Apogee Electronics Duet 2 - Portable USB Audio Interface

Comments about Apogee Electronics Duet 2 - Portable USB Audio Interface:

I use this interface in my small project studio consisting of a pair of ART Pro Channel II's, Duet II, into an iMac running Propelerhead Reason 6.5.2, back out through a pair of Yamaha HS50m's. The unit is the best interface i have used. It is clean sounding with great controls in-the-box, it sounds amazing and is easy to install and use. The only reason i didn't give it 5 stars is because of the cheap feeling plastic covering the face of the unit. I use mine exclusively in my project studio and unless the face gets scratched up over time i don't think it will be an issue, but if i were doing DJ gigs with this i might be more concerned. all-in-all the perfect solution for my small studio.

Comments about Apogee Electronics Duet 2 - Portable USB Audio Interface:

Sounds great and my mixes are improved 100% from before at my home studio. I highly recommend this Duet 2 for any level of engineer. No problems with the drivers either.

Comments about Apogee Electronics Duet 2 - Portable USB Audio Interface:

I've never had any interface that sounded as good as this! My only regret is that I didn't buy it sooner.

Comments about Apogee Electronics Duet 2 - Portable USB Audio Interface:

I use Apogee as my audio interface for my home studio. It's worked brilliantly so far.

Comments about Apogee Electronics Duet 2 - Portable USB Audio Interface:

I have a home studio where I make jingles and soudtracks. Duet fits perfectly. First I bought a Duet 1 that presented, after more or less a year of use, problems with the phantom power. Then I bought DUET 2.
The best of this product is the concept and the sound. For this price is a great value. My new Duet 2 within 2 weeks, started to show problems. Sent it back to BH and the new one is about to arrive. I hope the problems that I have noticed like, dead display, clicks and pops when I turned on or off my comuter or DAW, disapear. Some of those pops were very loud and could have damaged my monitors. I don't know what's happening with Apple/ Apogee, but I heard a lot of complaints. I hope was just my bad luck with the old unit and everything gets back to normal again, because I really love the sound I could get for almost 600$.

Comments about Apogee Electronics Duet 2 - Portable USB Audio Interface:

I have been using the Apogee Duet 2 for 4 days now. When listening to projects that I mixed before it is apparent that its sonic clarity and depth are very distinct from any other Audio Interface in its class- that I have heard. A clever feature is that the pre-amps can be bypassed, allowing for connecting another pre-amp of choice.

In addition to a mic-pre, an EQ and compressor can be added to the signal chain without further tonal coloration by the Duet 2's pre-amp. (To bypass the Duet 2's pre-amp select +4dBu on the input in Maestro 2.)

Also, I recorded sound (voice & Foley) for a video project and the results achieved with the Duet 2 were pleasing. I am confident that I can now record and monitor audio without perceivable audio compromises, especially at this price.

There is one design feature that should be added to future Apogee Duets. This is, to facilitate a cable free workspace there should be a headphone socket at the back of the device or on the Breakout box.

Comments about Apogee Electronics Duet 2 - Portable USB Audio Interface:

easy setup. great sound. more reliable connections than the original Duet. worth the upgrade money if you need to be portable.

Comments about Apogee Electronics Duet 2 - Portable USB Audio Interface:

just get it already, it's amazing

Comments about Apogee Electronics Duet 2 - Portable USB Audio Interface:

The bad was I got a unit that was defective (the screen was not working), and it kinda looked used.......The good is I sent it back and got a beautiful new one that works like a dream!

The sound is amazing! a/d is great and d/a is amazing! Loving it!

Comments about Apogee Electronics Duet 2 - Portable USB Audio Interface:

I use duet 2 as DAC for my active speakers.
I was looking for a nice DAC to hook up into my Dynaudio's Active speakers and this was fascinating because I could also connect my guitar and mic into this little DAC :)
This was nice because I do not like to put so many devices on my desk. It really helped me out to look my desk super clean.

The most great thing about this was DAC.
At this price, the quality of duet 2 as DAC is unbeatable. (I had DACs over 1000 dollars, and now I feel like I was wasting my money on those..)
Also the OLED screen looks really good too.

I really recommend this to people who are looking for a nice DAC to connect their active speakers because the most active speakers don't have volume controllers on them.

Comments about Apogee Electronics Duet 2 - Portable USB Audio Interface:

Easy to use audio interface for Mac users.

Comments about Apogee Electronics Duet 2 - Portable USB Audio Interface:

I use the product as the main interface for a home studio that I am building. It works really well with my Mac Book Pro and Logic 9. I don't know If I'll ever use the 192K sampling in a home studio (96K is the max I go), but the sound quality is superb and the new OLED display is outstanding. It's pricy compared to other options, but I bought mine to know that the preamps and A/D converters won't stand in the way of capturing a pro sound. Note: It's a little bigger in person then the pictures would lead you to believe.

Comments about Apogee Electronics Duet 2 - Portable USB Audio Interface:

Like many home recording enthusiasts, I owned an Mbox2 and had been happily recording through it for a couple years. When a friend first told me about Apogee, I was doubtful that I would notice any real improvement. I'm not a professional recording engineer, so the differences that most people claim to hear often go un-noticed to me. Once my friend and I listened to his Apogee One and my Mbox2 side by side, I was hooked on Apogee. Since I needed two channels, I picked up the Duet2 as soon as I could, and I've been in love ever since. Everything sounds incredible! My recordings have ridiculous clarity and I hear detail I've never heard before when just playing music from iTunes. I never realized that my songs could sound close to professional recording quality without spending thousands of dollars. So for anyone out there wondering how to improve the quality of your recordings, GO LISTEN TO A DUET!

Comments about Apogee Electronics Duet 2 - Portable USB Audio Interface:

I was a bit skeptical when I heard that Duet 2 sounded better than the original (which I've used for years and love), but when I heard it I was a believer. I mostly use Duet when I am on the road or recording at my home studio. After using it for a few weeks I can say that the converters are a big step up. It seems like they capture more information somehow, a wider frequency range maybe? And the D to A is just stunning! The sound just seems to envelope you in a way that's hard to describe, it seems more dimensional. I could talk about this all day, but you really should hear it for yourself!

Comments about Apogee Electronics Duet 2 - Portable USB Audio Interface:

I wanted a real world class preamp XLR balanced interface to my McIntosh 275 Gordon Gow Commemorative Edition amplifier and Carver AL-III speakers from my Apple MacBook Pro, iPod Touch & iPad without spending over $3000. I got it for [$] with the Duet 2 from Apogee (breakout box on order which will clean up cable clutter for $75).The resulting listening experience is sublime.Setting up the Duet 2 (which is designed and User Guide documented for an Apple Intel Mac computer running Snow Leopard as the music source) was fairly straightforward. However it was not at all easy to get the system configuration I really wanted which is for an iPod Touch or Airplay Airport Express device to be the input to the Duet 2.After some trial and error I found a way of configuring the desired system so I could detach the MacBook Pro and have the iPod or Express feed the Duet 2. Unfortunately I could not find a way of having the Duet save the configuration data. The net result is that I cannot switch off power to the Duet or I would have to reattach the MacBook and reprogram the Duet. I will follow up with Apogee as I may well have missed something in the docs that would solve my problems.I will try and get Apogee to document how to configure my preferred system setup.The bottom line is that the sound out from the Duet is brilliant. It will require me to recreate my iTunes Library with 100% uncompressed audio files which will be a chore. You cannot defeat garbage in/garbage out and the Duet will faithfully audibly reveal flaws or insufficient audio data in the source files.

Comments about Apogee Electronics Duet 2 - Portable USB Audio Interface:

Duet 2 delivers what most people expected from Apogee. It features a very analytic and less forgiving DAC which will allow you to get better mixes as well as enjoy all your favorite records. Since it now has independent headphone out - so technically it's 4 out - it is also doubles as an amazing way to listen to music using your higher-end headphones. DJs will also welcome this addition immensely, I now I do.I can't really compare the mic pre's with the Duet 1 since I didn't do a proper side by side but recording instruments and voice using different condenser mics has been very enjoyable. You can really see how different mics have different personalities. The system is able to pick up lots of nuances. Of course recording a mic in a duet 2 is a combination of the pre and the ADC.Duet 1 was an amazing piece of equipment for the price at the time it was released. Nowadays, not so much specially if you compare it to RME babyface. The new Duet 2 delivers an amazing piece of technology for the home studio enthusiast or a professional doing field captures or 1-2 mic setups on the go. Bear in the mind the Duet 2 has soft-limit which was only present up to know in the multi-channel solutions at a much higher price point.The balanced outputs allows you to interface it with professional rigs to fully enjoy the DAC quality which is a very welcomed addition. Usage wise, the new OLED interface is very informative in a live-setting as well as the two programmable buttons. While the Duet 2 does not come cheap if you appreciate superior recording abilities and sound quality for your home or mobile studio you will find this is a great unit!

Comments about Apogee Electronics Duet 2 - Portable USB Audio Interface:

I already own an Apogee Duet, and I primarily bought this new unit because of the separate headphone outputs. I record music in my home studio using a Motif XF, a Martin acoustic and Macbook Pro with Logic 9.
The sound quality, as with the first Duet is excellent, though I cannot readily discern a difference between the Duet and Duet 2. The sound quality of the original one is so high to begin with, that I doubt that most users will notice a difference unless recording at very high sample rates or perhaps using very demanding acoustic instruments. I have done neither thus far.
The additional outs for headphones is a welcome addition, and I like the OLED display. However, as far as the display goes, I was just fine with the simplicity of the original Duet. Also, the original Duet seems sturdier due its complete metal case, whereas the Duet 2 trades in the metal for a black plastic cover, not nearly as durable. If you travel a lot, that's something to consider.
My main complaint thus far (and the reason for four stars instead of 5), is the software on the unit and Maestro 2. Often, when I plug the Duet 2 into my MBP, the Duet 2 flashes a yellow warning sign on its OLED stating that I have not installed the proper software (though I have). It requires a complete reboot of the MBP with the Duet 2 connected to remove the warning and get the unit functioning. LIkewise, Maestro 2 is also a bit finicky. It won't recognize the Duet 2 as connected without a reboot. Contrast this to the original Duet and Maestro 1. I could simply plug the unit into my MBP and it was ready to go without fail. I hope that Apogee remedies this situation.
It seems to me that the most relevant question for buyers is whether this is a worthwhile upgrade. The first Duet is so good and so easy to use, that it's hard to imagine that a marginal increase in sound quality alone justifies the additional cost of the Duet 2. Also, the Duet 2 uses a USB connection, which is somewhat backwards given the availability of Thunderbird as the I/O. And, the firewire connection on the Duet has worked flawlessly. Finally, the software still has some kinks. The additional outs for headphones is really the only obvious improvement.
I might return this unit and wait for the next version which will likely use Thunderbird.

Comments about Apogee Electronics Duet 2 - Portable USB Audio Interface:

We decided to try the Duet 2 over the Mbox to use with ProTools on a Mac. The device is well built, easy to install, operation is fairly simple and intuitive.