EVO 8

The EVO 8 is a very capable interface. Low latency, 4 mic preamps and the separate cue monitoring for vocalist are game changers in this price range market. Hi quality low noise preamps don't leave you indifferent. Just don't forget to use auto-gain button. But like in any low budget piece of hardware there are some flaws. First of all it is hard to read manual. I ordered it for my friend who is a professional musician ever wanted to hit the big scene. And for him without my technical knowledge it is hard to understand even watching tutorials. The second problem is the low headphone output. Also the real microphone gain is less than 50db, so you need to make gain lower on the master out 1-2(PC) to hear yourself on OUT 3-4 for voiceover recordings in the studio. At the same time the recordings with just metronome without music is ok. Even listening for music from PC could be little bit louder. And if you want to make recordings with low diaphragm microphones from distance(choir for example) you will not get normal gain staging levels(-10db at peak). So in any case you need additional headphone amp to work with EVO and maybe a decent mic preamp if you record in acoustic venues. Low noise preamps give you a possibility to add a gain later in program so additional 10db gain will add noise to the same extent up to -118 which may be low or not depending on the source sound volume. But if you are not gonna record vocals and plan to only make arrangements it is good to go. High dynamic range will make your life eazier.

On paper this seemed pretty much perfect- a compact interface with 4 inputs, smart gain, from a seemingly reliable manufacturer and for not that huge of a price!

When it arrived, it worked fine at first. Then a bug hit me where the interface wouldn’t be detected by Windows after hibernating, so I attempted to reinstall the drivers - a HUGE mistake to say the least.

Upon restarting my PC, it entered a boot loop. Using a Windows installer it told me it couldn’t fix it. So I tried reinstalling Windows, but it kept failing. Only when I tried to reinstall without the interface connected, the install succeeded. However, when I tried to use the interface again, the driver installation failed midway through. When I restarted my PC, the previous issue came back.

If you want an audio interface that actually works and won’t destroy your Windows installation, LOOK ELSEWHERE

Quality of the sound is amazing, preamps are close in quality to my RME Fireface UC and the drivers are really solid (I'm on windows).
Only two cons I can find is the build quality (a bit too plasticky for my taste) and the controls on the unit are annoying to use.
Software wise, you have loopback, fulll independent mixer for the two outputs (keep in mind that if you plug in headphones the relative audio output mutes, so you can only use 1 headphones and 1 output or two headphones at the time).
Auto gain works but it's a bit of a gimmick if you have at least 1 month of audio engineering experience :D

I order a lot of stuff from Thomann and I've to say they are awesome.
I first order a Focusrite to connect my 2 monitors. Focusrite, if you google, Reddit mostly, is FULL of issues, the worst I would say if you are using a PC and not a laptop, Win 10/11 based. Constantly disconnecting, audio glitches, bad performances.
A friend of mine has the Evo 4, and I clearly ordered the Evo 8 and it's a BEAST.
I connected the Monitors to speakers 3,4, and the headphones to Output 1. By doing so, I can easily control Monitor's volume and Headphones volume, having audio coming out from both.

Just a heads up: don't get scared if some issue happens when installing drivers. If PC fails, restart it, probably there's some app conflict. Drivers install instantly and then plug in the Evo 8. Everything will work perfectly.
If you have issues, check hardware device properties listing all PC devices. update your chipset and download the latest thunderbolt motherboard drivers and then everything will work.

Because Focusrite creating conflicts with Win 11, I had to reset my whole PC. Never again. Evo 8 just installed perfectly. Works well.
Just connect your monitors to output 3,4 and headphones to 1,2 and you'll be super ready to rock 'n roll!

I bough EVO 8 interface mainly due to it's SMART GAIN feature. This BTW works great and saves lot of time when you work as one man band and songwriter layering your tracks one by one using different instruments and mics.

Tons of features for not so much money!! 6 STARS for that.!!!
The 2 outs and 2 headphones are great feature. Simple button layout. Great design!

Audio quality??? Best of what I have so far. Guitars direct input - fantastic sound. Mics great too - and no more clipping thanks to SMART GAIN. Enough to say the first test recording I've made was so good that I keep listen it over and over again with big smile.

Don't be afraid of plastic enclosure - when you place EVO on your desk you quickly stop looking at it and start making music.

This is real bargain. Better than I expected. Thanks THOMANN. Thanks Audient.