Focusrite Clarette vs Scarlet

[clark]

Has anyone compared those 2 interfaces? Is the Clarette worth the extra money?
I am looking to upgrade and it seems if I do it now, I likely will be set for many years.

Thoughts ?

[Embenny]

I think Larry could tell you about the Clarett from firsthand knowledge. Its converters and mic preamps are significantly better than the Scarlett - whether those make a difference to you depend on what you're doing with them, though.

[Larry Mal]

Yes, the Clarett is better, it has better preamps and converters to it. Since that's what the units do, that's exactly where you should sink your money, and if you want to future proof your purchase then buy the best one you can afford.

How noticeable of a difference it is, can't say, although I do keep a Scarlett around at work and my home unit is a Clarett (I also run a Focusrite One through it). Both of them are very good at their price points.

Here is a pretty good breakdown about the two units:

However, if you want to know what we think might be the best of these interfaces for you, here are our insights into it:

If you are new to audio interfaces, get a Focusrite Scarlett
If you already have a Scarlett and you are starting to outgrow it, try out a Clarett
If you have a Scarlett, but you are happy with its features, keep your Scarlett
If you are looking for a new small interface but think that in the future might need more channels, get a Clarett
If you are an amateur podcaster, get a Scarlett
If you do professional audio recording, a Clarett might be better for you

[marqueemoon]

Looking at the specs I think the deciding factor would be if I was recording a full band and/or drums.

In that case more headroom, a louder headphone amp, and expandability are all real advantages for the Clarett.

[Telliot]

I’ve owned a Clarett for about 5 years now, a huge upgrade over the smaller Edirol interface I used for 2 decades prior. While my old interface wasn’t as good as the Scarlett, the flexibility and robustness of the Clarett make it the clear winner for me. When I go back and listen to older recordings I can’t believe how anemic they sound, and while the Scarlett’s preamps are much better than what I used to have, I’m convinced the upgrade is worth the extra up front cost.

[burpgun]

I've got a Scarlet that's always worked pretty well and am now going to have to return to using. I liked it but had issues with the trim controls struggling to moderate incoming signals. I thought this would be an upgrade, but I am having big problems with audio crackling on a MOTU M4 that escape any sort of lasting fix and it's too late to return it, alas.

[marqueemoon]

I've got a Scarlet that's always worked pretty well and am now going to have to return to using. I liked it but had issues with the trim controls struggling to moderate incoming signals. I thought this would be an upgrade, but I am having big problems with audio crackling on a MOTU M4 that escape any sort of lasting fix and it's too late to return it, alas.

Bleh. Sorry to hear about the M4 issue. I really like mine. A quick search says manufacturer’s warranty is 2 years.

[burpgun]

I've got a Scarlet that's always worked pretty well and am now going to have to return to using. I liked it but had issues with the trim controls struggling to moderate incoming signals. I thought this would be an upgrade, but I am having big problems with audio crackling on a MOTU M4 that escape any sort of lasting fix and it's too late to return it, alas.

Bleh. Sorry to hear about the M4 issue. I really like mine. A quick search says manufacturer’s warranty is 2 years.

It’s a bummer. I’ve had a couple of FireWire MOTU devices as well as a Presonus that were hassle free. My Scarlet is fine if a bit bare bones. This M4 is the first disaster and I see now a lot of folks have similar issues. Will hit them up for a new box tomorrow.

[jorri]

I was looking recently and it seemed Presonus generally offered more bang-for-buck with preamp specs. I know the Scarlett is seemingly a 'go-to' but it doesn't look especially amazing on things like preamp gain. Maybe that's not the only spec to look out for...
Or for lots of tracks, probably a zoom live-track to be honest. They have as-good preamps it seems multiplied however many times, so 6x the tracks at similar budget sounds fine with me!. bulkier but a similar price if you don't need that. In the end i kept one of those i had as opposed to Presonus/Focusrite etc. as the many-input varieties are not much less bulky, just have a less intuitive interface than the mixer layout.