batsbrew
ANNI,
sorry, but in that price range, there really is no 'best'.
they all function at about the same level.

Gonna have to disagree with you. While the hardware may be similar (pre-amp quality aside), there are HUGE differences in drivers. Many audio i/f suppliers outsource their driver development. Less of a problem on Macs, where the i/f only needs to be Core Audio compliant.
 
Rather than get into a p'ing match between supporters various i/f manufacturers, I would suggest spending a bit of time on the user forum for each of those manufacturers. Get a feel for how responsive the supplier is when it comes to updating their drivers.
 
Too bad I didn't follow that advice myself. [sigh]
 
I bought the AudioBox 44VSL and THEN got on the forum. Long story short. I'm off of the 44VSL. I'm off of S1 Pro. I'm on SONAR, and now that Tascam have brought their driver development in-house, I went ahead and got a US-16x08 instead of a Focusrite i/f.
 
From a bang-for-the-buck perspective, and to your point, the OP might select one or two each Focusrite and Tascam models, and any others that get good recommendations, and keep an eye on Sweetwater, MF and others, looking for a Stupid Deal of the day on any of the units that make it to the final list...and acquire.

TheMaartian

batsbrew
ANNI,
sorry, but in that price range, there really is no 'best'.
they all function at about the same level.

Gonna have to disagree with you. While the hardware may be similar (pre-amp quality aside), there are HUGE differences in drivers. 

drivers is really another issue.
most of the units in that price range have comparable drivers.
 
 
the better answer, is to simply save up for a better unit,
one that has both great convertors, preamps AND drivers.
 

If you buy cheap you will never get "great."  Especially in the sub $200 market.  But there are a few really nice products out there from respectable companies at the $200-$300 price range.  Personally I would go quality for the money rather than quantity for the money.  Buy something with limited IO but with a strong reputation.  Audient is no compromise quality wise, Steinberg UR44s are good and have really nice Yamaha pres, I use one at my Radio station and it is very reliable.  Both limit the functionality to put more money into the component quality.  Never heard the Roland, but I have heard good things about it.  

Thank you for all the feedback. This fives me a good idea of where to start and I will take up the advice of saving until I can upgrade to something that is great. And I currently don't need that many IOs so quality is definitely what I'm looking for - not quantity. THANKS!!!

 
Also- I am going to sit tight on the Win 10 upgrade and just see if my current AI will work with it. That gives me a lot more time to save up.

Cheers!
Ann

My DAW will remain as W8.1 for at least a year. I'll just sit back and read the complaints,, or if all is good then I might jump on board, But right now everything is working 100% so why bother messing with it. I would have stayed with Windows 7 but 8.1 was half the price. W7 is all we really will need for a DAW for a few years yet. I switch between 8 and 7 all the time on my different machines and I still do not like 8 when on line. It
 seems to be way to involved with the internet, I don't trust it...
 
Here's my handy dandy shopping for an interface blurb. 
 
http://www.cactusmusic.ca/Articles/Johns%20Audio%20Interface%20blurb.rtf
 
 

HI Everyone
I'm leaning towards the Audient iD14 . Does anyone know how the latency is?