Akai Professional EIE USB Audio Recording Interface Review

If you’ll ask me to make a quick recommendation of a great audio interface, I will probably have to pick Focusrite or M-Audio products. Although there are many other audio interface manufacturers out there, I really trust the products created by these two. Few months ago I was scooping in a music shop and I saw this USB interface with unique design. I’m not sure if it was the reddish design or the brand, but I wanted to learn more about it. So, here is my quick review on Akai Professional EIE, an audio interface like no other, with great features and affordable price.

The Body
Compared with other similar devices, the Akai EIE has a strong body made from durable metal that will endure drop shocks or scratches. The build quality is fantastic and you will agree with me once you get the chance to hold it in your hands.

Front controls
If you take a quick look at this interface you will immediately notice a feature that’s not encountered in similar products in this class: the inputs. Akai EIE has 4 front-facing XLR + 1/4-inch combination audio inputs along with mic/line switch and gain for each channel. Also, there is a 48+ Phantom Power switch for 1/2 inputs and 3/4 inputs. Instead of control LEDs, the manufacturer decided to implement to VU meters for input or output. Under the meters you will find the master volume, the mono/stereo switch, the headphones output and the headphones volume.

The real panel
Here we’ll find the USB port, the MIDI In/Out, the DC controls, 4 audio inserts and 4 audio outputs. There is also a Power button that will switch off or on the interface. A cool feature of this interface is the three-port USB hub that allows you to connect various USB devices.

Features and functionality
Once you will see the features of this interface you will understand why it was priced so cheap. The maximum sample rates of 44.1kHz sampling rate @ 16-bit resolution are a bit outdated, since similar interfaces record at least at 96kHz and 24-bit resolution. The preamps are quite clean, even at maximum levels. The input/output meters are illuminated with white light that turns reddish once the signal clips, and this feature is really helpful when you record at high audio levels. The audio monitoring has zero latency thanks to a simple input/output balance control. The AD/DA convertors seem to work just fine considering the recording specs.

Price
As I said, the specs are a bit outdated, so the price was discounted from $300 to $150 on Amazon.com

Conclusion
Akai Professional EIE USB is an audio interface with a sturdy design and few pros and cons. I loved the 4 inputs, the metal case and the VU meters, but the audio recording sample rate is definitely a con. The overall quality of this product is not bad for its price, but if you don’t need to use 4 inputs at one time, you will find better products on the market. If you need to record at better audio quality, you should check the upgraded version of this interface, the Akai Professional EIE Pro 24-bit ($190 on Amazon)