bus powered vs wall powered audio interface

[neojjjk]

Hi,
I have 8i6 gen3 ,which is a wall powered interface .
is there any benefit in having a wall powered interface.I mean will it improve the quality of sound ?
if there is no benefit then I will replace it with 4i4.
please advice

Thanks

[BertKoor]

Bus power has one tiny advantage: there cannot be a ground loop via mains ground.
But otoh it then relies on how 'clean' the power over USB is.
With wall power the manufacturer has it totally under control.

Weighting this all, it's likely completely moot.

[john player]

Both my ag06 and rubix 22 sound better on 5v power from a phone charger rather than usb power.

[kritikon]

I'm likely going to get a power source for my Steinberg UR, simply because bus powered means I have to have the laptop fired up to get anything working. Sometimes I just want to play, with no intent to record or sequence. It's not a big deal but it's nice sometimes to not have a computer and not have to take it downstairs. It might only be 5% of the time but...options. Downside of course is more plugs - it's not as if I haven't got enough already

[neojjjk]

Thanks for your help guys.

[mixyguy2]

Hi,
I have 8i6 gen3 ,which is a wall powered interface .
is there any benefit in having a wall powered interface.I mean will it improve the quality of sound ?

No, but it negates any possible "Scotty I need more power" issues. Those issues are probably rare and unlikely, but possible.

[flugel45]

Some bus-powered interfaces can't quite provide the full 48v phantom power needed by some "juice-hungry" condenser or ribbon mics. Of course, this can be rectified by a wall-powered AC supply (when offered optionally) or separate phantom power box.