Positive Grid Spark Mini USB interface nonfunctional in Tahoe 26.0

Yeah, this sounds like a macOS Tahoe compatibility issue.

A few quick things to try:

1. Unplug the Spark Mini and reconnect it after the Mac fully boots
2. Try a different USB cable/port (some cables only do power, not data)
3. Check if Positive Grid has released a firmware update for Spark Mini
4. Go to System Settings → Privacy & Security and see if there’s any blocked driver notification
5. Reset Core Audio (or just reboot again)

If the inputs don’t even show up in Audio MIDI Setup, it’s usually a driver/firmware issue with the new OS. A lot of USB audio interfaces break temporarily after major macOS upgrades.

If nothing works, you may need to wait for a Tahoe-compatible update from Positive Grid.

Positive grid released a firmware update fixing this issue on February 24th.

https://help.positivegrid.com/hc/en-us/articles/43767681095693-How-to-Fix-Spark-MINI-USB-Audio-Input-Issue-on-macOS-26#:~:text=Updated%20%3A%20February%2024%2C%202026%20at,system%20handles%20USB%20audio%20devices.

As of today, the issue is still not resolved. I also wrote an email to them and got a reply by AI. They were still “actively investigating the USB input behavior with this OS version. There isn’t a reliable ETA I can share for a fix”.

I don’t believe they are working on it, more likely they are focusing on other products because this issue has been going on for a long time, and it shouldn’t take them that long. Best bet at this point could be buying a separate preamp for the job.

hhlab wrote:

I'm trying to record with a Positive Grid Spark Mini amplifier and USB interface. Previously, the interface offered a pair of audio ins and a pair of audio outs. Since upgrading to Tahoe, the inputs are not visible in either Audio MIDI Setup or Logic Pro.

Screenshot from Audio MIDI Setup below.

https://discussions.apple.com/content/attachment/95ae2ac0-3541-409e-a18a-296da4de978f

for your third party apps—if in doubt search the developers website or contact their: Support/Help/FAQ/Known issues/compatibility/updates…

Contact a third-party vendor - Apple Support

Contact a third-party vendor - Apple Support

Positive Grid Help Center

https://www.positivegrid.com/pages/support

I have the same issue (Tahoe 26.0.1). I sent a message to Positive Grid (Support Request #563642), and they've acknowledged it as a known issue and said they are actively working on resolving it. I really hope they can solve it soon.

That's a response generated by AI. It is not accurate. There is no issue on Apple side, the issue is in their firmware.

I did some investigation, details are here: https://www.reddit.com/r/PositiveGridSpark/s/X989lxkurw

It isn't resolved as of today (Feb 4 2026). I'm on Tahoe 26.2

I also opened a ticket with Positive Grid and all I've got is AI-generated response that it's a known issue and they are working on it. No other details or ETAs.

Awesome, thank you for the news. I updated mine and my macbook can recognize it as an input now.

Awesome! I updated mine (it took a few tries because of errors), and it works now. Thank you for letting us know!

No problem, I agree this is still a dang nice amp, and I’m looking forward to the macOS support in the future, then it will go back to being even more awesome. Only that the chance it will come this year is pretty low, hopefully we hear something early next year.

Yep. Just got a long list of possible fixes from Positive Grid (Jan 29th) which didn't solve the problem. Guess my days of using the Spark Go as an input device seem to be over. Too bad: it was a nice little interface. Guess I'll be calling Sweetwater for a new input interface...

I also have this problem. Did you raise a ticket with Positive Grid?

I have the same issue (Tahoe 26.0.1). I sent a message to Positive Grid: Support Request #563642. I really hope they can solve it.