PreSonus AudioBox1818 VSL Review – When You Need All The Inputs

Design:
Features:
Performance:
Value:

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PreSonus makes what's by far one of the most famous lines of audio interfaces on the market. AudioBox 1818VSL is one of the largest members of that family. It also happens to be among the most capable interfaces you can get under $500 at this moment. Lets take a look.

Design

When it comes to design, if you have ever seen one AudioBox model, you have seen them all. This applies even to big members of the family such as the PreSonus AudioBox1818 VSL. PreSonus has used that same blue finish and those same diagonally displaced controls here as well. More importantly, this model is fully rack compatible. Asa matter of fact, it was designed specifically to be rack mounted. Even so, you can still use it wherever considering that all inputs are in the front of the device. Aesthetically, we are way past attractive or unattractive designs. PreSonus AudioBox1818 VSL is a serious piece of gear meant to give you studio level versatility on a budget. Appearances don't really have a place in such a model. Last but not least, build quality is great as always. Even for such a wide interface, this AudioBox feels very rugged and durable.

Features

Features are what PreSonus AudioBox1818 VSL is all about. With that said, PreSonus took the path of least resistance. You could look at this interface as a base AudioBox unit expanded to include 8 analog inputs/outputs and 10 digital ones. Digital inputs and outputs are made possible by the use of ADAT, while there is also an SPDIF cluster available. Outputs come in form of ten balanced 1/4″ TRS ports for the analog side. Asidefrom that, PreSonus AudioBox1818 VSL does a decent job at reducing latency better thanits smaller cousins. Preamps, converters and the rest of the hardware are updated as well. PreSonus ships these with a copy of PreSonus Virtual Studio Live and Studio One Artist 2. Last but not least, PreSonus AudioBox1818 VSL is capable of reaching 96kHz sampling rate at 24-bit depth. Overall, this is a very cost effective package.

Performance

The performance of this AudioBox is somewhat comparable to the remainder of the series, however there are also some upgrades. All of the new features aside, the core performance is great. Those preamps and converters are working efficiently, consistently and deliver a very smooth sound with a decent amount of transparency. There is some latency, but it is reduced compared to the standard AudioBox package. It is nowhere near that of a Thunderbolt interface, but it pretty good for a standard USB 2.0 device. When it comes to compatibility, PreSonus AudioBox1818 VSL works efficiently with both Windows and Mac OS machines. You shouldn't run into any issues on either of these platforms, even if you use a different DAW from the one that comes with AudioBox. Oneof the areas where AudioBox1818 VSL comes to shine is consistency. It is a true workhorse that won't leave you hanging.

Conclusion

PreSonus has had such success with their AudioBox series for a good reason. This rack friendly model proves that the formula still works and works well. The abundance of inputs, outputs and software makes this interface a very good choice for those who need that additional versatility on a budget.

For more info about the PreSonus AudioBox1818 VSL, click here.
For more Audio Interfaces Under $500 you might like, click here.