Presonus Quantum 2626 Review
Thunderbolt 3 Audio Interface
- 26 x 26 I/O Digital Audio Interface
- 24-Bit / 192 kHz, 115 dB Dynamic Range
- 8 x XLR/1/4" Inputs with XMAX Preamps
- 18 I/O via S/PDIF & ADAT
- 10 x 1/4" Line Outputs
- Preamp Out / Line Return: 2 x 1/4" I/O
- 2 x Headphone Jack with Volume Controls
- 1 x Thunderbolt 3 Ports
- Wordclock & MIDI Ports
- Studio One Artist and Plug-In Suite
Introduction
In this article, we delve into a detailed analysis of 2,383 user reviews from various languages worldwide to examine the Presonus Quantum 2626. This analysis is performed by the RR artificial intelligence and updated daily with newly submitted reviews. The RR AI utilizes a complex algorithm to first scrutinize user reviews for credibility, filtering out unreliable ones. It then proceeds to dissect and evaluate the valuable insights within these reviews, providing users with ratings regarding the features of this product. Based on these assessments, users can make informed decisions about whether this product is suitable for them or not.
Ratings Based on Features
These results are a summary of user reviews of the Presonus Quantum 2626. For example, 56% of 144 users who have commented on the Tech Support of the Presonus Quantum 2626 have given positive feedback.
Highlighted Customer Reviews
Showing 1 to 20 of 21 Reviews
Great Interface Regardless of Price
PreSonus Quantum Thunderbolt Audio Interface
Reviewed by Chris D. on Reverb
Not only will you not find a better interface for the money, the Quantum is one of the best regardless of price. We have an Apollo Quad, RME UFX, and the PreSonus Quantum in the studio. I've used all of them. Yes, the Apollo is special and sounds remarkable, but the plug-ins are expensive and the latency on the RME, and Quantum is better. The RME is all-around exceptional and has an excellent console for live use. The Quantum is right there with these interfaces. Whether you find the Apollo preamps are better is personal preference. I think Apollo pre's sound better but the Quantum pre's are very good and latency is right there with the RME which is excellent. Really can't say anything bad about the Quantum other than the drivers have improved (needed to, especially for Windows, but that's another long conversation). Presonus does a great job posting technical briefs which are very helpful, but the customer support line doesn't offer much more. All they have ever done is refer me to a doc online that I already read. Of course, the Quantum comes with Studio One and Studio Magic. Studio One Pro is great and user friendly. We use just about every DAW here and Studio One and Logic are used the most here. Studio Magic is a mixed bag. Some packages are good, others not so much, but it's free with the Quantum. Keep in mind you get very good quality plug-ins with the Apollo but adding to the inventory is very expensive. You get what you pay for, but there are a lot of options out there that can bring your Quantum to life for vocal and analog tracks. ... More
Planning to keep this for the next decade.
PreSonus Quantum Thunderbolt Audio Interface
Reviewed by Travis F. on Reverb
This is an awesome interface for a project studio. The preamps are clean and clear, the converters are good, and the I/O is plentiful. I liked it so much, I convinced 2 other recording friends to get one, and I bought the Digimax DP88 to match. I'll likely get a 2nd DP88 for 24 remote controlled channels. The latency really does get down to <1ms, so long as you're not piling up plugins in your DAW. Thunderbolt is here to stay, with the upcoming USB 4.0 specification including it. That means this interface ought to remain compatible for a long time with some adapters. Presonus' Universal Control driver is good, but it is the one place I have some gripes. You cannot re-order the inputs, so you're stuck with analog 1-8, SPDIF 9-10, and ADAT 11-26. I'd like to be able to change this, but I figured out how to make custom labels in Logic Pro X for the I/O and I'll work with it. Reportedly, changing between MacOS and Windows means reloading the firmware on the device. That is not a reliable process and instills a fear that the unit could decide to stop working if the firmware change fails in some way. Finally, I use an Apogee Big Ben for sync and I'm constantly having to change the clock setting to Work Clock in whenever I launch Universal Control. I wish the setting would stick. All in, I love the features and sound of this interface and I'm crossing my fingers that Universal Control will improve as new versions come. ... More
Super Flexible, Great for the Price
PreSonus Quantum Thunderbolt Audio Interface
Reviewed by Noah F. on Reverb
Pairs easily and seamlessly with USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 MacBook Pro (via a Thunderbolt 2 to Thunderbolt 3 adapter). The pres are pretty good, very clean and neutral. AD/DA is very good, and expansion over ADAT means it's easy to get 24 channels in (2 more over S/PDIF for the full 26 ins). You can also bypass the pres completely with the line-in inputs on the back, so it's no problem to add higher quality preamps when you're ready and essentially use this as a master AD/DA converter with world clock. Unless you need DSP for plugins, this is a great central unit for a small-to-medium studio, and the Universal Control software works nicely to adjust gain, phantom, talkback, and any other control (besides master volume) that's available on the front of the unit. It also looks great, and the two front channels + six rear is a good configuration if you're doing a lot of DI instruments or need quick access for mics, although I could see that being frustrating when adding a patchbay. In my opinion this is the best option under $1k if you need high channel count with low latency and great conversion. It probably can't beat the 8 pre UAD stuff, but at a third the price of a unit with comparable features (Apollo x8p Thunderbolt 3), I'm very happy. ... More
Big surprise, affordable too!
PreSonus Quantum 2626 Thunderbolt Audio Interface
Reviewed by Ro H. on Reverb
I'd initially planned a new tower PC for the Presonus Quantum 2626, and built a fine beast around the Asus B550 ProArt mobo, which has Thunderbolt 4 baked in. What happened next: found a new [unregistered] Apollo Twin X Duo for unusually small money, and fell down the UAD rabbit-hole. The manufacturer's processor usage chart is intentionally vague. I soon discovered that the Duo is wretchedly underpowered. It can't run all those pricey UAD plugins I bought, and that falls squarely on Universal Audio. *My* error: failing to comprehend an equally dire limitation: insufficient line in & outputs to run external effects! Unless you run them in series.. In practice, the Presonus outclasses the UAD by a country mile. The Quantum is a fine-sounding and professionally equipped unit with unnoticeably small RTL. Though some may find the two-banks-of-four 48v phantom power a hindrance, it's workable and helped keep production costs low - low enough for us to afford a professional T3 interface with fine mic pres and ample connectivity, at a 'bedroom recordist' price. I have no application for the attached Studio One freebie, so cannot comment on that. Icing, methinks, on an already remarkable cake. ... More
Ditched an old HD system for this.
PreSonus Quantum 2626 Thunderbolt Audio Interface
Reviewed by Alex M. on Reverb
Latency is superb. Pres are nice. The only thing I find lacking the D/A. We ran it against an old Apogee DA16x and the quantum is not even close on the D/A side of things (both units on Big Ben.) So that is my only complaint. My friend who has years of hearing damage instantly picked out the Apogees in the A/B test so that is telling. Very dull in high end transients and imaging is pretty bad in comparison. The best use case for this is to use all of the analog outs on the quantum for your 4 headphone/wedge cue mixes and then stack some nice converters on the lightpipe and spdif section to get 18io of baller front end and sum externally using better D/A. Use the 8 pres on the quantum itself as the backup pres and/or extra DIs. My use case above is more for a full studio install. The unit itself is great alone too. Honestly it is what the 002/003 should have been but the tech has finally caught up. My friend in the situation above was originally going to buy an Apollo. I talked him out of it and we built a nice x570 PC (asrock x570 pro4) with thunderbolt add-in card + the Quantum and that costs less $ than the Apollo by itself. The main reason I liked the quantum better is more digital io and cheaper. It was a no-brainer. ... More
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Very Good - But wish they would add additional software features and control
PreSonus Quantum 2626 Thunderbolt Audio Interface
Reviewed by Brad C. on Reverb
After I updated the firmware and Thunderbolt drivers (NUC8i5) , I have been happy with it. I use it with Bandlab's Cakewalk (Sonar4x?) and it really has better latency response if I increase the buffers. The sound is very clean (probably the best that I have ever had) with a very broad spectrum and it has been stable. However, it does let you know when your recording and playing above Unity (0-db) and starts to behave erratically (drop outs) then finally it locks and freezes, if you don't stop within 20 seconds but that may be Cakewalk... it has not happened with other USB audio interfaces that I have used. As for it's functionality on Universal Control, it is disappointing and it is not like you would get on the Presonus 192 USB or other Quantum interfaces. There is no incoming signal monitoring (but I think you can have this if you are using Studio 1 DAW), so you need to wait for the audio signal to come back from the P.C. There is no switching or combining within the software, there is no plugins or in place effects. However, the price reflects that and to some large degree all you need from an Audio interface is Clean, Simple and Fast. ... More
Very buggy drivers, even after several years
PreSonus Quantum 2626: 26x26 Thunderbolt 3 Ultralow-Latency Audio Interface
Reviewed by David on B&H Photo Video
After using a 2626 on several different computers for a few years, I can confidently say the drivers are way too buggy for any kind of real use. The audio will stop working entirely without warning, requiring a system or unit restart to get audio to come back. On average, this happens once every hour or two. This is a well known problem complained about by countless users on the Presonus forums. Both PC and Mac users have been complaining about it for years, with no acknowledgement of the problem from Presonus (which is normal for them, frankly). If you want stable drivers, you should avoid using a 2626. The only reason it gets any stars at all is because when it works, it is great. The extremely low latency makes tracking a great experience, assuming it doesn't stop working mid-take. ... More
After a few years of use, still extremely buggy drivers.
Presonus Quantum 2626 Thunderbolt 3 Audio Interface
Reviewed by David, W on Guitar Center
I've had a 2626 for a few years now and I've used it on multiple different computers. When it works, it's awesome. Very low latency. The problem is that it continues to have extremely buggy drivers that will cause the audio to just stop. You will need to restart the unit or, in some cases, restart the computer to get audio back. I would estimate this problem will happen about once for every 90 minutes of use. It is a well known problem and is complained about quite a bit on the Presonus forums, but after years of complaints form countless users, Presonus are still pretending it's not happening. I only use Win 10 64 bit systems, but I've seen Mac users in the forums with this problem as well. The bottom line is Presonus are not going to fix the issue. Unless you are OK with restarting every 90 minutes or so, I wouldn't bother with a 2626. It is an exercise in frustration. ... More
Really poor customer service but seemingly decent product
Presonus Quantum 2626 Thunderbolt 3 Audio Interface
Reviewed by Jason, M on Guitar Center
Positives: The 2626 seemingly has a lot of features, and was the only TB3 interface I could find at < $1k with enough inputs to track drums. Negatives: The 2626 comes with its own internal software mixer (not the problem). I've not been able to get this to launch after several re-installs, etc. I wrote to Presonus' Support and just get one sentence answers that they don't support the software, only the hardware. So I have to do unnatural workarounds to plug in physical compressors and pre-amps etc because I can't adjust the Presonus' internal routing that's controlled by their "Universal Control" mixer app that they don't support. Surprisingly terrible customer service for what I thought was a more premium brand. ... More
Had to return due to MIDI Latency issues unresolved.
Presonus Quantum 2626 Thunderbolt 3 Audio Interface
Reviewed by Ben on Guitar Center
I needed 8 inputs to record drums, so the 2626 was the least expensive way to achieve this. I hadn't researched enough to hear the issues others were having, across all platforms and software, including dropped notes, notes randomly "bouncing" when playing a chord. Also, I had random note drop-out with any notes faster than 8th notes. My heart sank as a week of research, tutorials and tweaking latency times in Logic Pro failed to solve it. Butch is the sole tech guy at Presonus, and he started off great but as soon as I bought up latency...crickets and have never heard back. So I took it back today and am buying a MOTU. ... More
PreSonus Quantum Thunderbolt Audio Interface
Reviewed by Cole S. on Reverb
I am coming from an Apogee Element 46. The Apogee is also a great interface, but this Presonus is really just the whole package with more inputs! The preamps and converters in the Presonus are really fantastic. I have traditionally not held Presonus to a very high standard with regards to digital->analog conversion and proprietary preamps, but this unit is really next level stuff. The latency is ridiculously low as well and live tracking is a breeze. If you are looking at $1000 or under this is the interface to get if you need 4 or more inputs.
Very cool interface, easy set up
PreSonus Quantum 2626: 26x26 Thunderbolt 3 Ultralow-Latency Audio Interface
Reviewed by Jeremy on B&H Photo Video
Delivered on time in only a couple of days, this thing was really easy to set up, I got it to replace a Thunderbolt 2 interface that didn't want to work with my new Dell laptop. Latency is almost completely nonexistent, everything sounds really crisp and clean. It does not ship with a Thunderbolt 3 cable, make sure to order one with it if you don't have one already.
PreSonus Quantum 2626 Thunderbolt Audio Interface
Reviewed by Evan M. on Reverb
When I connected the PreSonus Quantam 26x26 to my computer, with a brand new OEM Apple thunderbolt cord, it said your thunderbolt device functionality might be limited. I thought okay, it might be my machine- so I tried it on my buddies, and it did the same thing. I switched out the cord as well, and what do you know… It did the same thing. Very disappointed, and will not be buying from cheapsonus again.
Great product, driver issues have been fixed
Presonus Quantum 2626 Thunderbolt 3 Audio Interface
Reviewed by Nick on Guitar Center
Great product. There were driver issues in the past that have been remedied. For example, switching audio output sources (ex. spotify, youtube etc.) would crash the sound card unless Studio one is running. This problem has been fixed. Low latency, preamps sound great. All the knobs, inputs, outputs etc. work as expected. High quality build.
The most affordable high quality low latency sound interface
Presonus Quantum 2626 Thunderbolt 3 Audio Interface
Reviewed by Mike P. on Guitar Center
When I first started recording music, (early 2000's) to record a band, high quality; with zero latency would cost a studio and/or engineer $100,000's worth of studio equipment and software. Basically, what I'm trying to say is (thanks to Presonus) now the middle class can have the tools to do what was once only reserved for the elite few.
Best Prosumer interface
PreSonus Quantum Thunderbolt Audio Interface
Reviewed by Ken C. on Reverb
This thing is incredible. Owned a clarret 8pre and this. This one stayed. It sounds better and the gain fader display is 10x more useful. 10/10
Quantum 4848
PreSonus Quantum Thunderbolt Audio Interface
Reviewed by Jovan D. on Reverb
Another homerun by Presonus 👍🏾I got a used one for price I just couldn’t pass up.best music gear purchase I’ve made so far this year
Clear sound
PreSonus Quantum Thunderbolt Audio Interface
Reviewed by Sean R. on Reverb
Great interface and clear sound! The interface is great, the latency is non-existent, and the converters are top notch!I upgraded from my Motu Ultralite mk3 and I am super happy!
If only as reliable as FireStudio
PreSonus Quantum 2626: 26x26 Thunderbolt 3 Ultralow-Latency Audio Interface
Reviewed by Greg on B&H Photo Video
A pain to set up. Unit will not stay on or even turn on.
PreSonus Quantum 2626 Thunderbolt Audio Interface
Reviewed by Khalid B. on Reverb
It lives up to the hype
