Is the Apogee Duet "Audiophile" capable

[IceClass]

I've been goofing around with my new Apogee Duet for the past couple of weeks and it's been fun.
Because of time factors and the fact that my main headphone rig is in disarray all over the man-cave, I have only been able to listen to the Duet's headphone out.
It's headphone abilities are quite good although I think if one were purchasing the Duet for headphone use only the money could probably be better spent elsewhere. The fact that the Duet allows for so much more helps make the entry price a little more acceptable.

That said, and bearing in mind that I have yet to really put the Duet through its paces are there any head-fiers out there who use the Duet in an "audiophile" set-up or is the general consensus that the Duet is strictly a mid-fi offering more useful for its ease of use and adaptability?

 

[grawk]

There are a number of us who are of the opinion that the duet strictly as a dac is on a level with any computer based source up to a couple thousand dollars. It's not better than a great turntable, but it fights way out of it's weight class.

 

[leveller1642]

I much prefer the DAC of my Duet to the OPA627 Zero DAC or a Zhaolu 2 when used as a source for a pair of Adams A5 powered monitors. These speakers seem good to me for comparing DACs as the amplification is taken out of the equation.

The combo with Duet is a little bright but I prefer its detail to more neutral sounding and less detailed Zero and Zhaolu. I also have a Trends Audio UB 10.1 DAC which I have hopes for, but need to set up a battery power supply for it or possibly shorten the RCA leads, as I get a insufficient power message when using it.

Can't comment on how Hi Fi it is with my decidedly Mid Fi equipment.

 

[bobpensik]

The Duet is great, I really enjoy mine.

I have mine running to my AudioEngine A5 speakers, and my HD600's and both sound great.

I'll be getting an amp as well in the next few months, so the Duet will be playing DAC duty, and I'm sure it will be more then up to the task.

But then again I haven't herd the DAC1, DA10, DA100 or Pico (to name a few) so I don't have anything to compare to

 

[mulveling]

The Duet rocks, it's absolutely an audiophile performer as a DAC.

A while back I dumped the expensive digital players (had a Jolida JD100A and BelCanto DAC2, then Meridian G08, then Sony SCD-1) because I felt it cost too much just to eek that little extra bit of performance out of the redbook format. SACD sounds excellent, but too limited in material.

Got a nice vinyl rig (not cheap), and THAT provided the high end sound I was looking for - totally worth the expense & hassle. No looking back to digital, until I came across the Duet. It's not amazing like vinyl, but it sounds GOOD, good enough that I don't think I'd prefer the G08 over it sound-wise. Convenience wise, the Duet rules.

Right before my Duet arrived, I was suffering with the Denon DVD-3910 - great SACD player, great DVD player, pretty bland with redbook. With the Duet I find myself playing digital material again.

 

[Andrew_WOT]

Quote:

Originally Posted by grawk /img/forum/go_quote.gif There are a number of us who are of the opinion that the duet strictly as a dac is on a level with any computer based source up to a couple thousand dollars. It's not better than a great turntable, but it fights way out of it's weight class.

Can you please list those couple thousand dollars DACs that were compared against Duest. And also what up to level means, is it the same level, higher level or lesser but nothing to be ashamed of?
Nothing against Duet, just curios. Thx.

 

[ffrr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrew_WOT /img/forum/go_quote.gif Can you please list those couple thousand dollars DACs that were compared against Duest. And also what up to level means, is it the same level, higher level or lesser but nothing to be ashamed of? Nothing against Duet, just curios. Thx.

to the OP, who gives a damn what a bunch of yokels on a webboard think?
Do YOU enjoy it? this whole "midfi" "hifi" upperfi nonsense is insane..it is some sort of caste system created by and for those less blessed of brain and penile girth than money..

If YOU enjoy it, then to hell what anyone else thinks. I think there is way, way too much concern with "what tier" this or that is in, when this whole listening business is relative.... if the "tier" system made any sense, wed all be buying the same gear, but many are the times when I have seen this person or that person choose the lower priced option because of a preference for the sound of the lower cost item... the best thing anyone could do with regards to purchasing gear is to stay away from these forums and the idiotic opinions(including mine..when it comes down to it, any opinion other than your own is irrelevant in this audio business) that dominate them. Enjoy the music, and remember that the ONLY two ears that count are the ones that are on your head.

 

[blessingx]

Me like.

 

[IceClass]

Quote:

Originally Posted by blessingx /img/forum/go_quote.gif Me like.

Yeah but you're just a yokel.

 

[Jeremy]

I think the Duet offers stellar sound quality as a source in the headphone arena with the assistance of a good headphone amp, but when I test drove the Duet as my source with Apple lossless files and classical music at my local hifi dealer today using a pair of excellent B&W CM7 speakers and the Arcam A28 amp, it disappointed. The dealer and I compared the sound with an Arcam CD192 CD player as source and there was no comparison. I found the Duet muddy, and lacking in detail, transparency and soundstage compared to the $1500 CD player. I didn't want to be disappointed since I have invested much time in ripping all my CDs to Apple lossless. I also tested the Duet with the new B&W CM5 monitors and the Rotel 1062 amp. Same result. I really don't want to invest in a new CD player at this point, so I walked away disappointed, without buying either set of speakers or amps. Maybe I need to invest in the DAC1 before moving across to loudspeakers or monitors.

 

[paaj]

When comparing to a Copland CD player in a HiFi store, it's no match... but hey, that thing cost like €2000 (didn't dare to ask

) which is about seven times more than I paid for the Duet. But it's not being put to shame either.
It's very enjoyable for the price you pay. So I gues while not truly audiophile it does comes a long way. It's a great device to start with and it does give a very detailed forward sound, so the rest of the system has to be able to handle that.
ATM I'm comparing to a VDA2/VAC1 combo, but it's too soon for real impressions.

 

[blessingx]

Quote:

Originally Posted by IceClass /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yeah but you're just a yokel.

I prefer the term redneck.

Keep in mind many would disqualify the DAC1 & DA10 from 'audiophile' status too. It really depends on where you draw the line. If bang for buck is at part of the equation I think few would be disappointed. I've been to a few DAC-offs and ended up buying the Duet. Overall thought it outperformed my previous Lavry. And Pico in DAC only duty. Vintage Parasounds came very close (and off eBay half the price). Your mileage my vary and this was all through headphones only.

 

[ffrr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by paaj /img/forum/go_quote.gif When comparing to a Copland CD player in a HiFi store, it's no match... but hey, that thing cost like €2000 (didn't dare to ask ) which is about seven times more than I paid for the Duet. But it's not being put to shame either. It's very enjoyable for the price you pay. So I gues while not truly audiophile it does comes a long way. It's a great device to start with and it does give a very detailed forward sound, so the rest of the system has to be able to handle that. ATM I'm comparing to a VDA2/VAC1 combo, but it's too soon for real impressions.

what does "truly audiophile" mean?? I dont get that language.

what qualifies something as "audiophile"??? "price", being put into that category by reviewing rags?? someone saying it on an audio forum?? some design parameter? amount of precious metals used??

 

[elrod-tom]

I think that the Duet is a good source when paired with the right amp - headphone or otherwise. I've been very pleased with the way it sounds in my Fisher 500.

Having said that, my Wadia 830 puts it to shame.

I've done a lot of side-by-side listening lately, and when it comes to extension on the high and low end, soundstaging, detail, and overall musical presence, the Wadia takes the title by knockout.

Having said that, the Wadia was a $4000 source once upon a time, and has had $1500 worth of mods from GNSC. It ought not be too big a shock that it would perform better.

I think that what I like when I'm listening to the Duet is the pace of things. It's got a forward sound that's frankly a fun listen. I'd compare it in that respect to the Channel Islands Audio DAC that I'd had in for a listen a while back.

Is it "audiophile"? I've never really liked that word (see my signature), as it conjures up visions of the audio version of Myles in that movie Sideways.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Myles the Audiophile I am NOT going to listen to any F#@%*^& BOSE!!

I think it sounds great when properly matched, and that's all that really matters in some ways. What it REALLY is IMHO is maybe THE #1 value source in computer audio...particularly if you already have a MAC.

 

[paaj]

For something truly audiophile it has to be made of pure gold and it has to be big. I think that's a well known fact.
Apart from that, sound maybe? In this case, the Copland was clearly the better sounding device. Something about the easy with which it outputs sound, sounded more lifelike. Audiophile may mean something different to everyone but my guess is that it's just above the Duet