Question about Apogee Quartet

**Todzilla** · 12-19-2012, 04:09 PM

Is there a way to fully bypass preamp circuits on inputs if I have outboard preamps?

Thanks

**Andrew_Malloy** · 12-19-2012, 04:15 PM

No, you won't be able to bypass the amplifiers in the Quartet's input stages. You would be able to set them to unity gain for line level which will minimize their effect on the sound.

**Todzilla** · 12-20-2012, 07:59 AM

Originally Posted by Andrew_Malloy

No, you won't be able to bypass the amplifiers in the Quartet's input stages. You would be able to set them to unity gain for line level which will minimize their effect on the sound.

Thanks for the reply.

Dang that stinks. Is there any other 2 to 4 channel boutique A/D solution that allows for this? Not sure I can afford a HILO. Not sure RME is "boutiquey" enough for me.

**Andrew_Malloy** · 12-20-2012, 09:31 AM

I gotta say, having heard the Ensemble, the Lynx Aurora and the RME UCX in a level matched A/D D/A comparison, I would say that it is boutique enough for me. The UCX sounded very close to the Aurora (same conversion technology as the Hilo) and the Ensemble sounded different than the the Aurora and the RME, but not in a particularly bad way. The bottom line here is that I will not hesitate for a second to recommend an RME product for sound quality.

**Todzilla** · 01-23-2013, 11:51 AM

Originally Posted by Andrew_Malloy

I gotta say, having heard the Ensemble, the Lynx Aurora and the RME UCX in a level matched A/D D/A comparison, I would say that it is boutique enough for me. The UCX sounded very close to the Aurora (same conversion technology as the Hilo) and the Ensemble sounded different than the the Aurora and the RME, but not in a particularly bad way. The bottom line here is that I will not hesitate for a second to recommend an RME product for sound quality.

I hear you, but I think I'm going w the Apogee Symphony I/O w basic 2in 6 out analog. Given that I have Neuman mics, a nice room and Seventh Circle Audio preamps, I'd just as soon get two fantastic channels of A/D and occasionally piggyback onto my MOTU 896HD than get 12 channels of really, really good A/D.

**michaelhoddy** · 01-23-2013, 03:48 PM

The big question is probably whether "fantastic" is really a noticeable step up from "really good" for most listeners. Having owned an 896HD and also having worked with or owned a bunch of Apogee, one thing that is certain to me is that the 896HD is a REALLY significant step down from just about everything else being discussed.

The upside with the Symphony is that you can always expand it in the future and retire the 896.

But don't discount how good the Quartet sounds. Even with the mic preamps inline, it sounds shockingly good.

**Todzilla** · 01-24-2013, 03:59 PM

Originally Posted by michaelhoddy

The big question is probably whether "fantastic" is really a noticeable step up from "really good" for most listeners. Having owned an 896HD and also having worked with or owned a bunch of Apogee, one thing that is certain to me is that the 896HD is a REALLY significant step down from just about everything else being discussed.

The upside with the Symphony is that you can always expand it in the future and retire the 896.

But don't discount how good the Quartet sounds. Even with the mic preamps inline, it sounds shockingly good.

Yes, but I built several Seventh Circle Audio preamps (Neve and API clones) and I really want to avoid going through a second preamp stage. Just seems like bad mojo.

With my Neumann mics, my boutique preamps, my treated room and my DynAudio BM15A speakers, I recognize the 896HD is far and away the weak link in the signal chain, so I want the upgrade to be huge.