Is Presonus this this bad?

There may be a couple of things that you will need to check, but I can tell you the the AudioBox 22VSL driver (the same as for my 44VSL) sucks, and is no longer supported. The current version of the driver is v1.3. They have a "new" driver (Universal Control v1.81), but you lose the VSL functionality, and I've heard plenty of moaning and groaning about the "new" driver, as well. Check the downloads page.
 
http://www.presonus.com/products/AudioBox-22VSL/downloads
 
As far as USB2 goes for audio...I have a Tascam US-16x08 that I'm able to run easily at a buffer size of 128 when tracking. Plenty of bandwidth available, especially for a 2x2.
 
The 22VSL is USB buss powered, and that can be part of the problem on a laptop if you use phantom power. There can be other issues. On Win7, you should be able to get it to work. Forget Win10. My 44VSL is in a closet, and only gets used for mobile recording to an Android tablet.

Run the free DPC Latency Mon program.  That may help to sort out what is causing the problems.
 
Does regular PC sound work OK? or do you get popping/crackling etc with the regular PC sound too?  PC sound problems are were an often reported problem on the Win 7 forum, especially with laptops and the Wi-Fi enabled.
 
DPC Latency Mon download:
http://www.resplendence.com/latencymon

also, try running it with the default windows driver rather than the sucky presonus driver

Is the problem only with the one plug-in? IF so, it would not point to the interface driver. If it is a general problem with SONAR on the laptop and the laptop has multiple USB ports try them all including USB3. Also try older drivers if possible. I did not update to the latest driver. My 44VSL runs fine on 64bit Win10 with an older driver and I use the VSL software. Running the interface on a different desktop and 64bit Win7, I had to use a USB3 port to get the interface to work properly.

I tried out one of the new Studio 192 USB 3.0 unit.  The auto buffer setup in the Presonus program set the buffer very high (don't remember exactly) and latency was in the 25ms range.  Manually I got it down but not as low as my current MOTU unit or the Roland Octa-Capture that the MOTU replaced.   The Studio 192 died the second day I had it and it was returned so I really didn't have a chance to fully check it out.

I fell out of love with my presonus 1818 pretty quick. I "upgraded" to the latest firmware and lost the fat channels and ease of use suffered. I didn't realize it didn't offer direct monitoring till I already had it. God I miss being able to use my Aardvark q10! Anybody wanna buy a slightly used Presonus audio box 1818vsl??

Followup on a followup. This from the standpoint of win 10.
I lost the link wanting to share, but think it was provided after running LatencyMon when I was having major problems. Things working well now, so no flags and links, and my old age Alzheimer's can't remember back past 5 minutes at best.
They give the option of a reg modification file to install additional, and to my opinion, critical entries into the control power management scheme. No spyware. Got the file if anyone wants and can't find.
What gets added is the "Processor power management" field under the Control Panel "Power Options" tab.
Hi points seems to be advanced options in core parking, minimum processor state,and max processor state. Advice was to set these percentages to 100 to get the biggest bang.
Laptop started flying like a bat out of hell, but the fan on all the time. I've gone in and modified these parameters to 50%.
Fan is off most of the time and able to get the Presonus running pop free at a 256 buffer. Before this intervention, 256 was complete static and garbage.
 
Steve, not that it may work for you, but give this a shot before dumping your 1818 as a boat anchor.
 
Hope this info will help. Even if no manifest problems, a good analysis and shows where there is room for improvement.
 
John

Laptops are prone to higher DPC Latency.
Due to tight space constraints, performance throttling is used to keep temps in check.
If you're running an i7 CPU, it likely has lower clock-speed than your tower/desktop.
You're also dealing with power-management (for long battery life), which affects performance.
 
Depending on the laptop, you may or may not have much control over the above.
 
 

FWIW, Those settings are *part* of managing CPU throttling.
Other parameters may or may not be exposed in the BIOS.
 
No, you will not burn up the processor with those settings.
 
 

Thanks Jim for the BIOS reminder.
 
BrFr,  I'm holding my breath, but with throttle adjustments in win 1607, the Presonus card is working a lot better. Was going to do that test where they run over it with a car, and see what my results were. Might however be able to hang on to it for a while longer.
 
John