PreSonus Quantum ES 2 audio interface review: Versatile and portable

PreSonus has a long history of building high-quality, well-designed audio interfaces. My first interface was a PreSonus FireStudio Project, and even still, I have a PreSonus Quantum 2626 interface in my home studio (which I bought after reviewing a loaner unit). Recently, the company expanded its Quantum line to include more entry-level tabletop models, including the compact yet sleek PreSonus Quantum ES 2.

The Quantum ES 2 is designed to bring high-quality recording to a small-format setting, whether it be a bedroom studio or a vocal booth. But how does it perform — and how does it compete with the touch competition at this price point? I’ve been using the PreSonus Quantum ES 2 for a few weeks to find out.

PreSonus Quantum ES 2 design

The PreSonus Quantum ES 2 is sleek, stylish, and compact. It’s designed to sit on your desk, and has most of its controls on the top, with most of its ports on the back.

It’s mostly built from plastic instead of metal, which is a bit of a bummer — however to be fair, I never felt like I was going to break or damage it. The plastic still looks reasonably premium, and I like the black-and-blue color-scheme that’s become PreSonus’ signature.

While most of the ports are on the back of the unit, there are a couple on the front, including a 1/4-inch headphone jack and an instrument input. I wish there were more ports on the front though, even if it meant PreSonus had to do away with the wedge design. On the back of the unit are the main mic/line in inputs. For an interface like this, I think they would be better served on the front.

Also on the back can be found stereo main outputs, MIDI in and out, and two USB-C ports: one to connect the interface to your computer, and another to supply additional power if your connected device doesn’t offer enough. It makes sense that all of these are found on the back.

On the top is where all the controls are. The way the controls are set up is actually quite smart, though you will have to get used to how they work. There’s a large knob on the right side of the unit that by default controls the main output, including showing gain levels with an LED ring around the knob. Press the buttons labeled one or two, however, and you can use that knob to control the gain of the inputs. You’ll know that you’re doing so because the input button will change its color to white, as will the LED lights on and around the main knob.

After you’ve pressed a button corresponding to one of the inputs, you can also press the phantom power button, which can be activated individually for each of the two inputs. I was happy to see this, as it’s common for entry-level interfaces to activate phantom power on all inputs or none of the inputs. There’s also an Auto button on the top, which activates the auto gain mode, and there’s a headphone button that allows you to use the main knob to control the headphone volume.

Generally, the controls are easy to get used to, and I like how PreSonus has simplified the number of knobs on the unit by allowing the main volume knob to control everything.

PreSonus Quantum ES 2 features

Apart from the control setup, the Quantum ES2 offers a few different features that can help make recording easier.

As mentioned, on the top of the unit can be found an Auto button, which activates an auto gain mode and can be activated for individual channels or multiple channels. In this mode, the interface will go into a listening mode for 10 seconds, which is when you should play your instrument to set levels. After the 10 seconds is up, it will automatically set the gain that it thinks the channel should be set to. You’ll know that it’s done so because the knob will blink green. If it can’t determine a good level, it will blink red instead.

Th interface also has a stereo linking feature that lets you link the two inputs, so that you can control them together. This is simple to do too — just hold down the “1” button, then press the “2” button. They can then be recorded as a stereo source in your DAW, and by default, are panned hard left and hard right.

The interface can also be used as a mixer in a live sound environment, when not connected to a computer through USB. When the interface isn’t connected to a computer, it will send all audio out the main inputs, allowing you to mix inputs 1 and 2. It’s a bit less versatile than the Quantum ES 4, which has four inputs, but it’s a neat use-case for singer-songwriters on the go.

Lastly, you can use the interface with a smartphone (which will require you use the USB-C aux input for additional power).

PreSonus Quantum ES 2 software

The PreSonus Quantum ES 2 works with the PreSonus Universal Control software, which is available on both MacOS and Windows. You may need to update the Universal Control software on your computer if it was already installed, and update the firmware of the Quantum ES 2, to control it in Universal Control.

Once connected, you’ll be able to access mostly controls that can be tweaked on the unit itself, but there are some additional settings that you’ll get access to — like a high-pass filter. You’ll also be able to tweak the sample rate.

The software works fine, but using it with the Quantum ES 2 doesn’t quite unlock as many additional options as, for example, the ES 4 (with which you can use sends).

PreSonus Quantum ES 2 sound

The PreSonus Quantum ES 2 supports recording at 24-bit, 192kHz, and comes with two of PreSonus’ own MAX-HD preamps. Something I’ve always appreciated about PreSonus’ preamps is that they’re relatively clean, and that continues with the Quantum ES 2. You could argue that the preamps lack character, but on small-format interfaces like this you don’t want character — you want a clean canvas that you can apply character to after recording.

I recorded an acoustic guitar, electric guitar, vocals, and some percussion through this interface, and found that it was more than capable for all of those situations. That’s unsurprising — but still always nice to see.

Conclusions

The PreSonus Quantum ES 2 is a versatile interface that’s perfect for singer-songwriters who want something they can record with and perform with. That said, there are interfaces that have similar features but more inputs, at a similar price — like the Focusrite Scarlett 4i4. But that interface has a slightly different form-factor, and if the table-top, easy-to-access form factor is more important to you than getting more inputs, and you don’t think you’ll need more than two inputs, the PreSonus Quantum ES 2 is an excellent option.