Apogee duet vs. Apogee duet 2?

T

tswion

New member
This will be my first preamp, and these look like a solid choices for my price range. but I don't really know the technical differences between no. 1 and no. 2.
For one, Apogee Duet 1 is "unbalanced," and the 2 is "balanced"
What does that mean? Any testimonials for either one?
Thanks

tswion
 
It is not like members here not to reply. Leads me to believe there are not a bunch of users out there that have an opinion. That might say something. IDK. Why is it that you feel one of these to be what you might want to begin with? I am just curious. :)
 
Looking at the reviews and the Apogee web site, If the price difference is not that great I would go for the 2 if I were you as there seems to be a few technical improvements.

What's New?
Completely redesigned mic preamps and converters
4 outputs, Independent speaker and headphone outs
Balanced outputs
USB 2.0 high speed connectivity
24-bit/192kHz recording
Full color OLED display
Configurable Touchpads
Maestro 2 software
Breakout box (sold separately)
Redesigned Breakout Cable
Soft Limit
Duet/Duet 2 Comparison Chart
Mac OS X Lion beta software now available


Alan.
 
Balanced and unbalanced outputs/inputs are different ways of sending a signal along an XLR cable. Balanced is superior and is much more resistant to interference and noise.

If this is your first audio interface though, and you don't know what balanced/unbalanced signals are yet, you could probably start out on something a bit less pricey, at least until you've got a bit of experience and know what you're looking for in gear.
 
McMajik said:
If this is your first audio interface though, and you don't know what balanced/unbalanced signals are yet, you could probably start out on something a bit less pricey, at least until you've got a bit of experience and know what you're looking for in gear.
Click to expand...

You could say that about other gear, but not having the knowledge about balanced signals shouldn't prevent him from buying it. It is very easily learned. Like you said, balanced is more resistant to interference and needs a balanced connection (TRS/XLR) Now he knows the gist of balanced signals, and can buy an interface with such! :guitar:
 
ok... I'm guilty of being a little too ambitious. In all honesty, they're just so pretty. I have zero hands-on knowledge of preamps.
Thanks for the input, McMajik.
At least using this forum allows me a reality check.
I definitely could go cheaper, but my main fear is getting something that is low quality and suffering buyers remorse.
Maybe I just need a push in the right direction.
 
tswion said:
ok... I'm guilty of being a little too ambitious. In all honesty, they're just so pretty. I have zero hands-on knowledge of preamps.
Thanks for the input, McMajik.
At least using this forum allows me a reality check.
I definitely could go cheaper, but my main fear is getting something that is low quality and suffering buyers remorse.
Maybe I just need a push in the right direction.
Click to expand...

haha, you don't want to go cheap man. You will regret it. I would broaden your knowledge on everything before you buy.
 
tswion said:
ok... I'm guilty of being a little too ambitious. In all honesty, they're just so pretty. I have zero hands-on knowledge of preamps.
Thanks for the input, McMajik.
At least using this forum allows me a reality check.
I definitely could go cheaper, but my main fear is getting something that is low quality and suffering buyers remorse.
Maybe I just need a push in the right direction.
Click to expand...

Sorry, I think that came across a bit harsher than intended. I just mean something a bit cheaper to play around with to make sure this is a road you want to go down, and to get a hold of the basics, may be a good idea. Besides which, you probably wouldn't notice the quality difference (assuming it is noticably better and not being sold on looks) at this point anyway. I have recordings that I'm still happy with, quality wise, done mostly on a £60 sound card and a cheap behringer mixer at around the same price range. At this point I'd say some half decent mcrophones and a pair of monitor speakers (unless you have a very good hifi) should take up more of the budget.

Of course, that's just my oppinion. Everyone has different oppinions about this sort of thing, but I'm sure there are plenty of people around here who'd be willing to share some of their knowledge and experience, if you ask nicely ;D

They are pretty, I'll give you that :p
 
No worries, not harshly taken.

McMajik said:
I just mean something a bit cheaper to play around with to make sure this is a road you want to go down, and to get a hold of the basics, may be a good idea. Besides which, you probably wouldn't notice the quality difference (assuming it is noticeably better and not being sold on looks) at this point anyway.
Click to expand...

Yes, definitely something I've been considering (and reading). I'm not going to fliff out my hard-earned cash before I run it through the works (this forum is proving to be a wealth of info).

McMajik said:
At this point I'd say some half decent microphones and a pair of monitor speakers (unless you have a very good hifi) should take up more of the budget.
Click to expand...

I've got a pair of MXL 993s, which I haven't gotten the opportunity to test out.
I've not yet read much into which monitors I'll buy, but right now I'm just burning to lay down some tracks. Y'see when the muse hits, you can't stop her so you better have a net to catch her in.
 
Had a Duet listed at a substantial discount... I guess the link stays the same for all of their discount products
 
My two bits

I have used various PC based software programs and hardware over the years. One year ago, I made the switch to Mac (MacbookPro) and I bought the Apogee Duet. I had no plan to use Logic Pro 9 (the Apple audio recording program), but have actually found it great (after quite a bit of getting used to it from using Ableton previously). I have not yet had a single crash, error, loss of material, sluggishness, problems with audio quality or anything!! Coming from a PC world, this has been such a nice change!

I hear what people are saying about starting off with cheaper interfaces than the Apogee Duet. However, if you are using a Mac (you MUST use Mac with the Duet), trust me, Apogee is the way to go. I checked Craigslist in my area and you can get a used Duet from around $300 something. It's worth it. Obviously, if you have the cash, the Duet 2 will be better as the new features listed by others are an improvement. But the Duet 1 is also just fine.
 
Good Advice... I used Logic for years on a PC before Apple bought them and they drop PC support, and the Duet is a solid piece of hardware
 
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