Thunderbolt or usb

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Brody251

New member
I have the chance to buy a used clarett 2pre, the Thunderbolt version. Can I use that even if my computer only have usb? Can I just buy a Thunderbolt to usb cable?
Many thanks!
 
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Thunderbolt and USB are two totally different protocols. The confusion is that they are both using the same connector. Thunderbolt 3 is a superset of USB-C. A Thunderbolt 3 port can read USB devices, but USB ports cannot read Thunderbolt3 devices. Eventually they are supposed to converge (USB4 is supposed to be Thunderbolt compatible).

For now, a simple cable is not going to make them compatible.
 
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Edit: I skipped right over the fact that your computer is not Thunderbolt equipped! So, mostly what @TalismanRich said. But in the TMI category...

Pretty sure the Clarett is Thunderbolt 2. If it is, you need a physical adapter as the 3 is a different plug (USB-C form factor).

Very few T-bolt 3 audio interfaces out there because that version is USB-C/3.1 compatible, so if you think you want/need that kind of speed, shop for USB-C with 3.1 capability. (IMHO, at least, that's what I did.)

Note: The compatibility only goes one-way, i.e., if you have a USB-C/3.x device, it can plug directly into a Thunderbolt 3 port (on a Mac, for instance), and it will operator in USB 2.0/3.x mode. A Thunderbolt interface can only plug into a compatible Thunderbolt [computer] port, though possibly with a physical adapter.
 
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