New Focusrite ISA C8X Audio Interface

Prism Sound Lyra 2 2 x 4 USB Audio Interface

2-in/4-out USB Audio Interface with Reference-Grade AD/DA Converters, 2 Mic/Line/Instrument Preamps, ADAT I/O, S/PIDF I/O, and 1 Headphone Output
Share
Item ID: Lyra2
Prism Sound Lyra 2 2 x 4 USB Audio Interface
$312.25 Price Drop!
Lowest price in 90 days
Price:$2,999 and 00 cents
Original price, crossed out: $3,311 and 25 cents
$500.00 suggested monthly payment§ with 6 month special financing‡

In Stock!

This item is not available for local pick-up. Place your order now and your gear will be on its way to you!

Only 1 left in stock! More on the way.
Add to Cart
Sales engineer photo
Ask An Expert

Our expertly trained Sales Engineers are ready to help!

What is a Sales Engineer?
Sweetwater Gear Exchange

Have one to sell?
Check out Sweetwater's Gear Exchange!
Learn More

Prism Sound Lyra 2 2 x 4 USB Audio Interface
In Stock!
Price:$2,999 and 00 cents
Add to Cart
Add to list
Skip to Description
Most Popular Accessories & Related Items
Back to navigation

This article was Written By

Our Product Research Team

Get to know them!

The Pinnacle of Compact Audio Interfaces

Prism Sounds’ Lyra 2 combines ultra-stable clocking, reference-grade AD/DA conversion, and two world-class microphone preamplifiers to deliver a sonically superior compact USB audio interface. For small project studios or traveling producers who are uncompromising when it comes to fidelity, the Prism Sound Lyra 2 is an ideal choice, with just the right amount of control and connectivity for vocal sessions and overdubs. An intuitive software control panel offers access to advanced features, including M/S functions, soft clipping, and additional channels via optical input. Highly regarded by discerning engineers at Sweetwater, Prism Sound has a matchless reputation for providing pristine digital audio. For unmatched audio quality in a compact format, you just can’t beat the Lyra 2 USB audio interface from Prism Sound.

Building on a heritage of reference-quality audio

Prism Sound emerged as a leader in digital audio technology by developing test and measurement equipment for the audio industry. With decades of engineering expertise in the realm of digital clocking and its inherent issues, Prism Sound equipment such as the Lyra 2 has set a new benchmark for clean, transparent audio. Whether you’re producing music, performing forensic analysis, or anything beyond, you can be sure that your Lyra 2 is providing the most accurate sonic representation possible.

Pristine audiophile-quality mic preamps

Keeping with Prism Sounds’ reputation for reference-grade sonics, the Lyra 2’s two Class A microphone preamps capture stunningly detailed audio, without coloration. However, these preamps are far from sterile. They’re designed to reveal all the nuances of instrument and vocal performances, as well as the recording environment. Lyra 2 includes two instrument inputs on the front panel, plus two XLR and two 1/4-inch TRS line inputs on the back panel. Input type is automatically selected depending on which jack is used, and the preamps feature 48V phantom power, 20dB pad, phase reversal, and an M/S matrix function — all of which can be selected using Lyra 2’s included control panel software.

Overkiller soft limiter: keep dynamic signals in check

Especially when working in live sound or broadcast environments — where you don’t get chances for a second take — you’ll appreciate the Prism Sound Lyra 2’s Overkiller soft limiter. When engaged, the Overkiller soft limiter prevents digital clipping without any unwanted sonic artifacts or loss of quality. Input channels feature Overkiller activity indicators, making it easy to identify potentially troublesome signal levels at a glance.

Ensure sample-accurate audio with Verifile

A proprietary technology developed by Prism Sound, Verifile allows you to check audio streams and recorded files for any sort of data corruption. Even if clicks, pops, and dropouts are not actually audible, it is simply unacceptable for mission-critical operations like audio archiving and forensic analysis. The cause is usually your computer’s operating system, which can momentarily disrupt audio processes to perform other operations — even if you’ve fine-tuned your operating system for audio performance.

Verifile can take a sequence of audio samples and compare it to the source, allowing you to identify even a single inaccurate bit. You can run Verifile in real time on monitoring outputs, as a standalone application to check the integrity of audio files, as a plug-in within your DAW, or even in the background of an ingestion system to analyze multiple files as they’re recorded. Verifile also allows you to embed additional metadata into an audio stream, including source details, copyright info, and timestamps.

Prism Sound Lyra 2 Features:

  • USB interface and AD/DA converter with industry-leading clocking and conversion
  • Reference-grade clocking for ultra-low jitter and maximum digital accuracy
  • 2 pristine mic/line/instrument preamps
  • 4 analog line outputs and headphone out
  • ADAT I/O supports up to 8 additional channels
  • S/PDIF input and output can be used for AES3 signals
  • Lyra Controller applet for Mac and PC provides comprehensive input/output control, signal routing, foldback mixing, and more
  • Overkiller soft limiter available on all analog inputs to protect against digital clipping
  • Verifile technology allows you to monitor signals or analyze audio files for data corruption

Resources

Warranty Info

Sweetwater's FREE 2-Year Total Confidence Coverage Warranty

Extra peace of mind at no extra cost.

  • Save money with FREE parts and labor
  • Get back to making music with the industry's fastest turnaround time
  • Fix it the first time with our award-winning, factory-certified Service Department
Learn More about Total Confidence Coverage
Back to navigation

Tech Specs

  • Computer Connectivity: USB 2.0
  • Form Factor: Rackmount
  • Simultaneous I/O: 2 x 4
  • Number of Preamps: 2
  • Phantom Power: Yes
  • A/D Resolution: Up to 24-bit/96kHz
  • Analog Inputs: 2 x 1/4" (instrument), 2 x 1/4" (line), 2 x XLR (mic)
  • Analog Outputs: 4 x 1/4" TRS
  • Digital Inputs: 1 x Coax (S/PDIF, ADAT), 1 x Optical Toslink (S/PDIF, ADAT)
  • Digital Outputs: 1 x Coax (S/PDIF, ADAT), 1 x Optical Toslink (S/PDIF, ADAT)
  • Headphones: 1 x 1/4"
  • USB: 1 x Type B
  • Data I/O: Ethernet
  • Clock I/O: 2 x BNC (in/out)
  • OS Requirements - Mac: OS X 10.5 or later
  • OS Requirements - PC: Windows 7 SP1 or later
  • Rack Spaces: 1U
  • Power Supply: Standard IEC AC cable
  • Height: 3.75"
  • Width: 19.01"
  • Depth: 9.52"
  • Weight: 4.62 lbs.
  • Manufacturer Part Number: Lyra-2

What Makes Our Sales Engineers Great?

Sweetwater Sales Engineers are a world-class team of experts dedicated to you. Hand selected from across the globe, each brings a wealth of experience and expertise in the world of music gear to provide you with unparalleled service completely free of charge. Friendly relationships, real trust, and the right gear are only a call or a click away!

Back to navigation

Reviews

10 Stars
Grew up in the Apollo world. Tried RME, Neumann, Ferrofish, tried all of them. Let me be clear. I have nothing against any of them. Absolutely nothing. You can make hits on any of those platforms. They all sound great. However…

I recently decided to give Prism a whirl. Never heard it before. Was aware of the heritage. Pretty much everything you heard on CDs back in the day was run through a Prism.

To be short, I am flabbergasted at the sound. Like vintage mics, vintage guitars, vintage amps, that last 5% makes all the difference. There's a reason this is the standard. I simply cannot believe it. I have been chasing this sound my entire almost 50 years on this planet. You owe it to yourself to hear your music through this conversion.

The negatives. The UI software is not intuitive. At all. Lacks some features that would be extremely useful. That being said it's solid enough and is stable. My complaint lies in the feature set. But it is, as JJ Blair says, it's "super good enough".

The headphone amp lacks headroom. Pretty underwhelming actually. That being said, it's super accurate and if it sounds good in the cans, it's going to translate if you must mix in headphones due to your space.

In a box this small and at this price point I imagine you have to let some things slide though and headroom was definitely sacrificed in the headphone amp department.

The sound, though…
Music background: Songwriter, Singer, Engineer, Producer
Excellent sound quality
Seven years as an engineer. Best sound quality.
Not the final 1%..its the final 50%!
I have debated and conceded for years without even attempting, to see if mastering quality conversion was a big enough difference to justify the money. I now know the full truth. The truth is, the people who have these types of converters wanna gate-keep it. The lies about every cheap interface being so advanced for the time period is bs. The specs are bs. My vocal setup is a TLM 103-->Neve 1073 SPX --->Prism Lyra line input....This was my last ditch effort before ditching this mic and getting the U87 instead. Not until now, can I use this mic without cutting any resonant frequencies or mud in the 200-250hz range, or the 450-550hz range..and it is as big and wide as I wanted (pause). it's just pure pristine and clear 3D. This mic sounded 2D before, even with the same preamp and an Apollo Twin X. Another issue was the vocals falling apart from plugins, right away...even with quality plugins. Now I can use much more plugins and keep the integrity of the signal intact. Top tier plugins are preferred though. (SSL,UAD,FABFILTER,MCDSP). I stopped in the middle of a session to make this review. I feel like I unlocked the other 50% of my mic's capability with this. The low end on it is finally full and lush in spades! Don't waste your time buying more and more gear, just get a mic you like, an outboard preamp, and this right here. Set for life.
Prism for the win!
I got this to replace my UA apollo quad. The clarity of this little devil is really good. I like the Overkiller pres coming back in from my outboard processing so much I wish I made the switch sooner. I mainly do vocal tracking/Mixing as a pop/hip-hop/electronic vocal producer and I noticed a difference right away. Manley Ref C > BAE 1073 > CL1B > Prism Laya 2. I A/B this to the Apollo tracks I did and the results were night & day difference. If you want to take your tracks to the next level this is one of the steps you need to take. Prism is elite.
Thank you to Phil Potts for hooking me up!
Music background: Producer
Best decision ever
I was coming from a UaD Apollo (silver face) and then upgraded to the Prism. The Lyra has completely transformed my recording and mixing and taken it to a new level.

I didn't realize the importance of a solid AD conversion until I heard the clarity of the Lyra. Everyone speaks about microphones and preamps. I would argue that AD conversion is as important if not more important when recording.

And the in built Preamp is incredible. More often I use the in built preamp over my Great River MP2nV which is known in the industry as one of the best vocal preamps.

Can't give enough praise for this. Great work Prism!
Music background: Composer, producer, mixer