Alesis IO2 2-Channel Portable 24/48 USB Audio Interface

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Portable 2–Channel 24-BIT/48KHZ USB Audio Interface.

Designed as the ideal Audio/MIDI companion to notebook computer-based recording environments, the iO2 USB has a compact form factor that can easily fit in a laptop case or small backpack. The iO2 USB features durable aluminum casing, USB power (eliminating cumbersome external power supplies) and is optimized for minimal laptop battery drain.

The iO2 provides 2-channels of pristine 24-bit/48kHz audio directly to your computer via the integrated USB interface and features 2 channels of switchable mic/line inputs. And with Hardware Direct Monitoring, you never have to worry about dealing with audio latency while recording.

Small enough to fit in a backpack, but powerful enough to get the job done right, the iO2 is perfect for musicians on the go.

Features
24-bit, 48 kHz operation with high-end A/D and D/A conversion through integrated USB audio interface

2 XLR mic inputs with 48V phantom power plus 2 1/4" balanced line inputs that can accept guitar level signals

1/4" balanced main outputs

1/4" TRS inserts on input channels

1/4" TRS headphone output

Dedicated four segment signal/clip LED meter on both channels

Ultra low-latency ASIO 2.0 drivers (with zero-latency hardware monitoring)

24-bit S/PDIF I/O for direct digital recording

MIDI Input/Output

USB powered—no external AC power supply necessary

Low power usage for minimal laptop battery drain

Bundled with Steinberg Cubase LE software

Minimum PC Requirements
Pentium III 450 MHz Processor

128 MB RAM

Available USB 1.1 Port

Windows XP (with Service Pack 2 installed)

Recommended PC Requirements
Pentium 4 or Athlon Processor

512 MB RAM

7,200 RPM Hard Disk Drive

Available USB 1.1 Port

Windows XP (with Service Pack 2 installed)

Minimum Macintosh Requirements
Any Apple computer with native USB support improve performance.

Mac OS X version 10.2

128 MB RAM

Recommended Macintosh Requirements
G4 733-MHz Processor or faster

7,200 RPM Hard Disk Drive

Does not support Mac OS X 10.4.10 and above

For support or warranty questions, please contact the manufacturer:
Phone: 401-658-5760
Web: https://support.alesis.com

Reviewers gave this product an overall rating of 4 out of 5 stars. (69 ratings)
Submitted July 15, 2006 by a customer from gmail.com

"Mac Friendly, Great Features, Sturdy at a GREAT Price!"

Overall: 4 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
This review has been selected by our experts as particularly helpful.
Until they come out with something with these features, at this level of quality, that works so well with GarageBand at a lower price, ... I'll be happy.
Sound
I'm EXTREMELY happy with this interface! Very low noise, clean signal from my AKG C2000B condenser. Also used it with my acoustic electric... I LOVE this thing! It's not an MBox, but it's pretty d@mn good!
Features
It came with Cubase LE... haven't even unwrapped the disc... I use GarageBand on an iBook G4. This thing has more features than I'll use. I just needed an interface for getting vocals and guitar into my iBook. I'll probably experiment with the MIDI i/o but I don't have any need for the S/PDIF at this time. All I cared about was 2 channels, XLR's with phantom power, and guitar/mic line in.
Ease of Use
I took it out of the box, plugged it into my iBook, opened GarageBand, and immediately started a session. Haven't introduced it to my PC yet... don't really care... but have heard that it's not much more involved.
Quality
Seems pretty solid. Aluminum casing... what else can I say? Feels a lot more solid than my Mbox.
Value
Well worth the price! Knowing what I know now, if I'd had to pay more, I'd still think it was worth it.
The Wow Factor
Looks great, knobs are in a good spot, I love the placement of the XLR inputs.

Musical Background:

akblstratton@gmail.com

Musical Style:

Acapella Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
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