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Seriously. What are we simple optical/coax digital users supposed to do, suck our thumbs if we don't have a mac? Lookit - I'm sure they coulda put at least one digital in that wasn't firewire!
It's targeted toward folks who want to record, not simply listen.....as, one must admit, are all of Apogee's products!
Headphoneus Supremus aka JP-nums or JP-numbers Lead Organizer for Can Jam '09
Originally Posted by sejarzo
It's targeted toward folks who want to record, not simply listen.....as, one must admit, are all of Apogee's products!
this product was designed as a portable solution to those using the mac logic recoding platform. It is a happy coincident that it sounds great. It was not designed for the home audio enthusiast but for mobile digital recording that provides great sound
The Duet's uses the same converters as the multi-channel Ensemble, but the verdict on gearslutz.com seems to be that the Mini-Dac still has the slightly better d/a section. Some, however, claim that the Ensemble's d/a is just under the Rosetta.
I'm still trying to decide between the Pico and Duet for portable laptop headphone listening, but the Mac-only aspect somehow speaks for the Duet. "Sorry, you can't connect that to your laptop. It's Mac-only."
i read that entire gearslutz thread and out of 700+ posts regarding the merits of the Duet, i could probably count on one hand the number of impressions of the actual sound (as opposed to the technical merits) of the D/A section.
as mentioned, the Duet is targeted towards those more concerned with the A/D conversion side of things.
having said that, i'm pretty excited about this unit. if it sounds as good as claimed, it would not only offer an excellent source, but would let one explore home recording possibilities.
i look forward to more impressions.
__________________ "And what is good Phaedrus, and what is not good... Need we ask anyone to tell us these things?" -Plato
Headphoneus Supremus: Moderator Can Jam '08 Lead Organizer
I picked up a sound level meter today and was able to equalize the volume between the Cosecant and the Duet. I used a Cardas Burn In Sweep to match the volume. The Duet has the higher output. The volume control on the integrated has a digital readout so it was easy to figure out how to equalize the volume for the two sources. As I've said before, the biggest difference between the two is the bass response. There is no question, now that the volume is balanced between the sources, the bass goes deeper with the Duet. It's more palpable from the Duet. The Cosecant has a bit dryer sound. With less bass prominence, it seems to take away from the depth of the image. The mids seem about the same with some more warmth from the Duet. The highs seem to be fairly close. I don't think the warmth of the Duet is due to any high end roll off. If there was, I'm not picking it up. I put on So What to see if either source picks up the cough you can hear at 9 seconds in any better. Both picked it up and it was pretty even.
I've been just listening to the Duet and thinking whether I can live with the sound I'm hearing if this was my source and the answer is yes.
The beauty of this is no one has to rely upon what I am saying. Contact Paul Allen at Sweetwater Sound, tell him that you want the deal with overnight shipping for an extra $10 and try it yourself for 30 days and decide for yourselves. You can also go to Guitar Center but Sweetwater's customer service is second to none so I want to support them.
__________________ "For a list of all the ways technology has failed to improve the quality of life, please press three."
Moon Audio modded Original CD-2008MK-II / de Almeida Signature Shadow XLR / McAlister Audio Massive Attack / Headphile modded BlackGold recabled AKG K340 OR APureSound V3 recabled Grado RS-1
Core audio makes bringing devices like this to market much easier. So apogee, an audio, rather than computer, company, didn't want to go through the work it took to get it to sound as good with windows. Who can blame them. After all, a mac mini + a duet is cheaper than a benchmark w/ usb, and includes a top notch ADC taboot.
__________________
mac mini -> apogee duet -> tooleaudio balanced mosfet amp -> luxman lv-113 -> home theater direct level 3 bookshelf speakers
mac mini -> apogee duet -> tooleaudio balanced mosfet amp -> grado/headphile zebra hf1s
tooleaudio denon dvd2900 -> tooleaudio balanced mosfet amp -> grado/headphile zebra hf1s
1st gen ipod shuffle 1gb -> Altec Lansing iM616
"And so that's how a silly joke turned into one of the seminal rock songs of all time"
Headphoneus Supremus aka JP-nums or JP-numbers Lead Organizer for Can Jam '09
Originally Posted by tyrion
Wow, not feeling the love. I'm enjoying my Duet as well.
Mike wait until the Mayberry verdict!!
I really beleive the Mac only/Core Audio is why this sounds so good.
I spent last night listening to the duet with my HP2s and they sounded great and yes I am questioning the cosecant at this time as I think I could be very happy with the Duet. If people want to claim FOTM that's cool I've switched gear more often then some here change their underwear so I guess that's fair comment on me but I do urge people to give the Duet a listen.
I really would welcome both positive and negative comments from others that have heard this device. It may not be for all particularly those that seek to have the sound shaped by the source component so that it has a sonic signature it overlays on the music. The duet seems to me to get out of the way and does not have a sonic adgenda. My thoughts are more based on the intended audience, recording musicians
Core audio makes bringing devices like this to market much easier. So apogee, an audio, rather than computer, company, didn't want to go through the work it took to get it to sound as good with windows. Who can blame them. After all, a mac mini + a duet is cheaper than a benchmark w/ usb, and includes a top notch ADC taboot.
while i agree that core audio probably allows for more seamless integration, and that Vista has its isssues, the main reason the Windows platform is being ignored is because Apogee and Apple are in full partnership on this one.
judging by the looks of the Duet alone, i'd say Apple had a big hand in it's simplistic and sleek design.
__________________ "And what is good Phaedrus, and what is not good... Need we ask anyone to tell us these things?" -Plato
Linear Mode
