“that's the only reason I considered this interface but not anymore lol.”

60% of 53 verified owners recommend the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2, based on real owner verdicts aggregated from Reddit, enthusiast forums, and YouTube.
Affiliate blogs here say 80% recommend, while the owner-based score is 60%. They earn a commission on every sale — so we show them for transparency but never let them move the score.
The headline score reflects owners (Reddit, enthusiast forums), independent lab tests, blogs with no affiliate links, and YouTube owner-comments when they line up with owners. YouTube and Affiliate blogs are shown for perspective but kept out here — hover the i for why.
Synthesized from what Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 owners say — not a spec sheet.
Retailers' own star averages, for comparison — separate from our vetted owner-verdict score above.
“that's the only reason I considered this interface but not anymore lol.”
“I prefer raw audio to be as flat (and of course noise free) as possible.”
“The Air + Drive is the best sound I've ever heard from a budget Audio Interface, there's no going back, it's a game changer in quality.”
“I personally like a transparent/neutral/flat sound, which I can then add whatever additional “character” I want.”
“The best solution is to use a device from another manufacturer. This USB power nonsense has been going on for years, through several generations, and still hasn’t been remedied.”
“The air mode really had a nice effect on the SM7B.”
“I'm not a fan of in-interface sweetening, and would rather have a flat/neutral sound that I can tweak non-destructively in the DAW.”
“still solid as a rock to this day.”
“both of them were clipping on my Scarlett 2i2, even though I turned the gain all the way down. There is no pad either, so you cannot lower the input level at all, which for me was enough reason to return it.”
“connecting my Focusrite seems like such a daunting task”
“I've been using a Focusrite 2i2 interface for a while, and while it's great bang for buck, I have a few reservations about it. Firstly, it's nearly impossible to record my guitarist without the signal clipping, and secondly, the driver does not behave well with my machine”
“it's cool they give you that feature as a one touch button solution”
“Lo acabo de comprar, estoy demasiado contento”
“I sold my 2i2. People who like the 2i2 had a plug and play experience lol.”
“the 2i2 only lets two inputs work at a time despite 4 I/O”
“the 2i2 is a good barebones audio interface that can do 95% of what you need for home recording. The scarlett line build quality is nothing specifically impressive, but not terrible either.”
“I own a 3rd gen 2i2. The Volt crushed the competition here.”
“Very simply put if you're a musician, Focusrite is an excellent value. The dual combo XLR inputs, the metal casing and the sampling rates are deal closers for me.”
“Hook your bass up to this audio interface and no matter how much you turn your instrument or input level down, as soon as you dig in or use your thumb, your signal will clip and you'll get that annoying thud. It's not you or your playing technique. It's not your string height or your pickups. This model doesn't have enough headroom to handle the output of a bass.”
“The air on Focusrite just adds that lively feel”
“I just purchased a 2i2 and am very happy with it but a couple things you should know first... There can be some pretty complicated driver issues depending on your setup”
“The Scarlett 2i2 is what I use. It's ok, not very loud, but for DI bass it works. My problem has always been getting a good tone once the audio was recorded.”
“did me good for the last 3 years”
“I don't know about the solo but the 2i2 doesn't have an input pad, which makes it pretty hard to comfortably record an active bass. Keep that in mind.”
Practical notes owners raise — setup, quirks, and issues to watch for. They don't say whether the person likes the product, so they're not counted in the score, but they inform the pros, cons, and who it's for.
“Lately, when I am recording, it will begin to record as 'muffled' or 'tinny.' I tried my various mics through the 2 XLR inputs and I'm 99% sure it isn't my mic”
“the 3rd gen scarlett 2i2 needs a preamp for the 58 to give you a strong enough signal. this happened to me three months ago.”
“I do have a 2i2 Gen 2. I have ran active basses through it and just had watch for clipping when I was recording any tracks.”