This brand may not be among the most popular with the average consumer, yet it is well known to experienced professionals with the most demanding ears. Why? Prism Sound makes some of the best analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog converters on the market. Delightful preamps and a sound full of nuance.
You could say that, for their preamps and crystal-clear sound, the Prism Sound family of interfaces is among the most respected at the high end. The Lyra 2 is a proposition that offers more accessibly priced alternatives (compared with the Atlas and Titan).
The company's flagship is the ADA-8XR, a converter with some of the most powerful technology in the industry. Aware of its strength in this segment of the market, the company has its own division that makes top-of-the-line audio meters and analyzers, such as the dScope Series III.
Sound Quality Above All
The supply of interfaces has been overwhelming over the last five years. Currently, and fortunately (looking on the bright side), the economic crisis has been a good filter for weeding out a lot of "junk product," leaving the big names standing and highlighting the differences between the "good" and the "bad."
The price range it sits in (approximately 1,800 € + VAT) puts it far from the small "home studio" user. However, it is an especially attractive option for those musicians and recording professionals who are looking for exceptional quality. For that, your ears and your workflow need to be experienced enough to appreciate the absolute clarity and precision this interface delivers.
Perhaps one of the drawbacks you might find, if we're thinking about professional recording and talking about this kind of investment, is the reduction in inputs and outputs the manufacturer makes to bring the price down (compared with the larger units in its catalog). The Lyra 2 offers two inputs and four outputs, exquisite ones, admittedly. Still, this possible "barrier" could be solved with a multichannel preamp with digital output, which would let us reach 10 mic inputs, enough to record a drum kit, for example (in many cases).
About Its Price
Speaking of the best prices, you can forget the old "it's cheaper in Germany" line. In fact, these days you can buy this product (like so many others) in Spain at a better price than at the well-known stores outside the country. For example, and without looking any further, at Funky Junk. Price, service in your own country, and your money doesn't leave the country. Sounds like a good option, doesn't it?
On the Test Bench
We had the chance to put the product through the lab. Reading about it is not enough when you need to know why it's better, identify the advantages in its sound and "touch" it with your own hands to get a perfect overall picture in the studio.
There is no doubt that the unit's strong point is its technical performance, in line with the quality of the well-known Orpheus, the Atlas or the Titan. In this case in a compact, convenient and somewhat more affordable format. The focus is on users who can't afford the top products in the company's catalog, or who simply don't need interfaces with higher-end specs (in terms of the number of inputs and outputs, etc.).
They claim to have the best analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog converters on the market. From the ADA-8XR family
Having tested it, we can say this is a product that exudes exceptional quality, both in its absolutely crystal-clear sound, full of detail, and in the quality of its preamps, which we could describe as clean and "calm." A preamp character that radiates that finely tuned grandeur of sound compared with lower-quality products.
The same goes if we turn our evaluation to its finish and physical construction. I'd sum it up as elegant, a very English style. As for dimensions, it weighs 10 kg and offers optional Lyra Rack Ears for mounting the unit in a rack.
In Use
A little further down I've included details of its front and rear panels: connectivity and possibilities, both analog and digital. It's worth noting, however, that this is a USB 192 kHz/24-bit interface with two inputs, four outputs and two preamps. Ethernet and ADAT. It has DSP with powerful mixing capabilities, ASIO and WDM drivers for Windows (32- and 64-bit) and Core Audio for Mac OS X.
Important details include the separate physical inputs for mic and line, its phantom power switch, -20 dB pad, M/S encoder and "Overkillers" limiter.
As for its digital options (not simultaneous), it has 2 channels of S/PDIF inputs and outputs (RCA or optical TOSLINK) or AES via an RCA/XLR adapter. Finally, it adds 8 channels of ADAT inputs and outputs up to 48 kHz and 4 channels of S/MUX at 88.2k and 96k. Take a look at the spec sheet below.
Attractive bar-graph meters in the center of the front panel. Small but useful
As you'd expect, installation was quick, with no issues and instant recognition by our system once the device was installed. In our case, it was recognized perfectly and immediately (after installing the driver) by Mac OS X 10.11.6 and Pro Tools 12.6.0.585.
As for latency, which is especially low, I didn't find any astonishing differences compared with other high-end units that have passed through the lab. Without disputing the superiority of Prism Sound's converters, which as we've mentioned are its major difference and strongest point, we can recommend comparing it with other quality compact units such as the Antelope Pure Audio 2, Antelope Orion Studio, Focusrite Forte, Apogee's Lynx Hilo or Avid Pro Tools Quartet, etc.
The Ethernet Port?
This is a low-latency interface with future AVB integration in mind. Audio Video Bridging is a standard geared toward transmitting synchronized audio and video data over LAN networks. Its bigger siblings, the "Atlas" and "Titan," have it, though the Lyra 1 does not. Although this connection has been around for a while and is currently inactive, the manufacturer's intention is to develop a driver in the future so it can take advantage of it as well.
The company's marketing director, Graham Boswell, commented, “It's a shame the market isn't evolving to take advantage of AVB technology. Prism Sound has included it in its products, considering the great potential and low latency of this type of transmission. We're still waiting on progress in the market to take advantage of its benefits. On our interfaces, everything is ready for when that moment comes.”
Conclusions
To enjoy the Prism Sound Lyra 2 at full performance we need high-end monitors and a set of quality outboard gear. This is an elitist product with clear superiority in some of its aspects (mentioned throughout the article) and overall elegance in the rest of its features, components and construction.
There are alternatives at a noticeably lower price with more inputs and outputs that allow a more flexible range of configurations. So the question is: what are our most common recording and mixing setups? Or do we prefer extreme quality in a somewhat smaller configuration? If our goal is to have crystal-clear, spotless quality in the studio, perhaps the best option would be to go for the TITAN or the ATLAS, although budget-wise the Lyra 2 offers that converter power, sacrificing certain larger configurations that, for some projects, we may not need. Or maybe we can make do with the multichannel preamp setup we described a little further up. The real deal at a steep price, folks.
SPEC SHEET
Prism Lyra 2: 2/4 USB Recording Interface with 2 preamps, Ethernet and ADAT
192 kHz/24-bit USB interface, based on the legendary Orpheus
Based on ARM Cortex, a new design built around the "XCore" processor
DSP with mixing capabilities superior to those found on the Orpheus
ASIO and WDM drivers for Windows (32- and 64-bit) and CORE AUDIO on Mac OS X
ANALOG channels with Prism Sound "Premium" quality
2 input channels for microphone, line and instrument, with separate physical inputs
2 high-end microphone preamps with phantom power switch, -20 dB pad, M/S encoder and "Overkillers" limiter
2 high-end instrument inputs on the front panel.
4 line output channels with headphone output with independent volume and mix.
Outputs selectable between the DAW return bus or the Lyra mixer
New "high-drive" headphone output with volume control on the front panel
DIGITAL channels (not simultaneous)
2 channels of S/PDIF inputs and outputs (RCA or optical TOSLINK) or AES via RCA/XLR adapter
8 channels of ADAT inputs and outputs up to 48k and 4 channels of S/MUX at 88.2k and 96k
SNS "noise shaping" on digital outputs and built-in SRC
WC (Word Clock) input and output for digital clock.
Software management program
Optional Lyra Rack Ears for rack-mounting the unit
Weight: 10 kg
Manufacturer: Prism Sound
Distributed in Spain by: Funky Junk
Approximate price: 2,189 € VAT included
