IXO22 Really a 32Bit interface, not 24Bit?

I’ve just got a IXO22 as an emergency backup interface, as my main interface has just died on me (mid-project) and was very confused to see that the Mac shows it to be a 32Bit interface, not 24Bit as stated in all the marketing. I’ve attached some grabs to show this.

I truly don’t understand why - if it is a 32Bit interface - it would be mis-marketed as a 24Bit interface, as Steinberg would be rather underselling its abilities IMHO! With the current 40% off making it around £83 to £89 in the UK, it’s the bargain of the year!

32bit doesn’t mean anything in this case.
It’s not 32bit floating point. That’s a different story.

Well that’s very odd then as EVERY 16Bit interface I’ve ever owned as showed up in the Mac settings as 16Bit, EVERY 24Bit interface I’ve ever owned has shown up in the Mac settings to be 24Bit and EVERY 32Bit interface I’ve ever owned has shown up in the Mac settings to be 32Bit, so why is an interface that’s described and sold as a 24Bit interface showing up in the Mac settings as 32Bit?

Also, why did Cubase offer High Precision mode when it detected the interface - which it only does when presented with a 32Bit device - if the IXO22 is actually only 24Bit?

Where do you read that it is 24bit?

Everywhere! That’s the strangest thing - no other website has mentioned what I’ve seen and that’s what’s so odd - and I’ve owned a lot of interfaces in the last 36 years as I was a reviewer for Gerjunkies and have used Cubase since 1990. Even Steinberg’s own website says it’s 24Bit. I really don’t understand it.

Does it really matter? I think it doesn’t.

Well, maybe it does - maybe it doesn’t - but SSL recently updated their 2 and 2+ audio interfaces from 24Bit to 32Bit, so it seems to matter to them. The latest range of PreSonus Quantum interfaces, the HD2 and HD8, are also 32Bit so it matters to them too and as all of Steinberg’s interfaces are 32Bit, I guess it matters to them too!

The IXO range have recently had 40% taken off their price - I bought mine for £89 GBP and I’ve now seen it as low as £83 GBP - making it the best value (if it is 32Bit) interface on the market. You’d think they’d be making much more of it as the next cheapest 32Bit interface is the aforementioned SSL 2 MK2 at £185, so around £100 more than the IXO22, making the Steinberg interface look like a bargain!

Anyway, possible a pointless discussion but I thought that someone from Steinberg may have chimed in with the answer.

The A/D/A conversion isn’t the weakest point in modern audio-interfaces anymore.
The preamp is the most interesting part. And digital interfaces like AES3 or S/PDIF.
These features are the expensive parts nowadays.

And bus powered interfaces will not use the whole 32bit, in fact they are not able to use the whole 24bit.

And bus powered interfaces will not use the whole 32bit, in fact they are not able to use the whole 24bit.

Absolutely NOT true - maybe in the past - but not now. I’ve had this conversation with Solid State Logic and with audio interface reviewing legend Julian Krause and what he doesn’t know on the subject isn’t worth knowing.
Anyway - I’m not getting drawn in to a ping-pong relay conversation like this as it’ll go on forever. I asked a question that nobody outside of Steinberg seemingly knows the answer to - so I’m stopping this here.

If you have no idea what it’s all about, then it is better to stop this conversation now.
Ignoring physics… wow.
144 dB dynamic range in a $100 interface with 5V power supply, are you sure?