Audiophiles rejoice! M-Audio has done it again, packaging professional-quality digital audio I/O in a package no bigger than those cigarettes hidden in your shirt pocket. At 2.2 by 3.6 by 0.9 inches and weighing a mere 1.6 ounces, the Transit certainly lives up to its name.

The Transit is a 24-bit "mobile audio upgrade" designed specifically with the PowerBook/iBook set in mind. Running entirely off of bus power, the Transit connects to your Mac (yes, it works with desktops, too) via a standard USB cable and offers 24-bit/96kHz recording and playback suitable for transferring audio to and from digital devices like DAT and MiniDisc recorders.

The box features a 1/8-inch stereo analog/optical digital line input (that accomodates self-powered mic), 1/8-inch stereo line/headphone output, TOSlink optical output for AC3 and DTS passthrough, and a 3.5 mm (male) to TOSlink (female) adapter. Transit requires a Power Mac G3/4 with at least 128MB of RAM for 96 kHz (highest-quality) operation; 48kHz (CD-quality) sound also takes a G3/4 but runs on half the RAM.

Transit is easy to install and run on either OS 9 or X, and a Panther-compatible (10.3) driver is available as a free download from the M-Audio Website. Transit shows up in your Sound preference panel as an input/output device, and is compatible with virtually all popular digital audio workstation software. M-Audio bundles the Transit with their "Maximum Audio Tools" package, which includes lite versions of Ableton Live, ArKaos VJ, DSound RT Player, IK Multimedia SampleTanks, and LinPlug FreeAlpha, so you can dive right into virtutally all facets of computer-aided music making.

I used the Transit to record my band using Ableton's Live 2.0 software, and also to sample sounds for use in Propellerheads Reason 2.5 studio synth package. The results were only limited by the quality of my microphone and my ideas; the Transit performed flawlessly, delivering crystal clear audio during both input and output tasks. For iTunes aficionados with high-quality speaker systems, the Transit is a great way to pump up your sound without breaking the bank. You can't get much better than 24/96 resolution, and you can't get it much cheaper than with the Transit.

Transit is great because it's so small; it will easily slip into your laptop case, gig bag, or jacket pocket for use at the studio or onstage. While a more powerful multitrack interface might be better suited to serious live band recording, the Transit certainly fills the bill when it comes to live single-mic stereo field recording and computer music applications. And at a street price as low as $79.97, it's a great buy for anyone who wants better audio coming in or out of their Mac.