I've been wanting to tell you about this since I first found out, but TASCAM is now writing drivers for the next generation of interfaces in-house. This is a huge deal for several reasons, but here are the main ones.
 

• More agility in dealing with updates required by operating system changes
• Optimized specifically for low latency with TASCAM's hardware
• They really want to make drivers that are easier to install, for example they don't have this issue of maybe you need to have the interface plugged in first or maybe not, or maybe you need to plug it in at some point
• USB 2.0 interfaces are compatible with USB 3.0
• The interfaces are compatible with iOS devices using Apple's USB camera kit 
• And of course, thorough testing with Sonar!

 
A couple other items of interest - they've stolen their HDDA mic preamp design from their pro broadcast gear for the new US-2x2 and US-4x4 USB interfaces. These use discrete components instead of off-the-shelf ICs (not naming names, but you might want to do a comparison with the competition) and for the line-level I/O, use 5532 ICs which are the traditional choice for low-noise, high-level I/O. There are also two instrument inputs, not one, each with a 1Megohm input impedance and finally, there are separate level controls for the headphones and line outs - this may seem minor but it's very convenient.
 
I'll be getting samples soon for some serious hands-on testing and will report back with results. I hate to sound like a hype merchant, but I've been very excited for months about the possibilities inherent in TASCAM and Cakewalk being under the same conceptual roof, and these interfaces are the first two examples of how this will impact us as Sonar users.

There it is.  Thanks, Craig.
 
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Cool, I reckon the drivers are the thing holding them back with shocking round trip latency, I'll be keen to see how much better thier in house drivers are.

I'm currently getting 6.5 ms in / 6.5 ms out = 13 ms with the US-366 at 44.1kHz...pretty comparable to other interfaces on this computer. We'll see what the new drivers do.

With drivers being the heart and soul of an audio interface, this does sound like great news.

good for them! i quit using Tascam devices a year or so ago because of how god-awful their 64 bit drivers were for the us-122l & us-144 (i switched to the  Roland Quad-Capture right before they dropped Cakewalk). maybe when my Roland device conks out, i will give Tascam another looksee

Now, can we have Tascam re-issue a nice control surface with motorized faders.

InstrEd
Now, can we have Tascam re-issue a nice control surface with motorized faders.

It seems as though no matter what controller you get, you are taking a chance that support for your needs will not be met at some point in the future.

Three -four years seems to be the norm?

I bought a VS -100 for a good price not that long ago. Looks like this may not have been a good choice. Will see when X4 comes out.

IOW I would be watchful/hesitant to get a new controller just based on what I have seen happen to controllers that others have bought.

Unfortunately, the market for control surfaces at the price point needed to justify all that sheet metal, tooling, and motorized fader action, let alone software and design, is not very encouraging. It's also clear the world is trending to touch screens...but you never know, anything's possible I suppose.

wetdentist
good for them! i quit using Tascam devices a year or so ago because of how god-awful their 64 bit drivers were for the us-122l & us-144 (i switched to the  Roland Quad-Capture right before they dropped Cakewalk). maybe when my Roland device conks out, i will give Tascam another looksee

No more Tascam for either. They made some great hardware that eventually turn into doorstops because of driver support.