Audient is a professional audio equipment manufacturer known for its high-quality audio interfaces, consoles, and studio monitoring systems since 1997. Audient’s mission has always been to design and produce innovative, affordable, and reliable products that meet the needs of professional audio engineers, musicians, and home studio enthusiasts. To that end, Audient launched the Evo line to further break down barriers between technology and art. The Audient Evo 16 is a powerful audio interface that is both easy to use and affordable — we’ll explain how in this review.
The Audient Evo 16 Is the Next Generation of USB Audio Interfaces
Evo interfaces paint a clear picture of the what the future of the USB interface is and will be. The preamps found in the Evo lineup alone have made waves and garnered multiple awards in a short span of time. Currently, the Evo 16 is the largest interface in the range. It boasts up to 24 inputs and 24 outputs over USB-C, industry-standard conversion, many other features for usability.
- RELATED: Testing the Audience iD24
- RELATED: Audient iD14 MKII Demo
What’s most impressive about this interface is the price. Rarely does such a complete piece of equipment exist; the Evo 16 has ample I/O, utilizes cutting edge technology for futureproof-ness, and is totally budget-friendly. We love to see where Audient continues to go with this philosophy of making incredible gear for anyone to use.
What’s New with the Audient Evo 16?
Building on the smaller Evo 4 and 8, the 16 ups the ante. It namely increase the total I/O in a big way, including eight award-winning Evo preamps to cover most recording situations. The 16 also adds an LCD screen for essential information at a glance. All of it lives in a discrete, minimalist case, considering how expansive it is.
Audient Evo 16 Review
Build & Interface
Audient’s commitment to quality shows in the manufacturing process. They employ a combination of advanced manufacturing techniques and meticulous hand assembly to ensure the reliability and durability of their products.
With practicality as the driving force behind Evo interfaces, the 16 is very easy to use. The attractive layout is clearly labeled and puts all the control you need at your fingertips in an intuitive way. This is thanks to the inclusion of Audient’s Motion UI system, which puts all of the control you need in a single knob.
Audient Evo 16 Key Features
- Eight award-winning Evo preamps, combining the best of analog color with the precision control of digital
- Smartgain automatically detects input signal peaks and adjusts the preamp gain accordingly
- 24-bit/96 kHz converters with 121 dB of dynamic range
- Two JFET Hi-Z inputs
- Two headphone outputs
- Eight line outputs
- A pair of ADAT inputs/outputs for digital expansion
- Motion UI system gives user complete interface control with one knob
- LCD screen
Functionality
Everything about the Evo 16 screams “plug and play.” It’s simple, has a ton of connections, and gets the job done like a good interface should. If you intend to use features like Smartgain in your recordings, then functionality is legitimately automatic! And while the other features are extensive, the Evo 16 puts user experience first and foremost. There’s virtually zero guesswork involved in getting this baby to run a session.
How Does the Evo 16 Stack Up?
Overall, the Evo 16 is the logical next step in the product range. When Audient launched the first Evo interfaces, they already had a hit. The 16 delivers the same practicality and professional quality found in the Evos 4 and 8, yet it caters to a slightly different user — the project studio enthusiast who needs access to many high-quality preamps with the ability to expand over ADAT.
It’s a studio centerpiece that could serve a demanding engineer for years to come.
Is It Worth the Price Tag?
100%. Anyone considering the Evo 16 shouldn’t hesitate to pull the trigger on it, because it really is ridiculously affordable. Competition is fierce in the audio interface market, but Audient is making a lot of inventive moves to prove relevancy beyond “crystal-clear preamps!” and “industry-standard conversion!” touted by so many brands. Those should be standard features everywhere. What isn’t standard are things like automatic gain, the unique analog Evo sound with digital precision, the one-knob UI, and more.
The Evo 16 is definitely worth the price for someone who wants intuitiveness, room to expand, and futuristic features.
Closing Thoughts: The Audient Evo 16 Is a Highly Functional Interface That Doesn’t Disappoint
To reiterate, Audient continues to take big swings in terms of ingenious design, incorporating novel features not found often enough. Above all, the Evo 16 is a premium interface that prioritizes “friendliness” in two ways: user and budget. This is a rare audio interface that would make an excellent centerpiece for the home or project studio engineer/producer.