ASIO should be the driver that is used for audio with the external interfaces.

Sometimes it does require a bit of playing with the settings to get it dialed in. The buffers and the latency settings in particular are important to have them set correctly.

Given that, yes, some of the interfaces are built and designed better than others. It's always a good idea to shop around and compare features, but seeking advice from other users is also a great idea.

In the Sonar forums, more times than I wish to count, people have come seeking advice after buying a less than capable interface, asking how they can get it to run properly. Often the only solution is to return it and "buy up" a few levels to a more expensive, but capable interface. I hate to see the ones that start off, I just bought a midi-UNO, or a SAmpson USB mic, or I have a Layla interface...... Spend the money and get a nice Focusrite, or Presonus, or M-Audio..... those usually work very well. At times it is necessary to update the drivers and tweek the settings even on the top of the line interfaces.

If you have the option of native (true) ASIO, always opt for it. It is, after all, designed to do audio better than MME. Anything less is a compromise.

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