# Focusrite Scarlett Solo 4th Gen

- Source: https://stierproducts.com/products/focusrite-scarlett-solo-4th-gen
- Category board: https://stierproducts.com/categories/audio-interfaces
- Placement: #11 of 15 in Audio Interfaces, D tier
- Brand: Focusrite
- LP on this board: 333
- Last researched: 2026-09-23T22:47:32.949Z
- Method: https://stierproducts.com/methodology
- Dataset: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22062813 - every board at once, one dated snapshot per release, same licence, prices and photographs left out
- Reuse: Text, rankings, tier assignments, LP values and verdicts are free to quote and reuse with attribution to stierproducts and a link to the source URL (CC BY 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Product photographs are not covered: they belong to their respective owners and are reproduced to illustrate the product being reviewed. Do not redistribute them under this licence.

## Verdict

One preamp is a ceiling you hit fast, and the 2i2 4th Gen removes it for modestly more. Buy the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 4th Gen instead.

## For

- Included in Audio Science Review's blind tests of budget interfaces
- The 4th Gen gave the Solo the converter and gain upgrades
- A default first-interface recommendation in the home recording community
- Blind testing shows budget Scarletts performing far better than their price class suggests
- Current-generation starter unit

## Against

- Only one preamp and one instrument input
- A capability ceiling you hit in year one
- Resale value collapses accordingly
- Single combo input is a hard ceiling the 2i2 removes for a small step up
- Lacks second input and flexibility of 2i2

## Flagged as one to avoid

This product entered 3 of 8 runs as one buyers cross-shop but should not buy, rather than as a pick. It is published here rather than dropped.

## Evidence

Backed by one cited source so far

Limited coverage: fewer than two distinct outlets are cited for this placement. Read it as a weaker reading than a product with broad coverage.

| Outlet | Said by | Stance | Link | Link status |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Audio Review | Audio Review Editorial Team | B | https://www.audio-review.com/reviews/focusrite-scarlett-solo-4th-gen-review/ | fetched and confirmed |

## Nearest alternatives on this board

| Rank | Product | Tier | Page |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | MOTU M2 | S | https://stierproducts.com/products/motu-m2 |
| 6 | Audient iD48 | B | https://stierproducts.com/products/audient-id48 |
| 7 | Solid State Logic SSL 18 | B | https://stierproducts.com/products/solid-state-logic-ssl-18 |
| 8 | Behringer UMC404HD | B | https://stierproducts.com/products/behringer-umc404hd |
| 9 | Universal Audio Apollo Twin X | C | https://stierproducts.com/products/universal-audio-apollo-twin-x |
| 10 | LEWITT Connect 2 | C | https://stierproducts.com/products/lewitt-connect-2 |
| 12 | Universal Audio Apollo x8p Gen 2 | D | https://stierproducts.com/products/universal-audio-apollo-x8p-gen-2 |
| 13 | Audient iD14 MkII | D | https://stierproducts.com/products/audient-id14-mkii |
| 14 | Universal Audio Apollo X4 | D | https://stierproducts.com/products/universal-audio-apollo-x4 |
| 15 | Behringer UMC204HD | F | https://stierproducts.com/products/behringer-umc204hd |

The full board is at https://stierproducts.com/categories/audio-interfaces.

## What this tier means

- D: Weak. Hard to recommend when better options cost similar money.

## How to read this

- Each category is researched in four independent runs, one per lens (expert consensus, value, reliability, community pulse). Every run ranks a board of candidates that deliberately includes products buyers cross-shop but should avoid. Placements score on a ranked ladder (LP), and tiers are derived from LP, so no tier is ever assigned by hand.
- LP is this product's points on its own category ladder. It is comparable within a category and not across categories.
- Link status reports what our pre-publication link check found when it fetched the cited URL. It says nothing about the quality of the review.
- A citation with no usable link is listed rather than dropped, and is excluded from the counted total above.

## Image

https://stspimgdevmfyk46r5vwkay.blob.core.windows.net/images/products/focusrite-scarlett-solo-4th-gen.webp

Product photographs are not covered: they belong to their respective owners and are reproduced to illustrate the product being reviewed. Do not redistribute them under this licence.