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By my count, Intel has issued at least 3 driver updates in 2021 for the Thunderbolt chip I have in my rig. I have kept up with this by using a subscription service called Driver Fusion, but even its many recommendations for driver updates have to be taken with a grain of salt. I've learned to examine driver author and version numbers carefully before embracing an update. In any event, Intel themselves are seeing Thunderbolt issues all the time and are very actively trying to beat the bugs out with their driver updates. Some settings, like Reaper has, to turn off/on certain handling maybe. One way of optimizing cores does not fit all synths. Currently, there are only a handful of Thunderbolt 3 interfaces on the market, of which the Quantum 2626 is the most affordable (on a per-input basis). The near-latency-free experience it provides is stunning when you first try it. Being able to monitor through plug-ins with no audible delay and set and forget the buffer at 32 or 64 samples was revelatory. PROS: Fast performance makes latency a non-issue; all inputs on front; gain controls on front; hardware Inserts; expandable via ADAT and S/PDIF; generous software bundle; cue monitoring integration with Studio One; excellent value
Connect and turn on quantum and allow device to always connect (I think mac has a similar process as well). On a Mac which is nice to use - but slower overall vs PC - You'd need to experiment - Take a note of the numbers and I do apologise if anything is NOT CORRECT - But I'm making an effort to help you understand the numbers. From a bandwidth point of view the Quantum 2632 (th2) will easily cope with all the inputs and outputs even with four units connected together - Subject to a fast CPU (possibly) with more cycles per second eg - Intel 7700 K @ 4900 Mhz - Delidded for example or a 10 Gen Intel 10850 K and you'll get all the performance you'll ever need. The first two inputs are designed for mic or instrument, while the remaining Inputs (3-8) interchange between mic and line. This depends on the kind of connector that is used. Next to these are preamp gain controls and simple multicolored LED metering to signify the activity and clipping on each channel.
Discrete components. We only use genuine transistors, resistors, and capacitors rather than use op-amps that can add noise, coloration, and harshness to a signal. Our discrete design delivers ultra-low noise and transparency. This unit was established after the celebrated Quantum 2632 audio interface. This interface was known to have a progressive approach to how it worked. Released a few years after this interface, the Quantum 2626 is a more innovative development in the Quantum series of audio interfaces by PreSonus. Although the XMAX preamps don’t provide “vintage” sound, they’re clean, and you can add coloring with plug-ins or by patching in outboard hardware through the analog inserts. My computer is a 2018 Mac Mini that uses Thunderbolt 3, with a USB-C form factor connector. That means that with the newer Quantum 2626 I could just plug in a normal thunderbolt 3 "C to C" cable, but with the original Quantum, I would need to use a Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter.
But to get this much speed at this low of a price, the trade-off is well worth it. You can always add an outboard monitor controller if those features are essential for your workflow. If you bought an economical one, you’d still be ahead of the game financially, compared to other Thunderbolt 3 interfaces on the market on a price-per-input basis. Jaw-Dropping Test Drive An update from presonus would be great because I'm seeing quite a few people with this problem on various forums and it took me a while to actually notice, so I'm guessing there are more to come. Is the Quantum 2626 the exact same audio quality and specs in terms of mic pres, A/D conversion, D/A conversion, S/N ratio dynamic range, etc. Is there any additional sound quality benefit of getting the original Quantum, in any way? Windows automatic handling of spreading threads over cores works pretty well. If to do own handling I think ability to turn that off if not working for everybody and all synths would be good. Maybe there is a parameter in preferences file somewhere to do that. In as much as the PreSonus software is straightforward to use, if you want to get the freebies that are on the Studio Magic bundle you will have to be more resilient.Pros of the PreSonus Quantum 2626.
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PC/Windows: ( Studio One> Configure Audio Device… > select Quantum from Audio Device drop-down box) Bought this unit to pair with new pc build that makes use of the thunderbolt 3 protocol. This unit seems to be one of the few thunderbolt 3 interfaces available with this amount of I/O, most others seen to have fewer built in mic pres and are considerably more expensive. For what I wanted to achieve this unit fits the bill nicely ( recording band practice and other small mixing projects). I can't speak on the "Cleaning thing", and frankly, I would avoid turning your system upside down to fix a high CPU issue, so whatever that entailed is not where I'll be assisting.
Also, the device only has one Thunderbolt port. This makes it very challenging to benefit from the Quantum 2626's ability to be daisy-chained especially if you have a Pc or Mac with only one or two Thunderbolt-compatible ports. does not have a dedicated headphone DAC. It also uses basic monitoring approaches that may put off expert audio producers and technicians. High Voltage. The XMAX preamplifier runs on power rails of 30V. Most off-the-shelf, op-amp-based designs run on power rails of 10V to 18V. Higher-voltage power rails deliver more headroom, deeper lows, smoother highs, and a richer overall sound. MIDI was enabled in UC but a restart was required for it to appear in the macOS AudioMIDI setup utility. Setting up the Quantum 2626 is easy and very intuitive. The absence of a routing matrix, DSP mixer, and built-in effects make using the Quantum 2626 very simple
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Quantum 2626 has extremely low latencies that are a result of the Thunderbolt connection. This negates the necessity of an additional mixer application other than the DAW you are using on your system. Thus, it simplifies recording a little bit and you will need very few converter arrays. Note that the Quantum 2626 offers more streamlined features at a reduced cost when compared to the prior Quantum 2632. There Quantum 2626 has no LED metering, digitally controlled preamps, or monitoring functions like 2632. Instead, it has ultra-low latencies and a very extensive assortment of inputs and outputs as well as XMAX mic preamps. Uninstall universal control and remove the quantum as an allowed device in your thunderbolt settings.
Once you are in the Thunderbolt realm for audio, it does not matter if you have Thunderbolt 2, 3, or 4. They are all so fast relative to even multi-channel 192k audio it is not worth considering one vs. the other. UC’s simple but effective functionality is rounded out by a couple of nice bonus features. There’s a real-time spectrum analyser, which can be set to inspect any input or output pair (and, as I failed to spot at first, there's also a phase meter in the bottom corner!). And, as on the Studio 192, if you choose to expand the Quantum with PreSonus’s own Digimax DP88 preamps, their gain settings are also accessible from UC. Meanwhile, if you want to store the Quantum’s own preamp settings within your DAW projects, you can add it as a MIDI peripheral and adjust the gain and phantom power settings using Continuous Controller messages, which is pretty neat. In PreSonus’s own Studio One DAW these gain settings show up directly in the mixer [and are saved with the Song project - Ed], as do the Quantum’s main monitor control functions, so you almost never need to open UC. ...Now U Don’t In use the 2626 performed excellently. The Class A XMAX mic pres sounded wonderfully clear, with plenty of gain, and the operational simplicity of the unit meant no curve balls. But the winner here is the round-trip latency. Using Apple Logic X this was an impressive 3.4ms with 64-samples buffer size, and even at 128 samples I found the 6.3ms latency mostly workable. The Gain knobs are staggered in their placement. Instead of the top row controlling channels 1-4 and the bottom 5-8, it alternates from the top to bottom diagonally. I found this confusing at first, especially when reaching for a channel while simply glancing to the side. But I got used to it.OK I think there is no point in looking at thunderbolt 3 @ 40 Gb/s (giga-bits-per-second) which is X2 of what thunderbolt 2 can do. After plugging in and powering up, I installed and opened the Universal Control application, assuming it would provide a way to create cue mixes and provide other software mixing features, which is usually the case with units that offer this many channels.
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