IK Multimedia, makers of iRig and Amplitube for iOS, have just announced the next generation of their audio interface for iPhone and iPad: the iRig HD.
The original iRig was my first iOS guitar interface. It completely opened a new world when I realized you could disperse entirely of your practice rig in favor of a phone-based solution, that also provided recording and backtrack functionality. Pretty soon though, I switched the analog iRig that connects through the headset port of the phone for an Apogee Jam that connects through the docking port and has its own on-board D/A-converter.
Even though the digital interfaces like the Jam, Sonoma’s GuitarJack, Line6’s MobileIn and recently Focusrite iTrack Solo have provided much higher audio quality, the iRig has stuck around as a really popular choice. The iRig HD puts IK Multimedia back in the A league of interfaces, and with such a strong brand for their product I think the new model will be very popular.
Construction and looks of the iRig HD are very similar to the Apogee Jam. The iRig HD has one instrument jack, and a detachabled connector with cables included for both older and lightning docking ports, as sell as USB for Mac. The lightning cable is a clear advantage over Apogee Jam, which needs an adapter on newer iOS units. Why IK multimedia, just like Apogee, has decided not to ship drivers for Windows is beyond me though. That’s just closing the door on an immense market, the majority of iPhone users I know run Windows, not MacOS.
I’m sure IK will have a big hit with this one. There are probably thousands who are pretty happy with their iRig but are looking to upgrade, and getting an interface for both iOS and MacOS is pretty nifty.
Specs
- Maximum Input Level: from 330 mVpp to 7 Vpp
- Gain Control Range: 26 dB
- Input Noise: -97 dB RMS
- Distortion (THD): 0.005%
- Frequency Response: 20Hz-20kHz +/- 0.2 dB
