Universal Audio Volt 876: Now Available!
Volt's new flexible flagship takes things in a new direction.
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Universal Audio Volt 876: The Baby Apollo? · Source: Universal Audio
Universal Audio Volt 876 · Source: Universal Audio
The Universal Audio Volt 876 is the new flagship interface in the Volt series, with per-channel vintage preamp modeling and 1176 compression.
Introduced in 2021, Universal Audio’s Volt series audio interfaces have quickly endeared themselves to musicians, offering affordability, ease of use, and access to some inspiring recording features.
Universal Audio Volt 876
The Volt 876 is a 24 x 28 USB interface with 32-bit 192 kHz recording capabilities and eight XLR combo preamp inputs. Two of the preamp inputs you’ll find on the front panel, along with two independently controlled headphone outputs, as well as controls to access talkback, monitoring, metering, and clocking options.
In comparison to the rest of the Volt series interfaces, Universal Audio has taken a slightly different approach with the 876, equipping it with more professional features that put it in a different bracket in the market. The layout is very well thought out, with a large LED ringed knob on the left for input gain, and another on the right for monitoring level.
As you select each of the eight analogue preamp channels, you can then activate the 610 tube preamp modeling or the 1176-style compression. Here, there are three compression modes, including a fast mode for drums, a vocal mode, and a mode for guitars. On the rear panel, besides the eight analogue TRS outputs, there is word clock I/O, ADAT I/O (up to 16 channels at 48 kHz), and five-pin MIDI I/O.
The 876 offers compatibility with Mac, PC, iPad, and iPhone, and it even functions as a standalone ADAT preamp expansion module, so you can expand the front end of your Apollo Twin X, for instance. Overall, the 876 offers a wide range of functions that take it away from the realm of budget audio interfaces.
Initially, you might have seen the Volt series as an alternative to the Focusrite Scarlett series, and although the look and feel are still very similar to the Scarlett 18i20, the feature set and $1000 price tag show that UA is gunning for other multichannel interfaces in this price range, like the options from MOTU, Audient, and SSL.
Pricing and Availability:
The Universal Audio Volt 876 is currently available. Get it at Thomann.*
More about the Universal Audio Volt 876:
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2 responses to “Universal Audio Volt 876: Now Available!”
I have been researching and planning to buy the Apollo x8p for a while, then they released the gen 2 and I was torn. I could get the cheaper gen 1 to save some money, and I still think I prefer the look of it, or go for the gen 2. More research and procrastination ensued. Now there’s this, and I’m wondering if it would do for what I need… looking forward to a review, maybe a comparison? Because, well, I’m lazy.
Why not replicate input 1 & 2 on the back? This thing will be annoying in a setup with patchbays having to have two cables hanging out on the front… Replicate on the backpanel with sensors feeling if the front jacks are used and then cut the signal to the ones in the back!