Recording - June 2020 - 40

REVIEW

Solid State Logic
SSL 2+ USB Audio Interface
The legendary British console sound-in a USB interface?
REVIEW BY ALEX HAWLEY

olid State Logic caught
everyone by surprise at
NAMM 2020 with the announcement of the SSL 2 and
SSL 2+. SSL has more than left its
mark in the pages of music history. Over the past couple of years,
it has continued to innovate and
broaden its reach far beyond
the A-list recording facilities that
can accommodate (and afford)
large-format consoles. Now, producers at every level can have of
taste of that good SSL magic.
Now a part of Audiotonix, SSL
has recently focused on new,
competitively priced studio offerings, such as the Fusion analog processor (reviewed August
2019) and SiX mixer. The SSL
2/2+ now represent the most
affordable SSL hardware available-and it's not even close:
The SSL 2 is $229.99, while the
SSL 2+ is $279.99. At this price
point, can its sound really live
up to the SSL name printed on
the front?

Overview

The SSL 2 and SSL 2+ are nearly identical in shape and size, with the 2+ sporting a slightly more robust I/O. The SSL
2 features 2x2 analog I/O (two combo
jacks in, two balanced 1/4" out), while
the SSL 2+ features 2x4 I/O; the two
additional outputs come in the form of
unbalanced RCA connectors. The back
panel of the 2+ also features a 1/4" headphone out and 5-pin MIDI I/O. For this
review, I've been testing the SSL 2+.
40 RECORDING June 2020

Both models are Type-C USB 2.0 with
up to 24/192 recording capabilities.
It's completely bus powered-there isn't
even an option to use an external power
supply. It's class-compliant for use with
OS X; plug and play, no drivers needed. PC users will need to download the
dedicated ASIO/WDM driver.
Both models feature Neutrik XLR and
1
/4" connectors, Alps pots, high-current
NJM headphone amp output(s), and AKM
AD/DA converters (same as the high-end
SSL Alpha-Link I/O series). Both models
feature a new mic pre design; these are
not the same Superanalogue preamps as
found in the SiX mixer or any SSL console.
This new SSL design features a combination of standard ICs and low-noise transistors. The result yields 62dB of gain and
130.5 dBu EIN. On paper, it features an
above average gain range when it comes
to USB-powered interfaces in its class,
with an impressively quiet noise floor. This
should translate to clean recordings, even
with low output microphones.
Each input features a '4K' button on
the front panel. Anyone familiar with

SSL will know that this alludes to the
4000 series console. While the mojo
of an actual 4000 is the result of gain
staging through various VCAs in the circuit path, it's great to have the option
to inject some 4K-inspired character at
the preamp stage. Pushing the 4K button
engages a gentle high frequency boost
(around 16 kHz to my ears), as well as
some harmonic distortion. The effect is
subtle, but it makes a cumulative difference as the track count rises.

If it sounds too good to be true...

You've heard it before: "If it sounds too
good to be true, it probably is." Well,
that old adage need not apply here-the
SSL 2+ sounds true to its heritage.
I'm lucky enough to record and mix
on an SSL console in my day job, so
its sound is something I'm very intimate
with. I'm fully aware that a lot more goes
into the 'SSL sound' beyond the preamps,
but in an effort to make a fair comparison
with the new interface, I set up a side-byside preamp shootout between the SSL
2+ and the SSL 900+ AWS.

Recording - June 2020

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