Quantum 2626 – PreSonus - Audio Interfaces
Quantum 2626 – PreSonus - Audio Interfaces
Quantum 2626 – PreSonus - Audio Interfaces
Quantum 2626 – PreSonus - Audio Interfaces
Last updated at 08/28/2026 06:38:35
PreSonus Quantum 2626 Thunderbolt Audio Interface
Delivery $211.68
Quantum 2626 Hardware Thunderbolt 3
Delivery $41.68
originally posted on bestbuy.com
Extremely low latency and simple Thunderbolt 3 connection. For the price, it’s a no-brainer, I have been using mine for around two years.(since it first came out whenever that was, was waiting on its release.). The XMAX preamps are satisfactory although now I’m using Warm audio via backpanel inouts for most analog inputting. I don’t know what to say, it’s never given me a problem, works flawlessly with Logic. I don’t know what else I could want. Surprised to see Best Buy listing this item.
originally posted on zzounds.com
Overall:I've been using this interface for around 3 years now and have never experienced what the only other review (at the time of writing) is talking about with "audio dropping out" and having to unplug it and plug it back in, so not sure who "everyone" is that's complaining about this. Sounds like user-error to me, which seems to be a huge problem with user reviews at large - but I digress.For the price point, it's a decent interface. Anecdotally, the XMAX preamps do impart a somewhat sterile quality in comparison to my much cheaper and smaller SSL 2+. I have not used the scientific method to back this claim up quite yet, but thought it would be worth mentioning that to my ears there is something about the preamp's character that I don't love.Some complaints I ... MoreOverall:I've been using this interface for around 3 years now and have never experienced what the only other review (at the time of writing) is talking about with "audio dropping out" and having to unplug it and plug it back in, so not sure who "everyone" is that's complaining about this. Sounds like user-error to me, which seems to be a huge problem with user reviews at large - but I digress.For the price point, it's a decent interface. Anecdotally, the XMAX preamps do impart a somewhat sterile quality in comparison to my much cheaper and smaller SSL 2+. I have not used the scientific method to back this claim up quite yet, but thought it would be worth mentioning that to my ears there is something about the preamp's character that I don't love.Some complaints I have are that you cant manually switch the inputs to LINE mode, you have to insert a TRS cable to do so. Also, I cannot personally figure out if there is a way to make outputs 1 and 2 separate from the main outs. As far as I can tell, there is no way to do this, so you're essentially down 2 outs for a total of 6 when you look at it like that (there's 2 headphone mix outs on the front already). I spent far too much time spelunking the internet for this information to no avail. This leads me to my final and perhaps most pertinent complaint - the customer support from PreSonus. That is to say, it appears to be non-existent, or at least it did when I tried to contact them via phone for weeks in hopes of finding out whether or not it's possible to route signals that are NOT identical to the main outs to outputs 1 and 2. To be fair, this was over a year ago, so hopefully something has changed since then. Their support forums also appeared to be largely abandoned by anyone but confused customers. What dey got goin' on over dere in baton rouge, them?
originally posted on sweetwater.com
This is a great interface! There is no audible latency that I can hear when playing instrument plug-ins when working on a project or in the "Show Page" in Studio One Software... I finally used this as a backing track player for live shows using the Studio One "Show Page". it went very well and I was also monitoring our stage mix thru the interface as well. it handled everything, I do not recommend using it this way for the sake of not relying on it solely, but it did work! It ran a stereo backing track to output 1 & 2, 4 mono tracks to outputs 3-6, and I sent outputs 7 & 8 to my headphone amplifier to monitor our stage sound. I ran into an issue where the sound engineer was not receiving signal from outputs 3-6. The issue is that "Line Outs 1 & 2" are the same as ... MoreThis is a great interface! There is no audible latency that I can hear when playing instrument plug-ins when working on a project or in the "Show Page" in Studio One Software... I finally used this as a backing track player for live shows using the Studio One "Show Page". it went very well and I was also monitoring our stage mix thru the interface as well. it handled everything, I do not recommend using it this way for the sake of not relying on it solely, but it did work! It ran a stereo backing track to output 1 & 2, 4 mono tracks to outputs 3-6, and I sent outputs 7 & 8 to my headphone amplifier to monitor our stage sound. I ran into an issue where the sound engineer was not receiving signal from outputs 3-6. The issue is that "Line Outs 1 & 2" are the same as "Main Out L&R" so all channels you are running will get sent out to Line Outs 1 & 2 automatically. That was kinda frustrating because I wanted the sound engineer to have separate channels and full control of the backing tracks. So the inputs that were routed channels 3-6 had to be set up "Pre-fader" to be able to output sound to "Line Outs 3-6". I'm no expert but I feel like that Line Outs 1 & 2 should remain separate from the Main Out because now you only have 6 outputs unless you do the work around like I did by sending inputs "pre-fader" to the outputs. This was my experience using this interface and also the "Show Page" in Studio One. It is a great interface and the low latency of this makes it a great tool for running backing tracks and monitoring, my only gripe with it was the 8 Line Outs is kinda misleading. It's basically 6 Line Outs with annoying extra work to get 2 more Line Outs. If that is just standard practice then please disragard my complaint about it.
| Form Factor | Rackmount |
| Finish | Black |
| Year | 2021 |
| Made In | China |
| Sample Rate | 192 khz |
PreSonus Quantum 2626 Thunderbolt Audio Interface
Delivery $211.68
Quantum 2626 Hardware Thunderbolt 3
Delivery $41.68
Extremely low latency and simple Thunderbolt 3 connection. For the price, it’s a no-brainer, I have been using mine for around two years.(since it first came out whenever that was, was waiting on its release.). The XMAX preamps are satisfactory although now I’m using Warm audio via backpanel inouts for most analog inputting. I don’t know what to say, it’s never given me a problem, works flawlessly with Logic. I don’t know what else I could want. Surprised to see Best Buy listing this item.
Overall:I've been using this interface for around 3 years now and have never experienced what the only other review (at the time of writing) is talking about with "audio dropping out" and having to unplug it and plug it back in, so not sure who "everyone" is that's complaining about this. Sounds like user-error to me, which seems to be a huge problem with user reviews at large - but I digress.For the price point, it's a decent interface. Anecdotally, the XMAX preamps do impart a somewhat sterile quality in comparison to my much cheaper and smaller SSL 2+. I have not used the scientific method to back this claim up quite yet, but thought it would be worth mentioning that to my ears there is something about the preamp's character that I don't love.Some complaints I ... MoreOverall:I've been using this interface for around 3 years now and have never experienced what the only other review (at the time of writing) is talking about with "audio dropping out" and having to unplug it and plug it back in, so not sure who "everyone" is that's complaining about this. Sounds like user-error to me, which seems to be a huge problem with user reviews at large - but I digress.For the price point, it's a decent interface. Anecdotally, the XMAX preamps do impart a somewhat sterile quality in comparison to my much cheaper and smaller SSL 2+. I have not used the scientific method to back this claim up quite yet, but thought it would be worth mentioning that to my ears there is something about the preamp's character that I don't love.Some complaints I have are that you cant manually switch the inputs to LINE mode, you have to insert a TRS cable to do so. Also, I cannot personally figure out if there is a way to make outputs 1 and 2 separate from the main outs. As far as I can tell, there is no way to do this, so you're essentially down 2 outs for a total of 6 when you look at it like that (there's 2 headphone mix outs on the front already). I spent far too much time spelunking the internet for this information to no avail. This leads me to my final and perhaps most pertinent complaint - the customer support from PreSonus. That is to say, it appears to be non-existent, or at least it did when I tried to contact them via phone for weeks in hopes of finding out whether or not it's possible to route signals that are NOT identical to the main outs to outputs 1 and 2. To be fair, this was over a year ago, so hopefully something has changed since then. Their support forums also appeared to be largely abandoned by anyone but confused customers. What dey got goin' on over dere in baton rouge, them?
This is a great interface! There is no audible latency that I can hear when playing instrument plug-ins when working on a project or in the "Show Page" in Studio One Software... I finally used this as a backing track player for live shows using the Studio One "Show Page". it went very well and I was also monitoring our stage mix thru the interface as well. it handled everything, I do not recommend using it this way for the sake of not relying on it solely, but it did work! It ran a stereo backing track to output 1 & 2, 4 mono tracks to outputs 3-6, and I sent outputs 7 & 8 to my headphone amplifier to monitor our stage sound. I ran into an issue where the sound engineer was not receiving signal from outputs 3-6. The issue is that "Line Outs 1 & 2" are the same as ... MoreThis is a great interface! There is no audible latency that I can hear when playing instrument plug-ins when working on a project or in the "Show Page" in Studio One Software... I finally used this as a backing track player for live shows using the Studio One "Show Page". it went very well and I was also monitoring our stage mix thru the interface as well. it handled everything, I do not recommend using it this way for the sake of not relying on it solely, but it did work! It ran a stereo backing track to output 1 & 2, 4 mono tracks to outputs 3-6, and I sent outputs 7 & 8 to my headphone amplifier to monitor our stage sound. I ran into an issue where the sound engineer was not receiving signal from outputs 3-6. The issue is that "Line Outs 1 & 2" are the same as "Main Out L&R" so all channels you are running will get sent out to Line Outs 1 & 2 automatically. That was kinda frustrating because I wanted the sound engineer to have separate channels and full control of the backing tracks. So the inputs that were routed channels 3-6 had to be set up "Pre-fader" to be able to output sound to "Line Outs 3-6". I'm no expert but I feel like that Line Outs 1 & 2 should remain separate from the Main Out because now you only have 6 outputs unless you do the work around like I did by sending inputs "pre-fader" to the outputs. This was my experience using this interface and also the "Show Page" in Studio One. It is a great interface and the low latency of this makes it a great tool for running backing tracks and monitoring, my only gripe with it was the 8 Line Outs is kinda misleading. It's basically 6 Line Outs with annoying extra work to get 2 more Line Outs. If that is just standard practice then please disragard my complaint about it.
I'm writing this review to offset the negativity this interface has received. I personally can't say enough how much I like it! The only drawback would be the Apple TB3 cable is very short, so I rearranged my computer table to accommodate. The power button is in the rear, no problem for me but if you rackmount it maybe.My DAW is Presonus Studio One 5.3, I was using a FireWire with a Focusrite Sapphire 56, Windows 7 on a Rain computer. Currently I'm using an Apple MacPro 16" laptop with the Quantum 2626 and I'm up and running all my software plugins within 30 seconds. The sound is crisp, clear no latency easy workflow. Just because it didn't come with a cable people are trashing this, go spend the money on a TB3 cable and be happy.
Good build quality and I like that all the ports are in one place, I think this is a better solution than splitting them front and back. This does present some issues if the unit is intended to sit in a flight case where any cables might prevent the cover being put on. You can search for low profile XLR connectors to get around this issue. The cabling can also look messy and you may need to leave space in a rack to route cables from the front to the back. Having all the connectors on the front will suit you if you need to patch in different cables when recording and don't have a permanently wired setup and could mean you won't also need a patch panel to reroute the audio inputs as you can do this directly on the front panel.Allegedly the interface has super low ... MoreGood build quality and I like that all the ports are in one place, I think this is a better solution than splitting them front and back. This does present some issues if the unit is intended to sit in a flight case where any cables might prevent the cover being put on. You can search for low profile XLR connectors to get around this issue. The cabling can also look messy and you may need to leave space in a rack to route cables from the front to the back. Having all the connectors on the front will suit you if you need to patch in different cables when recording and don't have a permanently wired setup and could mean you won't also need a patch panel to reroute the audio inputs as you can do this directly on the front panel.Allegedly the interface has super low latency but this means that this is not an all rounder, you have to have the DAW running in the background there is no 'mixer' option in the interface. It's not really designed to be used as an audio interface and to provide computer audio. Expect some frustration if that's how you want to use it. If you just want to use it for recording into your DAW and want the DAW effects to be sent back to the performer in real time using a headphone mix then this is the unit for you.There are 8 outputs on the back and 2 headphone outputs on the front so lots of scope for AUX mixes.My only other gripe is the same for all interfaces I've seen. The input selection is done not in software or using physical switches instead the interface assumes the input type by the plug used, e.g. an XLR input is mic level and a 1/4 jack is either line or instrument ( inputs 1 and 2 only for instrument). Inputs 1 and 2 also have an insert option which could be really useful for setting up outboard effects for input to your DAW.Because the connections are all on the front, the fact that the input type is based on the plug used and not the actual signal its possibly less of an issue as you can just change to the appropriate plug but if you have this permanently cabled, then you have to guess how many of each input type you need up front and a patch panel is not going to save you here. You will be physically changing the connections on the front to select the input type Mic or Line. The only solution to this is to convert all the signals to the required input level regardless of the source so this needs additional hardware to achieve at more cost. As I said this is a general gripe not specific to this interface and the accessibility of the input jacks actually reduces this issue because it's relatively easy to re-patch directly into the interface with the appropriate plug and no need to crawl into the back of the flight case to do this.
Performs as expected. Meets reviews standards. Love the interface. The only thing it's missing is usb connections, which really really sucks. If your using an m1 Mac be prepared to enter your boot and lower security settings then it will allow driver installation. On the other hand, expect zero help from presonus. This company's support system is a painful joke. I like the product but they are absolutely useless creatures. Although I didn't use them, Sweetwater has a one on one support team to help you. Sweetwater good, presonus bad. Presonus should give a shout out to Sweetwater for doing their %*"# job. Good job Sweetwater.
Got this to use with my 3XS system on an X299 A II mobo and a Titan Ridge TB3 card. After a bit of faffing about in the bios with help from Scan, thunderbolt 3 showed it's face. I then followed the instructions with the Interface.Once I discovered that every time I switched it on I had to run "Scan for new hardware" in Device Manager, everything is hunky dory.Looking forward to using it in StudioOne 5.It's great value for the money with all the inputs and outputs you would need (OK, I am a bit jealous of the digitally controlled preamps on the Quantum and Quantum 2, but at this price something had to be left out), plus that latency !.........or should I say lack of it. I'm happily playing my guitar through Helix Native @ 44.1K, a block size of 16, input 50ms, ... MoreGot this to use with my 3XS system on an X299 A II mobo and a Titan Ridge TB3 card. After a bit of faffing about in the bios with help from Scan, thunderbolt 3 showed it's face. I then followed the instructions with the Interface.Once I discovered that every time I switched it on I had to run "Scan for new hardware" in Device Manager, everything is hunky dory.Looking forward to using it in StudioOne 5.It's great value for the money with all the inputs and outputs you would need (OK, I am a bit jealous of the digitally controlled preamps on the Quantum and Quantum 2, but at this price something had to be left out), plus that latency !.........or should I say lack of it. I'm happily playing my guitar through Helix Native @ 44.1K, a block size of 16, input 50ms, output 65ms.Almost real time monitoring. This will do for me :-)Usual great ordering, service, and fast delivery from Scan
I have been researching this unit since last year, and it works great on a late 2012 iMac (Thunderbolt 1, i7, 16GB RAM, Fusion Drive), Catalina (10.15.7) and Logic Pro (10.6.1). You need an Apple Branded Thunderbolt Adapter for older Macs. The unit has no Thunderbolt or USB cables included.Mac with Thunderbolt 1 or 2 you need an Apple Branded Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 (and 1) Adapter. The Apple adapters are bi-directional, and necessary for the Quantum to function. You will also need a Thunderbolt 2 cable. I would recommend you get an Apple Branded Thunderbolt Cable as well. This is what I did. I followed the directions from the Presonus website and set up was easy.The Quantum 2626 basically worked as a drop in replacement for my MOTU 828 mkII. It sounds ... MoreI have been researching this unit since last year, and it works great on a late 2012 iMac (Thunderbolt 1, i7, 16GB RAM, Fusion Drive), Catalina (10.15.7) and Logic Pro (10.6.1). You need an Apple Branded Thunderbolt Adapter for older Macs. The unit has no Thunderbolt or USB cables included.Mac with Thunderbolt 1 or 2 you need an Apple Branded Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 (and 1) Adapter. The Apple adapters are bi-directional, and necessary for the Quantum to function. You will also need a Thunderbolt 2 cable. I would recommend you get an Apple Branded Thunderbolt Cable as well. This is what I did. I followed the directions from the Presonus website and set up was easy.The Quantum 2626 basically worked as a drop in replacement for my MOTU 828 mkII. It sounds just as good as the 828 with nearly zero latency (none that I can detect anyway). One of the greatest things about this unit is that it does not have any DSP. What you hear in Logic as you record is what you get, no need to adjust the playback volume. This is something that I always struggle with on the 828 and the MOTU drivers. I hope this unit lasts, because it is off to a great start and that's important because this is a bridge (to a newer Mac) unit for me. The fact that this can run on the last version of a Mac that just barely supports Catalina, means that it has potential way into the future. I am not sure about the Quantum's M1 support, but my guess is that it is already available or will be soon.
I Purchased the quantum 2626 after the usual dilemma that everyone gets when buying new gear, which is wondering if it will be worth spending the money. This unit is definitely worth the money. When I first opened it I was very impressed with the build quality. It's a sturdy unit and the gain and volume pots are solid. The one down point on opening the box is that there is no thunderbolt cable provided so if you were waiting eagerly to get stuck in you'll be disappointed. Luckily I had a cable.The software bundle provided with the unit is great. It comes with Studio one artist which is great for getting going. The plugins/ instrument bundle is super. I did have an issue with some of the serial numbers provided by Presonus to register the products but this was very ... MoreI Purchased the quantum 2626 after the usual dilemma that everyone gets when buying new gear, which is wondering if it will be worth spending the money. This unit is definitely worth the money. When I first opened it I was very impressed with the build quality. It's a sturdy unit and the gain and volume pots are solid. The one down point on opening the box is that there is no thunderbolt cable provided so if you were waiting eagerly to get stuck in you'll be disappointed. Luckily I had a cable.The software bundle provided with the unit is great. It comes with Studio one artist which is great for getting going. The plugins/ instrument bundle is super. I did have an issue with some of the serial numbers provided by Presonus to register the products but this was very quickly sorted by Presonus which was a reliefConnecting the unit was very simple and it integrated perfectly with studio one. The Preamps sound great. Very clean and they handle loud signals excellently. The Headphone outs are really powerful and more than adequate for loud tracking. There's no audible latency which is a dream for recording.For the Price of this unit there's nothing to fault really. It's a great interface at a reachable price point with Thunderbolt 3. I'm delighted with it.
I just recently upgraded my PC to a Thunderbolt 3 configuration and wow..... what a difference in performance. No detectable latency and it' works great. I have a Studio192 as well and can use it along with the new 2626 via ADAT to expand the analog channels to 16.Using the Q2626 as the master means all of the analog inputs via ADAT from the 192 have the same incredible TB3 performance. I'm a Studio One user but I've also used the Q2626 with Gig Performer software and it works incredibly well. So far so GREAT!!! Best money I've spent on an interface! Order processing and shipping from Sam Ash was super fast and first rate!
| Form Factor | Rackmount |
| Finish | Black |
| Year | 2021 |
| Made In | China |
| Sample Rate | 192 khz |
