Top critical review
1.0 out of 5 starsDigital distortion: Incompatible with Intel USB 3.0 drivers for the "eXtensible Host Controller" chipset. No Solution.
Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2014
*** Edit: 2014-09-02 ***
I bought this unit, the Presonus 1818vsl, again recently. The original bug, the incompatibility with the USB3 chipset, described below in my original review, is most definitely fixed in their latest driver. No more digital distortion on playback when plugged into the USB3 Intel eXtenisble Host Controller chipset.
However, I am encountering other driver problems with the 1818vsl now. I can't use its ASIO driver with my favorite DAW (an old out-of-date Logic Audio Platinum 5.5 for Windows). It doesn't work, makes no sound. It does work with more modern software such as Reaper. But I've got existing projects in Logic that I still want to finish, so I can't easily make the move to another DAW right now. I have a support ticket in with Presonus and I am awaiting a reply. If they cannot help me, I will be forced to return this one (second time I will have had to return one of these due to driver problems). I've got until 09-27 to return the unit.
Before you start telling me that I'm running old software and should upgrade, keep in mind that every other audio interface I've used (including the prior version of driver for this 1818vsl) had no troubles working in ASIO mode on Logic 5.5. I've still got the Tascam US-1800 and its ASIO driver works great with Logic 5.5. The ASIO spec hasn't changed in a decade, so there's no reason any working ASIO driver should stop working suddenly, unless there is a bug.
*** Original product review below, describing the original problem. ***
I went to a lot of trouble to get this PreSonus AudioBox 1818vsl interface. Previously I had owned PreSonus' FireWire version of this type of interface (the Firestudio Project) and I was very happy with that one. When it came time to move to USB, I thought, I should get the same thing, only, with USB instead of FireWire.
The reason for going to all this trouble, is that I was upgrading to a computer that did not have FireWire, only USB. I jumped through some hoops to see if I could get some kind of USB-to-firewire conversion working first, and it turns out that you can't do that, there is no such thing. Also, the new computer is a laptop without any kind of card slots or docking station, so it doesn't have any way to add firewire at all. So, I was resigned to switching to a USB interface. So I bought the PreSonus AudioBox 1818vsl. This was the most comparable device to my existing beloved FireStudio Project. It looked like it had all the features of my last interface and more, so I was looking forward to using it.
I received the 1818vsl before receiving the new computer, and I tried it out on the old computer's USB ports. It worked, so I went ahead with the new computer purchase.
Well, it only worked because the old computer had USB2. The new computer only comes with USB3 ports, and they use a particular chipset called the "Intel eXtensible Host Controller". This is a very common chipset, so I expect a lot of potential customers for this 1818vsl will be in the same boat.
On this new computer, with the Intel eXtensible Host Controller, all audio input and output is plaged by a constant digital distortion. It is a continuous crackling noise interrupting playback, like a digital version of static.
After days of troubleshooting the system and doing online research, I finally found a knowledge base article at the Presonus web site. Turns out: no, the Audiobox VSL is not compatible with USB 3.0. Well, at least, it's not compatible with the most common USB3 chipset anyway.
None of their work-arounds listed on that page are available to me. For instance, disabling the xHCI chipset is not an option in my BIOS, I can't upgrade the drivers because they're already the latest, I can't plug it into a USB2 port because I don't have one, and plugging a USB2 hub inbetween the computer and the 1818vsl doesn't solve the problem.
I've got a support ticket in with Presonus, and I'm going to follow up with a phone call. If they give me a workable solution, I'll update this review and change it to five stars. But for now, this device does not work, and the KB article makes it look like they simply aren't willing to fix their drivers, so, one star. If I could give it negative ten stars for wasting all of my time and money, I would.
Everyone: Stay away from this interface. Find a competitor's product, a competitor who wants to update their drivers to support new computers. I'm going to start shopping now.
*Update*
Their tech support is terrible.
I created an online support ticket at their web site (no response yet) and called their tech support phone line where they put me on hold for 30 minutes, then, after 30 minutes of hold time, their automated system gave me a message saying that I had no choice but to leave a message and hang up (I was not given the option to continue holding, 30 minutes is their limit).
I eventually got replies back from their tech support (via email, not phone), and they were friendly, and confirmed that the problem I encountered does not have a solution at this time. I asked if there was perhaps a beta version of the driver I could try, and while they said they would be happy to put me on their beta team if I signed an NDA, they couldn't confirm that this driver was being worked on at all, let alone if it had a fix in place for this particular problem. Since I'm on a timeline and I need my studio up and running again, I chose not to continue down that line.
I'm returning the 1818vsl, and I've bought a Tascam US-1800 instead. I like the Tascam US-1800 so far, and it works glitch-free on my Windows 8 system with the Intel eXtensible Host Controller. It's not nearly as feature-rich as the Presonus unit, but at least it works.
