error but I am sending it back and won't order again, my faith in this interface is long gone.

My current interface DualPre is 1/3th of the price and works even better driver wise. I found new appreciating for the smooth working interface I already had. So thanks for that SSL2+.

Great interface!

Currently used directly with Neumann TLM 102 and AKG P120 microphones for recording audio into Maschine and Reaper DAWs with the 4K emulation enabled.

Very happy!

Pretty good, although I must admit it will suffice, I'm looking forward to just buying something much better.

As every cheap audio interface, it has a loud noise floor static sound which I'm done with.

If you have the money, I'd suggest going for only the following brands for interfaces: Universal Audio, Apogee or RMS. Even if it's barely over $500.

Just don't bother buying cheap interfaces unless you'll be working towards any of those.

Great for collaborations and hi-fi recordings in desktop format

The value in this interface is awesome:

It hardly sounds any different than top-tier interfaces.

It provides 2 fully customizable channels and every control you'll ever need on an interface.

It has 2 very good headphone jacks. This is great for monitoring vocalists professionaly or any recording of 2 simulatenous sources without external amps.

The 4K really breathes life into some recordings, specially guitars without external amp and vocals recorded with mics like the SM7B.

The build quality and knobs feel great. Maybe the buttons not so much (small deal).

The only "downside" is that it is, in my opinion, too heavy and fragile to be really portable, it feels more like a desk device. However, it can surely be transported in its box with some caution.

Quality sound, not so great build

Having had Apogee Duet, Apollo (Silver) and Focusrite Cards before, I can confirm that the sound quality is on par with Apogee or UAD.

The sturdiness of the build though is not that great. One of the "4k" buttons fell after clicking it 10 times max.. While the front and back plate are metal, the side is made of plastic which give it a cheap feel.

The meters are stepped way too wide.

The knobs are great though.

Wonderful Tool

I own several audio interfaces for my macbook, ipad and PC. The SSL 2+ is so far the best among the others.

It provides clarity of sound, wonderful preamp (with 4K), and good power for my Beyerdynamic headphones.

What a nice thing, SSL?

I couldn't believe it!

I left the device working for a week on macOS Mojave, without shutting it down, haven't got any issues.

Pros:

- Super clean sound, nice dynamic range.

- Very easy to deal with.

- Beautiful and sturdy design and knobs.

- Worked with macOS in seconds, no driver to install, nothing.

- Very cost effective.

Cons: ( Not actually! )

- I prefer if the headphone jacks were in front instead of the back.

- I wished if the LED mic gain meters were a bit longer.

- I miss a LED meter for the master level.

- I wished if we get a software mixer to do some useful routing.

Still, should be one of the best sound cards in the market, I used it side by side with Apollo Twin ( silver ), I loved the sound on SSL more. more defined, more dynamic ( about 10-15% better).

You won't regret buying, don't hesitate, do it.

Amazing

Great interface for the price!!!Analogue sound with the great 4k mode!!!

Ssl products are always good...i can not wait for an 8 or 16 I/O model

Great Interface

Does exactly what its suppose to. Sounds great to.

Best A/I for under £300.

Absolutely brilliant interface. Preamps are crystal clear and unit has more than enough gain on board. Especially for those quite SM7B's

Neat little audio interface

After about a month of use, I really struggle to point out something that I find difficult to live with, considering how much it costs for the results it gives. Having the controls on the top is more convenient for my use case, since I have instant view of the state of it at a glance, and don't have to kneel down to look at tiny screens and fiddle with menus, or try to figure what's the level on a knob with a diameter of a toothpick on the front instead of the top of the device. Which brings me to the lack of the software mixer, which may be a deal-breaker for some, but to me is a convenience since you do all the routing on the hardware itself and don't need to dial anything with mouse and keyboard on a monitor, except the buffer size on the audio driver. 2 permanent licenses for Pro-level SSL plug-ins, plus 8 others for 6 months trial is a deal on it's own, plus the rest of the software bundle that comes with registering it online.

Pros:

To me, being bus powered was my number 1 goal towards portability and my intent to use it. Preamps sound very honest, 4K button gives that hint of 'air' in the microphone, and any signal coming through it. Also having 2 separate headphone outputs is an extra that you'll appreciate greatly when you really need it. I've run 2 pairs of 250 ohm headphones simultaneously, and it is more than capable of driving them at more than adequate volume levels. 2 sets of RCA and 1/4 jacks outputs is welcomed too for flexible monitoring. Knobs feel solid, and the big one literally goes to 11, LOL.

'Cons':

It's fairly well put together in general, only maybe the 4K and +48v/line/hi-z buttons feel a bit wobbly on touch, but I've seen much much worse build devices that cost 5-6 time than this one. 10dB jump VU meters is not hugely informative for precise levelling of coarse, but I kinda see it more as a sort of a visual resemblance from other SSL products, but it's definitely a way to guide you if your input signal is clipping or coming in too quiet.

In overall, it does what it says on the tin very effortlessly and leaves you smiling, with some spared cash in your pocket. You'll be hard pushed to not like it in this price range.

Perfect for smaller projects

I have used a Steinberg UR28m before, and switched to this one.

Pros:

- Very clear sound, my mixing was getting much better than the UR28m

- I used the 4k legacy effect on my tracks, which gave it a nice touch

- Headphones are also very good

Cons:

- I came across the problem of buffering, I am a producer who uses a lot of heavy VST's, and I instantly run into a buffering sound issue at the highest sample rate of 2048ms. The UR28m did much better here, especially with the SoothEQ vst.

- SSL plugins did not work in Cubase 9.5 for me and were automatically blacklisted :(

Conclusion:

Awesome soundcard if you are running not too much plugins in your projects. I use Cubase 9.5 pro. Because I need more power and input/outpus for my projects, I returned the SSL2+ and switched to the higher price class Antelope. So I rate this product as 4 stars if I compare price/quality.

SSl 2+

It's a real good audio interface for the price you pay.

After a month I am still happy with it.

Also, the vst plugins you get with it are great.

The only downside is the one trs jack output.

Before I forget the 4K add a high-end sound to your microphone. Its sounds ok with better microphones.

Low Cost - High quality Interface

I am very pleased, it's just a basic interface with 2 inputs, but it does it's job and has a very low signal to noise ration. It's enough to drive my Shure SM7B, and the "4k" button makes the SM7B sound much brighter then usually. The Headphones amps are sounding very good and can drive 250 Ohms Headphones with 30% Gain. The knobs look way less good then how they feel. They sit tight don't feel cheap. The big knob for the speakers comes in handy as well.

Overall a good interface for a good price! Would recommend.