Recording - October 2013 - 32

B Y M I K E M E T L AY

Echo Digital Audio has been a
player in the computer-audio game
for decades. When it first became
feasible to add high-resolution
audio I/O to computers, Echo was
there with early PCI-based audio
solutions and multichannel breakout
boxes, offering unprecedented routing flexibility and exceptional audio conversion.
Echo established a reputation for highend portable audio conversion in the 2000s
with a series of CardBus- and ExpressCardbased interfaces like the Indigo IO
(reviewed October 2004) and Indigo IOx
(September 2009), and with some of the

Echo Digital Audio Echo2
Mic and guitar audio with no compromises, with or without a computer
My curiosity was piqued; with the AudioFire2, I had felt that a certain watershed
had been reached, a combination of portable convenience and impeccable audio
that had been challenged by comparatively few other companies (Apogee comes to
mind). What could Echo bring to the table with the Echo2 that would make it worthy
of investigation?

best FireWire-based portable interfaces on
the planet. I still carry an AudioFire2
(reviewed March 2008) with me almost all
the time, as an integral part of a highly trustworthy portable-listening environment for
music critiquing, editing, and reviews.
In recent years, though, Echo hasn’t been
in the news much for end-user audio solutions; the company’s current main thrust is in
the realm of Audio Video Bridging for networked audio (see echoavb.com for more
information). So I was intrigued to learn that
just this year, Echo had discontinued most of
the AudioFire interfaces and released a single small USB interface, the Echo2, with
very little fanfare.
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RECORDING October 2013

Elegance inside and out
The Echo2 is a portable dual mic preamp with instrument inputs and headphone
monitoring output, with built-in USB 2.0 audio interface with up to 24-bit/192 kHz
audio resolution. It offers two inputs, four outputs, near zero-latency monitoring, a comprehensive set of onboard metering and control features, and handy accessories for a
variety of stage and studio applications, all in a unique and appealing package.
The first thing you notice about the Echo2 when it comes out of the box is how it’s been
exceptionally well-designed for portability. My only gripe with the compact and very
rugged AudioFire2 is the danger of its exposed volume pot suffering damage... to the
point where I’ve actually considered sawing off the shaft of the pot partway down, to
minimize the chances of it getting caught on or hit by anything in my fearsomely overstuffed laptop bag!
In contrast, the Echo2 doesn’t have any exposed pots or encoders... in fact it doesn’t have any mechanical controls at all. Instead, there’s a smooth, elegant Lexan touch
surface like that of a smartphone, with large and easy-to-read selector controls and a
pair of stereo LED meters surrounding a long, LED-enhanced level adjustment touchstrip. This is the first audio interface I’m aware of that passes the Laptop Bag Test with
a perfect score.
The slightly tapered case is just thick enough at the back for a pair of 1/4" TRS balanced inputs and a pair of 1/4" TRS balanced outs, plus a mini-B USB connector in one
corner. The thinner front edge offers a single minijack for headphone output, and
there’s a jack for an included wall-wart AC power supply on the right side of the case.
If you’re using the Echo2 without a computer, or if you’re hooking up mics that need
phantom power—or if you hear USB-related digital noise, which Echo cautions might
happen on some computers but never did in my tests—then the AC supply is mandatory. Otherwise the Echo2 happily operates on bus power.
The Echo2 comes with a pair of short XLR/TRS adapter cables for hooking up mics,
and a mic stand bracket that attaches to the box via a recessed threaded mounting
hole on the bottom of the case.

http://www.echoavb.com

Recording - October 2013

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