Reliable audio interace for linux

This is somewhat off-topic, yet here I go:

What reliable audio interface do you use on linux?

I am sporting a Saffire Pro 14 right now, which works for ~15 minutes before everything turnes into crackling noise… But with a JUCE audio application it will only work with very specific latency times (32ms was the only one).

Then again, I don’t know whether I’m using a system driver or ffado (I installed ffado and it didn’t work, a later upgrade to Ubuntu18 made it work automagically…(shame on me yes!))

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Haven’t gotten to try it out myself yet but the new Arturia interfaces support Linux:

I worked with Audio Interfaces on Linux eons ago (using alsa from ~2000 to ~2004) and the choice was always RME. Very expensive but has great hardware that on linux gets coupled with the few good drivers in the linux drivers lot - not 100% sure this is still the case today but if I had to I’d start from there.

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+1 for RME. You can pick up an old Hammerface for next to nothing these days (100/150 squids) and they are fantastic for the money. https://www.linuxjournal.com/article/7024

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Jo I use the focusrite 2i2 it has never let me down. It works plug and play, or you can configure for use with JACK. It’s cheap and good quality, bang for your buck. I think you would have to spend a lot more to get a little better quality.

Edit: make shure you get the new one, the old one had some issues with power supply on some laptops. Also it’s more sturdy

RME has good reputation in terms of drivers.

my .2 cents for this discussion -
Linux is a very broad term. (same goes for any SW/HW combo). with new concepts such as Intel’s SpeedShift™ and the “never know your clock” Turbo-Boost accompanied with USB device drivers. one solution won’t fit all and sometimes a GPU driver/chipset driver or bios setting could improve or worsen audio reliability.

I have also good experience with Tascam US-2x2 on Ubuntu (4x4 and 1x2 are almost identical so should work too).

Class-Compliant USB Interfaces tend to work very well. I have a Behringer UMC1820 that works nicely. Generation 4 MOTU are reported to work well.
Focusrite are reported to work well.

https://wiki.linuxaudio.org/wiki/hardware_support

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I’ve just found out about iConnectivity the other day (they posted this: Looking for a full-time JUCE dev) and I think it’s really cool to see companies officially supporting Linux as a platform, instead of the current well-it’s-class-compliant-so-it-should-work-but-we-don’t-really-offer-any-support-you’re-basically-on-your-own situation.

https://www.iconnectivity.com/products/audio/connectaudio24

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Yeah I bought that one. I still get audio dropouts every 5-10 minutes, but at least it works with JUCE somewhat reliable and I can continue development on linux.