[Roseval]

Apogee Duet 2
RME Baby face
Lynx LT-USB
All these companies delivered Firewire interfaces. Their new products all use USB.
A trend? 

 

[Adda]

It looks like FireWire is being abandoned, before USB 3.0 or Thunderbolt is ready to take over.
USB 3.0 is full duplex, Thunderbolt is a brand new interface, that seems to be designed to replace FireWire http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thunderbolt_%28interface%29

 

[tupac0306]

i am getting mine the day after tmr. I will tell you guys how it sound...
 

 

[emremusic]

Great.. I have the original duet, I'm really curious about the new duet 2... What are your impressions? Will the headphone out be efficient for 702

 

[tupac0306]

Yeah guys I have tried it.   I dun have many headphone amps and i am not professional or anything.
 
My setting is MacBook Pro->Apple Lossless/PureMusic->Apogee Duet 2 > Denon 5000/ultrasone edition 8.
 
For recording it's just awesome. give you very sound with good microphones. very little distortion or noise.
 
For hp amp. I compared it out of the box with my burned in Nu force HDP..Duet 2 supports outputs up to format 192000 Hz. but I dun think u can get any song like that.
 
For 96000 Hz. I cant tell any difference from my Nu Force HDP. They both give me a lot better separation,imaging and the definition of some tones. Multiple instruments become clearer. It's not fair judging it without burn it in. I am sure it will drive AKG 702 efficiently.
 
 

 

[DjAmTraX]

Ordered mine in April.  No Duet 2 yet.

 

[blessingx]

I have a feeling late April, which became late May, will be late June.

Rumor (don't take it as more than that), is the delay is simply an ironing out of distribution channels, not a technical delay. "Boxes sitting there ready to ship" kinda thing. Who knows?

 

[tupac0306]

I am sure you guys will get yours soon. I got mine last saturday. And I saw a unboxing video by someone else. If you wanna see it check it out.
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gv23_uJl73M&feature=related
 

 

[AndrewG]

has anyone compared the duet with the two? Is it worth upgrading?

 

[Curly21029]

Quote:

has anyone compared the duet with the two? Is it worth upgrading?

This this this this this this this this this this this this this!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Sorry... got a bit carried away there.
 
In all seriousness, I'm sure a great many are interested in this comparison.  Being that it's primarily a recording interface and lack of market saturation, impressions of its DAC functionality are next to null at this point.  What I do find most intriguing about this new Duet is the fact that it features an additional power supply.  In addition, the Mini-DAC has long been thought to be superior to the Duet and it would be interesting if this offers similar performance at a lower price.
 
Does anyone know of a brick and mortar retailer that carries the Duet 2 and doesn't have a restocking fee?  I'd like to be able to run a comparison to my current Duet, but I believe they charge fees at Guitar Center.
 
EDIT:
 
Oooohhhh.... was just reading the return details on the website.  Looks like the 15% restocking fee applies to "open box items" or those returned in banged up/missing parts condition.  I have been keeping an eye on the website, and for whatever reason the Buffalo store has showed it constantly in stock while the Rochester store has seemingly never received it.  It looks like I'll have to make a call/pay a visit to the local Guitar Center to get some more details.

 

[blessingx]

The one review I've seen said with 24/96 material, the Duet 1 and 2 were nearly identical. Is more a features and recording update. We'll see if others agree.

And the ranking of the Mini-DAC over Duet was in no way universal.

 

[Curly21029]

 
Quote:

The one review I've seen said with 24/96 material, the Duet 1 and 2 were nearly identical. Is more a features and recording update. We'll see if others agree.

And the ranking of the Mini-DAC over Duet was in no way universal.

Interesting.
 
And no opinion will ever be "universal."

 

[Currawong]

I wonder how much the Duet 2 can be improved now it has the option of an external power supply.  That, with or without a USB isolator could make for a killer bang-for-the-buck DAC.

 

[Curly21029]

Picked up a Duet 2 today.  I haven't gotten to listen to it much yet, but I have done some quick A-Bing with the original Duet.  A few initial notes:
 
As a DAC
-the original Duet sounds a bit smoother and a touch warmer 
-the Duet 2 seems to be a bit punchier, edgier, and better exposes micro details
-the Duet 2 has a touch more treble presence
-the Duet 2 seems to tighten up the bass a bit with no loss in presence
-I cannot make a definitive statement about soundstage size at this time but will do some testing
(EDIT: Please see this post for more information regarding this comparison)
 
Using the headphone out
-the Duet 2 is MUCH improved
-the Duet 2 has better instrument separation and soundstage size
-the Duet 2 has much more and better bass presence and extension in both directions
-the Duet 2 is smoother and has no grain
 
I'll do more testing after dinner, but if initial impressions hold up I think which unit is the "better" DAC will boil down to user preference and system synergy.  For those looking for an all-in-one DAC/amp, however, the Duet 2 is a significant improvement and trumps the original in (seemingly) every way.

 

[tupac0306]

i only have the duet 2. They dun get used a lot as a DAC. I just use it to record.