Tascam Series 102i

Great sound at a few compromises

Starting from the cons, the most relevant problem I encountered is with the USB connection, the input of the TASCAM is rather mobile and in some dispositions this might cause the audio interface to disconnect (at a risk of ear damage). I think an L-shaped USB cable might help a lot. Secondarily, the TASCAM has some really great in-built reverbs, but it’s still a mystery why these are not straightforwardly recorded when activated - it seems like a re-routing, at a cost of an additional input, is necessary!

Main pro in my opinion is the quality of the preamps, I don’t feel the need of any additional hardware and, when feasible, turning the gain up always sound clear and musical. Nothing more to say!

Excellent sound card, BUT

Lacks loopback and routing inside the audio card soft. Sometimes the sound flies after switching to ASIO and direct sound. Otherwise it is a gorgeous sound card that fully justifies its price.