Apogee D/A

  • Thread starter Thread starter JohnBJohn
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JohnBJohn

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I recently got a sweet deal on a pair of Adam S3As (1k) Which inspired me to sell all, simplify and upgrade. I bought an apogee trak2 ($700) which takes care of all of my pre, DI, and A/D needs. All I need now is some DAC and a firewire interface (used basically as a format converter for my mac). My thoughts were to get a relatively cheap interface (I was thinking traveler) feed the apogee into it and use its onboard D/A. Alternatively, I could get a REALLY cheap interface (828 mk1) and buy the D/A card for the Trak2. Would the Apogee D/A be significantly better then the traveler? I'm assuming the 2 interfaces would be equally stable given that they run the same drivers, and both options would be about the same price so the D/A is really all I care about. Thank you.
 
I'm not sure you'll be able to buy a D/A card for the Trak2 very easily. It's now a legacy product and Apogee do not manufacture any legacy add-ons any more. I know this because I have an AD8000 and I have struggled for years to find a DAC-VIII.

However, you could always try ebay or gearslutz classifieds. You may have to look for a long time though, before anything comes up.

Good luck.

Cheers :)
 
Indeed. The reason I ask is that there is currently one on ebay for about 300, which along with an 828, would put me in the exact same range as a traveler. So apples being apples, the quality of the converters is all I'm considering - although I'm beginning to doubt that there would be a discernible difference anyways.
 
The converters of the Trak 2 will most likely be on par with the AD8000 and since I love my AD8000, I would have to say you will be pleased. They are very warm sounding to me with great low end. I have the DAC-II installed in mine and the D/A sounds great, imo. They're not as clean sounding as, say, a Lynx, but they have a great musical character which I enjoy. I have three different D/A options in my studio and one colleague that I respect hugely prefers the Apogee over all of them.

And yeah, with the 828, you'll have a great rig there. I am willing to bet, too, that the mic pres in the Trak 2 are the same ones that Apogee put in their Mini-MP, which Bob Clearmountain regards as one of the best mic pres ever made:

Bob Clearmountain said:
The Mini-MPs are the best mic pres on the market, but nobody knows about them, and Apogee has stopped making them.
Click to expand...

And Joe Chicarrelli likes them too:

Joe Chicarrelli said:
"I was instantly impressed by the presence and transient response of the Mini-MP mic-pre. Acoustic guitars sounded fast and forward and alive, percussion is crystal clear with sharp natural undistorted attacks and the sound of an acoustic piano is very alive and outside the speakers. It's a good compliment to vintage preamps for any studio's selection."
Click to expand...

Just my 2c (ZAR).

Cheers :)
 
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