Customer Reviews and Ratings

5.0 out of 5 stars

Based on 12 reviews

  • 3.0 out of 5 stars

    It's great..when it actually works

    • Written by from Oak Park

    The Apogee 2 does indeed sound amazing, and has great preamps as everyone says.

    The unit is extremely quirky/buggy however. You have to hotswap it out often. Sometimes your Mac (at least in OSX Lion) will recognize it, and sometime it won't. You have to unplug it then plug it back into the USB port or from the power plug for it to work again.

    Their customer service is pretty bad, and extremely unhelpful.

    Maybe it works better with Mountain Lion, not sure

  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    The best sounding little box you'll ever buy!

    • Written by from Killeen

    I first started learning the ins and outs of engineering on a computer through a M-audio Mobilepre. Then, M-audio Delta 44, then the EMU-1820M, then the Motu Ultralite Mk3, then I enrolled into a school, and learned how to engineer on a SSL, a Pro Tools HDX system, and a API board. I was happy with the Motu Ultralite MK3, till I had a few hundred bucks to play with, and I found the Duet2 to appeal to my circumstances for recording rap vocals on the go. Most of my clients like to record in their private areas where they are more comfortable. I take my Neumann TLM 103 and the Duet2 to hotel rooms, houses, other studios, and where ever else my clients prefer to record. WOW. For 550 dollars, this little box DOES NOT DISAPPOINT. Cleanest, low noise pre amps, ADA conversion is TOP NOTCH, and the software is easy to use. I know most Apogee users are integrating their interfaces with Logic, but I use Protools 10 at the house. IT WORKS GREAT with Pro Tools.

    1 of 1 people found this useful

  • 4.0 out of 5 stars

    Great interface - 2 issues

    • Written by from Sao Paulo

    A great interface with incredible sound, 2 problems, original cables,.. are really boring,.. you can fix it buying a breakout box,.. and my Oled panel just burned out,... the interface continues to work.

    0 of 3 people found this useful

  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Honestly highly impressed

    • Written by from Zelienople

    I have been a hobbyist studio guy for decades now. I've had many $200 range audio interfaces over the years. I always thought "eh, how much better could the higher priced ones actually be?". Man was I missing out all of these years! It's not the sound so much (I mean it does sound amazing), but the best way I can put it is that the signal is really loud (the waveforms on your screen are huge) and the noise is non-existent compared to my old audio interfaces.

    Just type in "Apogee Duet 2 vocals" into youtube (or any search like that) and listen to the acoustic guitar and singing videos and tell me they don't sound great. And it isn't just the inputs, my dance music in garageband, logic, and presonus studio one 2 sounds just like the final master ended up sounding in my car, which shocked me. Normally I mix on the computer and then go to my car and it sounds different. This may be the best $600 I've ever spent on my music hobby ever, period.

    What is not to like? Well, although the thing is really "artsy" and looks cool on my desk. I would prefer separate knobs for the main volume, headphones, and inputs 1 and 2. The novelty of the "one big knob" wears off quickly, but highly useable at the same time. I actually prefer the breakout cables as all of my connections are at the back of my desk versus having wires sticking out towards me like on all of my other past interfaces. I just wish that they put the headphone jack on the back as well. The new USB 2.0 is plenty fast and I had no issues with latency, and it was able to support many tracks and effects without issue.

    The unit has the option of balanced (+4) and unbalanced (-10) outs. If you have balanced inputs on your studio monitors make sure to buy TRS cables so that you get a balanced connection.

    The maestro 2 software is super easy to figure out. After browsing through all of the menus I knew it in and out in about 5 minutes (the way it should be, easy to use).

    Overall I am very happy that I lost my financial mind for a day and shelled out $600 on this beautiful little piece of audio bliss. Highly recommended!

    4 of 4 people found this useful

  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    An almost perfect portable music interface

    • Written by from ACWORTH

    I've had the Duet 2 with a breakout box option for about a month now. It's compatibility with Logic Pro and MBPr makes the Duet 2 an almost perfect music interface. Very clean and dynamic sound improvement on iTunes music files. The mic preamp is one of the best and most quiet preamp I've come across. It's a best of class product of its genre. Possible improvements: breakout box included, better user documentation (esp. on the USB 3.0 on MBPr), better quality USB cable, and an USB3.0 interface.

    Highly recommended, especially if you use Logic Pro.

    1 of 2 people found this useful

  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    WOW

    • Written by from New York

    I was using the mbox family interfaces since 2008, mostly because of their inexpensive prices and many models. This time I chose to spend a little more-about $600 and purchased the Apogee Duet 2. The sound quality is super sweet, my vocals have truly never sounded this good. With the Apogee Duet 2 it seems I am a far better singer than I originally thought!

    9 of 10 people found this useful

  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Hearing is believing!

    • Written by from Perth

    As a serious audiophile, I am no stranger to Apogee technology.

    I went thru great lengths to acquire my Apogee DA-16x & miniDAC (due to export restrictions in US) to implement a full digital 4-way active crossover system in conjunction with the Goldmund SR8 and DEQX. And both devices sound superb! And I would even go as far as classifying them as some of the best sounding DAC I have ever auditioned in the high-end audio I've encountered.

    The miniDAC was my mobile solution to pair with either the SONY Qualia 010 or MDR-EX1000 headphones...but the problem with miniDAC is its requirement for external power supply.

    The Duet-2 not only sounds superb! It can be powered by the USB-bus in most cases (unless being connected to some power-hungry device). Best of all, from a price performance perspective, Apogee has really set a new benchmark with the just under $100/ch ownership cost. The superb Apogee SQ has never been so affordable!

    For now, I utilise the Duet-2 mainly for converting the XLR output from my Kawai MP10 digital piano into digital signal for MBP-Retina, so that via AirFoil, I can utilise AirPlay to beam the audio output to the B&W Zeppelin Air. But I shall definitely look forward to checking out the Duet-2 recording quality in my upcoming live recordings.

    As a bonus, the Duet-2 has a very neat user-interface. The color OLED display also provides easy to read feedback in an instance.

    The breakout cable design is good because it keeps the overall dimension compact.

    Two-thumbs up!

    10 of 14 people found this useful

  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Crystal Clear.

    • Written by from Fresno

    I love this thing! Super versatile, clean signal, and American made. The balanced outs are a really nice touch, but the one thing I didn't expect is how well it drives my AKGs (they've never sounded better). My only gripe, no sticker! If you love your Mac and making music even more, you should get this. I'm so glad I didn't get any of the other DACs in this price range. It's a real bargain.

    16 of 16 people found this useful

  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Holly SHHHHH

    • Written by from Williston

    I recently upgraded to the Duet 2 from the older duet. I sold my old unit for $300 and put $300 more to get the duet 2. And i am really happy I did. It is has way better AD/DA converters and mic pre amps then the original. The original always seemed to lack that BIG SOUND, and This one gives you way more detail in the audio, thus giving you way better results in mixing. Just by adding the Duet2 I have stepped my quality of mixes up by 10 fold. When you can hear your music in detail you can make a much better mix period. I used to do about 10-25 mixing sessions till i got it right with the old one, now I just remixed some new songs aswell as older songs in one shot. What im hearing is what im getting out. I love it..... Well worth the $600 price tag for crisp clean class A converters and mic pre amps.

    13 of 15 people found this useful

  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Amazing little machine, very high quality

    • Written by from Ottawa

    This device is definitely worth the price, especially if you have owned previous portable audio interfaces and are familiar with recording in a personal studio. The preamps are absolutely silent even when connected to an electric guitar (running through a POD X3) with heavy distortion and no noisegate. This is amazing on its own. Recording quality is pristine and extremely accurate, worthy of being called "professional quality". I would recommend this with Logic Studio and a Mac Pro or MacBook Pro for the ultimate setup. It is not a cheap setup, but it will last for a while and you will no longer have to worry about tweaking your configuration to compensate for poor sound quality. Just plug in and hit record and be amazed!

    The device has a great user interface with the OLED display and the Maestro software. It is very easy to set up and intuitive to use. It looks very elegant, especially when next to a MacBook Pro. It has a nice weight to it and the build quality is second to none. Even playing a standard mp3 through the Duet and some studio monitors brings a whole new level of audio clarity and detail.

    I have noticed an intermittent issue with the device disconnecting itself. This is nothing too concerning because it doesn't happen during recording and is very rare. A driver update should resolve this.

    Once in a while, a device comes along where all the hype behind it is justified. The Duet 2 is such a device. If you are serious about your music and feel you are good at it, this interface is absolutely worth the investment.

    29 of 31 people found this useful

  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Duet 2 is a Masterpiece

    • Written by from Boynton Beach

    I already owned the first Duet. It is a great piece of machinery. The Duet 2 is miles ahead of the first Duet. Exemplary sound and Clarity make a real difference from the first edition. Now on a USB connection it is the best interface for the money, hands down. I have 2 WideEye Apogee Cables connecting to 2 Focal CMS 50 Professional Monitors all purchased here at the Apple Store.

    iTunes never sounded like this before. Simply Blown away. Works great with Lion as well. You will not be disappointed, thats a given. Look no further. Buy It.

    23 of 25 people found this useful

  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Best interface on the market for the money

    • Written by from sebastian

    Duet 2 is far better than any other interface even close to this in price range. Don't think about getting this, GET IT! You won't be disappointed. Far better than mbox of any generation. Apogee converters are top class in the industry. The preamps are amazing for anything from voiceovers to any sort of music. I own this and it was worth every penny. Even just using this to listen to music in iTunes is like HD for your ears.

    37 of 38 people found this useful