Focusrite Clarett input gain repair

[RonWC]

I own a Clarett 2Pre USB that is out of warranty. The input gain seems to be failing. I have to turn the gain knob up to 100% to get a usable signal using my small diaphragm condensers. It’s not a problem when using my Shure SM7b because I use an inline fethead amp.

I also own an Audient Id14, so it’s easy to see/hear the difference. Focusrite support has confirmed the device has a problem with the input gain. Their support team is great but the rep said that to get an out of warranty repair would be £66 just to look at it, never mind repair it.

So, my question is - has anyone had a similar problem with the input gain failing, was it an easy fix and how much (roughly) did it cost?

[tomas]

Hi RonWC & welcome to the SOS forums!

I had a more severe failure on my Audient iD22 some years ago. The unit was then already four years old (no warranty). lt showed up as normal in my computer but no audio signal could come in or out of it. Some googling efforts revealed that others had encountered the same issue, and Audient support acknowledged that the main PCB probably needs to be replaced. However, they couldn’t supply any refurb or new board to me. Instead I had to ask my regional distributor and they wanted in excess of €100 to ship me a replacement PCB. I would do the work myself (a simple swap with minimal soldering). I then decided it wasn’t worth the expense and further effort on my part to try to resurrect it.

I bought an RME desktop unit instead, and I’m very pleased with that decision. Prior to the Audient, I had an Apogee Duet FW that Apple made obsolete with a new version of MacOS, and prior to that I had an M-Audio ProjectMix I/O that was a useful control surface but the Duet was a significant upgrade in sound quality. Prior to the ProjectMix, I used an eMagic sound card with 2-in/6-out RCA sockets and no mic pre. So, roughly every five years I have replaced my audio interface. I hope to get a longer useful lifespan out of the RME.

[RonWC]

Thanks for taking the time to reply Tomas. The annoying thing is that the Clarett does still work, although not very well for my small diaphragm condensers. I’ve tested the phantom power at the inputs with a multimeter and it seems fine (48V and 7mA).

Another thing is that I get more gain from input 2 than from input 1. If I turn the gain 100% up on input 2, it will clip. Not so with input 1. At 100% on input 1, I can get a maximum signal of -16dB.

[James Perrett]

Have you tried plugging/unplugging something into the line input and then trying the mic? I'm wondering if it could be something as simple as a dirty contact in the line/mic switching.

[Wonks]

£66 will cover the first hour or so of repair (it's not £66+ all the repair cost and time).

Is it just one input that's failing or both?

If both, it may be a low phantom power voltage as you are unlikely to get both preamps failing together. If you can get a good signal level with the SM7b and the Fethead, then it may be the phantom power isn't at full output. The Fethead works with phantom down to 24v DC, which may not be enough for your condensers.

Have you checked the phantom power level by measuring between pins 1 and 2 and pins 1 and 3? Unloaded you should get around 48v DC for both readings. If you don't, at least it points to the phantom power rather than a general preamp issue.

And whilst unwieldy, if it is phantom power, you could always use external phantom power supply boxes that can cost from around £20 per input (though there are more expensive options).

[RonWC]

Have you tried plugging/unplugging something into the line input and then trying the mic? I'm wondering if it could be something as simple as a dirty contact in the line/mic switching.

Thanks for the suggestion James. No improvement I’m afraid.

[RonWC]

£66 will cover the first hour or so of repair (it's not £66+ all the repair cost and time).

Is it just one input that's failing or both?

If both, it may be a low phantom power voltage as you are unlikely to get both preamps failing together. If you can get a good signal level with the SM7b and the Fethead, then it may be the phantom power isn't at full output. The Fethead works with phantom down to 24v DC, which may not be enough for your condensers.

Have you checked the phantom power level by measuring between pins 1 and 2 and pins 1 and 3? Unloaded you should get around 48v DC for both readings. If you don't, at least it points to the phantom power rather than a general preamp issue.

And whilst unwieldy, if it is phantom power, you could always use external phantom power supply boxes that can cost from around £20 per input (though there are more expensive options).

Thanks for clarifying the repair costs Wonks. Yes, I’ve measured the voltage and the current. Reading 48.9V and just over 7mA for both inputs. I’d thought about the power supply box but decided that if the unit is indeed failing, this might be a very temporary sticking plaster.

[ajay_m]

While it's probably a part costing jellybeans that's failed, the problem with modern surface mount designs is that repairability is challenging. Firstly many components lack markings so, absent a schematic, it can be difficult to perform in-circuit testing using a DVM. Secondly you generally buy a lot of the components on reels for auto pick and place machines so having "just one" of the right part is difficult.
Thirdly you need a stereo binocular microscope and a very fine tipped temperature controlled iron and usually a vacuum device for solder removal and very steady hands.
It's certainly doable and some specialised PLC gear is repaired at board level still because the machines being controlled run million pound production lines. But for a low-end audio interface it's simply not remotely economical to repair. It's a shame but that's the world we live in.

[Wonks]

Just a thought but….

Given that an SM7b with a Fethead should move it into the same sort of output signal range as an SDC, and you seem to get an OK signal from the SM7b, have you checked that there aren’t any pad switches engaged on the mics (if they have them)?

It would be strange to have accidentally knocked both pad switches on both mics, but maybe 3rd party meddling fingers?

[RonWC]

Just a thought but….

Given that an SM7b with a Fethead should move it into the same sort of output signal range as an SDC, and you seem to get an OK signal from the SM7b, have you checked that there aren’t any pad switches engaged on the mics (if they have them)?

It would be strange to have accidentally knocked both pad switches on both mics, but maybe 3rd party meddling fingers?

Thanks again Wonks for taking time to give such helpful suggestions. The thing that smarts is that the Clarett 2Pre is an expensive bit of kit for a bedroom hobbyist (me!), although I did purchase it second hand. It is, as you succinctly explain, not really economically viable to repair these units. I guess it also bothers me from a sustainability point of view. By the way, I’m using two very inexpensive Presonus PM-2 sdc mics, no pads. To conclude, it doesn’t seem like anyone here has tried to have a Clarett 2Pre repaired for the fault I have outlined but everyone has been incredibly helpful. I will hang on to the unit in case an opportunity for repair arises somehow! In the meantime, I will also keep the Audient iD14 I have just purchased as it seems to do the same job for less than half the price!

[ajay_m]

There are, incidentally, folks out there who are actually repairing audio interfaces, see this guy's blog https://khronscave.blogspot.com/
I believe another forum poster contacted him about a very expensive guitar pedal they had that had failed (and the manufacturer had gone out of business). I don't know what the outcome was though - but at the very least he may know the most likely component that's failed.

Currently there's a used one for £195 on eBay which kinda defines the maximum cost of a speculative repair at maybe £150 - and eBay buyers are negotiable, you might be able to hammer out a deal that isn't too painful. I do share your pain; thanks to stupidity on my part I'm gonna need to fork out £70 odd to get my Tapco S5 monitors back on the road and that's after I've replaced the HF power amp on the unit that failed (and took out my spare tweeter) - so gear failures unfortunately are just part of life, though I get it hurts when you pay out a good sum of money.

[RonWC]

There are, incidentally, folks out there who are actually repairing audio interfaces, see this guy's blog https://khronscave.blogspot.com/
I believe another forum poster contacted him about a very expensive guitar pedal they had that had failed (and the manufacturer had gone out of business). I don't know what the outcome was though - but at the very least he may know the most likely component that's failed.

Currently there's a used one for £195 on eBay which kinda defines the maximum cost of a speculative repair at maybe £150 - and eBay buyers are negotiable, you might be able to hammer out a deal that isn't too painful. I do share your pain; thanks to stupidity on my part I'm gonna need to fork out £70 odd to get my Tapco S5 monitors back on the road and that's after I've replaced the HF power amp on the unit that failed (and took out my spare tweeter) - so gear failures unfortunately are just part of life, though I get it hurts when you pay out a good sum of money.

Thanks Ajay, I can see it was you who gave the succinct cost/repair analysis! Thanks also for the link. Will follow that up. I had a great little Scarlett 2i2 that lasted me 10 years before I sold it on in excellent condition. I’m puzzled that Focusrite have now gone down the road of producing interfaces with features that bedroom hobbyists like me really don’t want or need. They cost a lot more than the competition. I know I’ve only had the Audient for 5 minutes but it has much the same features as the old Clarett 2Pre - and that’s really all I want! Pity, because I like so many aspects of the Focusrite ecosystem: terrific customer service, FR Control software and, until recently, a good user community with periodic free software. Add to that the units themselves that were robust and very reliable. Ah well, things move on.

[Tomás Mulcahy]

There are, incidentally, folks out there who are actually repairing audio interfaces, see this guy's blog https://khronscave.blogspot.com/

Ooh, that's a great source thank you.

But ya, sometimes it's not worth repairing.

[ef37a]

As a retired service tech' I do sometimes get a little annoyed with folk that complain about service charges. We often hear the cry "they want £xx JUST to look at it UPFRONT!".
Now, if that £66 is for the first hour's work as Wonks tells us, consider? A decent building equipped with high grade service and test equipment and the services of a skilled man. Skilled moreover not just in his/her technical knowledge of the gear but also manual skills honed over a number of years.

The charge has to be non-refundable to cover overheads, it also puts off time wasters...we all had them, "just have a quick look, probably just a wire off (or that old chestnut the Picture Valve)" AND they expect to stay and watch and drink your tea. The charge also dashes expectations that the tech somehow works for peanuts.

Some companies expect to recover all service costs and make a small profit but this is hard to do*and have service charges that don't seem outrageous. I suspect Focusrite don't recover all their service costs.

I will agree that products should be made more easily serviced and charges made such that people will keep stuff going rather than send it to landfill (should be WEE'd) but that means the original price has to be higher, not just to make things better and easier to repair but also to subsidies service charges.

*It was hard to make even a modest living as an independent service tech' 40 years ago, must be next to impossible now stuff is so much cheaper in real terms.

Dave.

[Folderol]

Got it! Nail right on the head, but you forgot to mention the guy who expects you to break off from your Christmas dinner and fix his telly... for free - as it's Christmas innit

[ef37a]

Got it! Nail right on the head, but you forgot to mention the guy who expects you to break off from your Christmas dinner and fix his telly... for free - as it's Christmas innit

Ha! Ha! I always ensured that by about 9am Crimble day I was too pissed to drive and certainly could not be trusted around lethal voltages!

Dave.