Native Instruments Komplete Audio 6From real comments

Verdict distilled from 25 mentions across 10 aspects in comments under product review videos.

Positive sentiment17%
PROS 17%
CONS 83%

Rank based on 25 mentions across 10 aspects

View the verdict as

Buy this if...

  • You want clean, punchy analog sound with MIDI and S/PDIF I/O for the price
  • You need dual independent headphone outputs for monitoring
  • You mainly use it with a DAW and don't need hardware direct monitoring on main outs

What users love

Skip this if...

  • You need reliable direct monitoring on outputs 1/2 without going through a DAW
  • You record quiet sources and need strong preamp gain without maxing the knob
  • You want proven long-term hardware reliability and driver stability

What users complain about

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Native Instruments Komplete Audio 6
Dual independent headphone outputsClean, punchy sound qualityMore features than similarly priced rivalsRemoved direct monitoring on MK2 main outputsHardware reliability failuresWeak preamp gain requiring max knob settings
Native Instruments Komplete Audio 6
Dual independent headphone outputs
Clean, punchy sound quality
More features than similarly priced rivals
Removed direct monitoring on MK2 main outputs
Hardware reliability failures
Weak preamp gain requiring max knob settings

Who wins on what

Ranked by what users actually praise

Overall Impression

Sound quality and feature set impress many owners. Commenters describe the Komplete Audio 6 as loud, punchy and clean, holding its own against bigger interface brands despite its price. Several point out it offers more for the money than the default Focusrite recommendation, citing MIDI and S/PDIF connectivity plus better noise floor and dynamic range as advantages. Dual headphone outputs with separate blend controls also get positive mentions from users monitoring multiple mixes simultaneously.

Gain and preamp performance frustrate several users. Multiple commenters report needing to turn the gain knob to maximum just to record instruments or vocals at usable levels, with one saying quiet raw vocals were essentially unrecordable without ruining quality. Others compare headphone preamp output unfavorably to Focusrite, noting it needs more cranking. This suggests the unit's amplification headroom is a recurring weak point for quieter sources.

MK2 direct monitoring removal and reliability issues concern buyers. Several MK2 owners are upset that direct monitoring on main outputs 1/2 was removed compared to the MK1, working only via headphones or through a DAW, calling it a disappointing and costlier downgrade. Separately, hardware failures like unstable or failing USB sockets, phantom power faults, and short unit lifespans are reported, alongside Windows driver installation errors and poor WDM/ASIO behavior for some users.

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