Gordon.

i agree 100 % with your whole post including hifi comments//cable silliness…kudos.

i used to try and rescue pals from spending big quids//buy a small car money on hifi gear..
some listen, some dont.

re… one of your comments… i agree i couldnt hear much diff tween lynn fustons audio examples…cept a minor smidge with the uad interface..
i particularly found the piano was interesting in each example viz the low notes…hence i felt the uad beat the others by a tiny margin.

heres what lynn says on the sweetwater shootout link i posted re my audient…

'The innovative audient evo is tiny if space in your workspace is at a premium. The sleek and simple operating surface belies the power within this USB-powered box that offers dual mic inputs, a JFET instrument DI, phantom power, 24-bit/96kHz sampling, and Mac/Windows/iOS compatibility. Add in loopback functionality and the Smartgain automatic level-setting feature, and this minimalist-looking interface offers amazing power and sound at an affordable price.'

even tho' a pro like lynn with decades of experience provides comment on a piece of gear or a julian krause with his fancy test gear i always still do my own testing.

all i can say is, contrary to what some might think…i have no gear biases…

i am going on what the audient has done for me in practice over a year of loads of traks…
(and use with biab/rb/reaper.)...married to the fact i havent even had the most minor hiccup/frustration with it. (ymmv as all our pc rigs are different.).
given also the low latency drivers i like muchly…(and the fact i asked audient support a minor question and they responded pdq)...i have zero complaints.

as ive said before more than once…originally the evo was a 'stop gap' still something else floated my boat even better//major tech breakthru' etc etc…cos the tech re interfaces moves fast. then…what i'll prolly do is keep evo as a backup on a second pc.

anyway gordon i'm a happy lad cos my team west ham beat everton 2-0 phew..lol.got us out of the relegation zone.

happiness.

om

New Song "PRETTY GIRL" for my wife...Dec 2023
(my vocs....mixed for good earbuds.)
https://soundcloud.com/alfsongs/prettygirlrbfinalcalfsongsdec2023mp3
(and rock song THE STALLION and bluegrass song... BANKER MAN....90 songs useing bb/rb.)