Disclosure: I have the iD
14, and I'm a good amateur on my very best days
My initial impression is good, works as advertised.
Build is solid, feet don't slip around (but would if dirty), and powering off the USB works fine (phantom power requires a chunky line wart though). Oddly, the feet height are too tall/rounded to use any sticky or velcro tape, but also too short to route cables underneath. Just an observation.
Pramps - I have not given the preamps a workout yet (not tracking anything right now). They're supposedly the same as console versions. You'll want to read some other reviews or hear them for yourself.
DI sounds fine. It's not writing me better songs, but it's not getting in the way either
Sad panda feeling, there's no input level meter, or even a clip indicator. Kind of bummer for workflow, but then again you're sitting in front of a DAW with meters, so meh.
I was
mostly interested in the large
multi-function knob, specifically for headphone volume and dual-effort for spot automation writing, on my (very) tiny desk, and for this it works just as I expected it to. The 'iD' mode effectively functions as a mouse wheel, so practically anything you hover over and adjust with a mousewheel can be adjusted with much better control.
No frills, simple, works. Love it.
Unexpected bonus, the meters work great for near-consistent monitoring levels, as they function as a (stepped) gain indicator when using the big knob for volume. It's scaled well, too, as you avoid the red out of habit and turns out it's a perfectly reasonable, modest volume.
Headphone amp drives 650s (300 ohms) nicely, I can't say it sounds good or bad because, alas, I haven't taken the good time to compare. I also haven't pegged it out nor do I care to.
Otherwise, the
software is OK. I can't seem to get the firmware to update, nor can I check if the firmware update was successful. It says it failed, but then tells me to reboot the device to apply it... But it's working fine, so, ok. The mixer application is handy, and opens up a lot more input/output options. You won't spend much time in it, but it's useful.
All that said, it's going to fit the bill nicely if you need/want these features. But a ton of other devices will too. What sold me was the multi-function big knob, as the real-estate-conscious workflow was exactly what I was looking for.