Apogee Duet 3 USB-C 2x4 Audio Interface with DSP

Product Information

Don’t let your performance be spoiled by latency. The onboard hardware DSP interacts with the Symphony ESC Channel Strip (sold separately) to process effects in real time and give an instant tone and shape to your sound, avoiding any unwanted delay. RMS at 0.0009% THD at -1dBFS at 0dB speaker level loaded by 600Ω. Oddly, at the verge of 0.1% THD, adding a 600Ω load both lowers the output voltage and the distortion. The Firewire Apogee Duet was something I found and bought after doing a lot of research. This tiny silver looking box comes with 2 Microphone inputs (with Phantom Power) delivering world class Apogee Pre-amps, 2 Line-level inputs and 2 Monitor outputs, all bundled and tied up together in a single breakout cable. Output noise: -94.6 dBV A-weighted, or 111.85 dB SNR, or 18.3 effective bits. (Effective bits = (SNR - 1.72 dB) / 6.0206.) Choosing your audio interface is critical, as this is the tool that will connect the instruments and voice with your software DAW.

Let's see what happens in the ultrasonic range, especially noting that the bandwidth ought to be 96 kHz with 192 ksps sampling: Musicians work at night, and recording engineers work in concert halls or studios. The OLED display is optimum for this and is equally bright from any angle. It won't be as visible in daylight; that's not the careful listening environment in which the Duet 2 is designed to flourish. There is no need to look at Duet 2 when setting levels. A display comes up on your Mac as you tap the knob to select what level you are going to control. Meters also come up in Maestro. While ESS Sabre32 DAC has been widely recognized and employed in the audiophile community as the next step in converter technology, Apogee is one of the first pro audio manufacturers to employ this DAC in an interface designed for audio and video professionals. ESS Sabre32 DAC technology, as employed in Duet 2 , Duet for iPad & Mac , Quartet and Symphony I/O , is one ingredient in the Apogee Engineering Difference. The benefits of the ESS Sabre32 DAC include:Duet’s 2 combination input connectors (XLR and 1/4”) allow you to connect microphones, guitars and keyboards or your favorite external mic preamps, compressors and EQs. 4 analog outputs – Having said this, the Babyface interface offers other features that might be worth the price difference. It features more simultaneous inputs as well as no breakout cable. On the other hand, the Apogee Duet 3 has a simpler and streamlined design that makes it more intuitive to use.

The set-up is a breeze install the drivers and Apogess Maestro control panel that lets you select levels, inputs, routing, whether audio will be send straight to the hardware outs or from the recording software. Aha! The Line input is down a dB at 10.5 Hz. For shame (I'm kidding)! Use the Mic inputs set to low gain if you worry about this.One gotcha is that the Duet 2's outputs thump when my Mac wakes or sleeps, scaring the beJesus out of me. I'm too lazy to turn off my monitors first, so I simply set my active crossover to mute instead first. Using the AC adapter won't stop the Duet 2 from sleeping with your Mac. I'm using the outputs as unbalanced; using balanced monitors instead may help.

READ MORE: DOCtron Martin Stimming’s Instant Mastering Chain (IMC) review: the missing link in the chain of live rigs? bit DAC Architecture– Compared to older 24-bit technology, the Sabre32 DAC’s 32-bit filter processing results in significantly lower noise and distortion, for a pure listening experience free from artifacts. 32-bit digital attenuation ensures that sonic purity is maintained at any listening level.Get the most out of your Duet 3 with the all-new Apogee Control 2 software. You’ll get total control of all Duet functions and features, including in the Symphony ECS channel strip running on the hardware DSP. Control 2 also ensures that Apogee support and engineering reacts to any future update of your MacOS and Windows system. BeautifulInsideandOut

You get 4 x 4 (analog), 8 x 8 (digital), with 2 x XLR (mic), 2 x 1/4″ (Hi-Z/line) analog inputs, and 1 x Optical Toslink (ADAT, S/PDIF) digital inputs. For outputs, its got 2 x XLR (+4dBu/+19dBu) for analog outputs and 1 x Optical Toslink ( ADAT, S/PDIF) for digital.With consumer (-10 dBu unbalanced RCA) equipment, especially if directly connecting the Duet 2 to a power amplifier, the professional outputs of the Duet 2 can be about 10 dB too hot at the top level settings. For consumer use, a 10 dB pad will probably improve SNR even further and probably will make better use of the Speaker Level control's range. With 1/4" to RCA adapters and plugged directly into an audiophile amp, you simply won't be able to use the top level settings for anything other than quiet sections. Maximum output of the Duet 2 is 7 V RMS, and most consumer power amps put out maximum rated power with around 1 V or 2 V RMS of input. On the other hand, the Apogee Duet 3 is strictly a 2-in/4-out USB-C audio interface with 2 microphone preamps and hardware DSP. Nobody knows how to make a great-sounding converter better than Apogee, and the hits prove it. Decades ago their equipment was very expensive, but today, this same technology is what's inside this little Apogee Duet 2. We all can buy professional studio-level equipment for less than most of the audiophile drivel out there that costs so much more and sounds so much worse. In 2007, the original Apogee Duet shattered the expectations of what a home studio interface could be. Professional, personal and portable, Duet revolutionized independent recording and empowered musicians, producers and engineers with legendary Apogee sound quality, elegant design and effortless ease of use. Now, the all-new Duet 3 brings next-generation Apogee performance and features to a beautiful ultra-low profile scratch resistant glass and aluminum case.