PreSonus Studio 24cFrom real comments

Verdict distilled from 31 mentions across 13 aspects in comments under product review videos.

Positive sentiment38%
PROS 38%
CONS 62%

Rank based on 31 mentions across 13 aspects

View the verdict as

Buy this if...

  • You want clean, neutral sound with low latency for MIDI/VSTi work
  • You mainly use line-ins or hotter mic sources and value plug-and-play OS compatibility
  • You own higher-impedance headphones (150-300 ohm) rather than low-impedance ones

What users love

Skip this if...

  • You rely on quiet dynamic mics or need lots of clean gain headroom
  • You need separate 48V phantom control for mixed mic/instrument channels
  • You use low-impedance headphones (32 ohm) as your primary monitoring output

What users complain about

Compare in seconds

Based on user comments

Best choice
1Premium
Rock-solid driver stabilityTotalMix FX routing powerClean, transparent sound and conversionApple Silicon dropout reportsCostly or unhelpful repairsTotalMix learning curve
Rock-solid driver stability
TotalMix FX routing power
Clean, transparent sound and conversion
Apple Silicon dropout reports
Costly or unhelpful repairs
TotalMix learning curve
2Premium
Rock-solid, long-supported driversClean, detailed sound qualityUltra-low latencySteep TotalMix learning curveHigh priceNo built-in DSP dynamics
Rock-solid, long-supported drivers
Clean, detailed sound quality
Ultra-low latency
Steep TotalMix learning curve
High price
No built-in DSP dynamics
3Premium
Exceptional driver stability and longevityExcellent sound quality and conversionTotalMix FX depth and flexibilityMissing onboard dynamics/EQTotalMix learning curveLimited instrument input headroom
Exceptional driver stability and longevity
Excellent sound quality and conversion
TotalMix FX depth and flexibility
Missing onboard dynamics/EQ
TotalMix learning curve
Limited instrument input headroom
4Mid
Powerful onboard DSP
Powerful onboard DSP
5Mid
Channel expansion flexibilityReliable RME driversBus-powered portabilityNot USB class compliantColorless digital soundDriver/static glitches reported
Channel expansion flexibility
Reliable RME drivers
Bus-powered portability
Not USB class compliant
Colorless digital sound
Driver/static glitches reported
6Mid
Bundled software and pluginsFlexible input optionsImpedance control (Z-Tone)High price relative to competitorsDriver issuesDynamic and gain range limitations
Bundled software and plugins
Flexible input options
Impedance control (Z-Tone)
High price relative to competitors
Driver issues
Dynamic and gain range limitations
7Premium
Converter and preamp clarityLong-term reliability and driver supportTotalMix FX routing powerRuns hotHigh price for the feature setTotalMix learning curve
Converter and preamp clarity
Long-term reliability and driver support
TotalMix FX routing power
Runs hot
High price for the feature set
TotalMix learning curve
8
Ultra-Low Thunderbolt LatencyExpandable, High-Quality I/OStrong Clocking and Dynamic RangeNaming Confusion With Newer 'Quantum' Models
Ultra-Low Thunderbolt Latency
Expandable, High-Quality I/O
Strong Clocking and Dynamic Range
Naming Confusion With Newer 'Quantum' Models
9Premium
Expandable I/OLong-Term User SatisfactionConverter QualityHardware Reliability IssuesHigh PriceMac-Centric Limitation
Expandable I/O
Long-Term User Satisfaction
Converter Quality
Hardware Reliability Issues
High Price
Mac-Centric Limitation
10Premium
Massive channel expansion via ADATRevives and pairs well with older gearExcellent, reliable driversUSB 2.0 bandwidth concernsLimited I/O per single unitNot USB class compliant
Massive channel expansion via ADAT
Revives and pairs well with older gear
Excellent, reliable drivers
USB 2.0 bandwidth concerns
Limited I/O per single unit
Not USB class compliant
You are here
31Budget
PreSonus Studio 24c
Clean, neutral sound qualityDrives higher-impedance headphones wellLow round-trip latencyWeak preamp gainHigh headphone output impedanceCrackling, popping, or connection dropout issues
PreSonus Studio 24c
Clean, neutral sound quality
Drives higher-impedance headphones well
Low round-trip latency
Weak preamp gain
High headphone output impedance
Crackling, popping, or connection dropout issues

Who wins on what

Ranked by what users actually praise

Overall Impression

Sound quality and imaging impress across many users. Commenters describe the 24c as sounding fantastic, neutral, and clean, with excellent crosstalk numbers and noticeable separation between bass and mids compared to older interfaces like the Mackie Onyx Producer. One long-time owner called the DAC noticeably more musical than a Motu M2 with a SABRE32 chip. Latency measurements as low as 4.5-9.5ms at 128 buffer/48kHz were praised as excellent for composing and live monitoring.

Preamp gain is repeatedly called insufficient. Multiple users report needing to push input gain to nearly 100% with dynamic mics (Shure SM57), condenser mics, and even a RodeCaster-comparable setup, resulting in low recorded volume, white noise, or unusable levels with distortion effects like Amplitube. One reviewer called the preamp 'ridiculously inadequate' compared side-by-side with a RodeCaster Pro, while another noted the 68c offers much higher max gain (+80dB vs +50dB).

Headphone output impedance causes mixed results depending on cans used. The 22-ohm output impedance creates volume/balance issues with common 32-ohm headphones, including left-channel bias at low volume, and pushed some users toward routing through 'main out' instead. However, others report the interface drives higher-impedance headphones (64-300 ohm) well, with one long-term user noting it handled a DT 990 Pro and HD 560 comfortably, only avoiding newer low-impedance Beyerdynamic models.

Outdated / Not-accurate data?