This unit runs very hot 
by Richard B. from San Francisco, June 2008
Music Background:  Podcaster

I can only describe what I attempted to do with this. And that is run Sure SM76 mic through my Garage Band program on my MacMini. It did not work properly. There was a constant hum unless I turned the db down to nothiness. And the sound was far from acceptable. So I unplugged it and tried a Mackie. And yeah, for the Mackie, it works perfectly and only for $100. It is a very good preamp. One other word of caution for those buying a Duet. They run hot. Real hot. After only a half hour of use I could almost fry an egg on this thing. So keep this in mind.

  Sound Amazing 
by Ron Wilson from Oregon, June 2008
Music Background:  Pro Musician with project studio

Piece of cake to install and the set-up is a snap.

OK, so how does it sound? Simply Amazing. A/B comparison: AKG C414 into UA LA-610 direct into Apogee Duet vs. MOTU 828mkII. And the verdict is: the Apogee sounds distinctly cleaner, crisper, and higher detail, without sounding harsh.

"Distinctly" would be above "barely" and above "noticable". You hear the difference right away.

I would have given it 5 stars "wow!" except I don't really like the breakout-cable. Yes, using a breakout-cable means a smaller box - BUT when you have to attach the breakout cable to the box in order to record, the net size gained is Zero. Plus you have the hassle of a cable with 6 connectors dangling off the end.

  Side by side comparison of Apogee PSX-100, RME Fireface 800, and Duet 
by Michael Boss from Richfield, MN, May 2008
Music Background:  Producer/songwriter

After reading all of the hype about the Duet, I decided to put it to the test. I took a demo from one of my Roland keyboards and ran it through the following three audio input devices all at 96K:

1) Avalon 2022/Apogee PSX-100
2) RME fireface 800/Input jacks 1&2
3) Apogee Duet Instrument inputs

After monitoring all three recorded audio tracks at identical levels through GENELEC monitors and SONY MDR-7506 headphones, I can not find a single perceivable difference between any of the tracks!

The only strange thing I discovered is that when monitoring the tracks via the headphone jack on the RME unit verses the headphone jack on the apogee Duet, there appears to be about 3 decibels of high frequency gain on the apogee Duet headphone jack! I found it pleasing to the ears to crank some music in the RME headphone mix, but found the Duet headphone mix to be too bright for my liking. So, those of you who believe that you are getting a better audio recording on the Duet because of how it sounds using the headphone jack, think again. The brighter mix on the Duet's headphone jack is deceiving and doesn't appear to reflect what is actually recorded. In my opinion, the apogee Duet sounds equivalent to the other two audio input devices that I mentioned. Take your pick and you will be happy with any of them.

  a fantastic piece of gear 
by Ludis D Taylor from Chicago, Illinois, April 2008
Music Background:  musician / producer

The duet is a must have if you want to accomplish great conversions and recordings period. The duet is a simple to use out the box.

  The Duet Is the Best Song out there for this price point 
by Victor from Princeton NJ, April 2008
Music Background:  Pro Musician, Recording Broadcast

I just want to say thanks to Craig Wilson at Sweetwater. I have been building my home studio for a few years now and I've used the Firebox, Motu 828mk II, Traveler, and Ultra Light, Pro Tools LE, But recently switched to Apples Logic Pro 8 and picked up the Apogee Duet. The sound is so clear and uncolored as compared to pro tools interfaces, Firebox, motu fire wire devices. While I dont have all the ins and outs as some of the other gear offers, I am finding that for at home when its just me I dont really need more, my keyboard uses USB and so does my controller. All in all people are saying they like the clarity of the new recordings, I am using the sE Electronics Gemini II Tube Mic, Rode K2, and Shure KSM 44, 141 mics with the Duet, I also have run my Strat and J Bass Frettles into the Duet with wonderful results. All in all this just works wonderfully and with Logic and the Duet you can just create. Looking to getting the Ensemble this month as well.

  Absolutely Brilliant 
by from Albuquerque, NM USA, February 2008
Music Background:  Composer

Just sold my 002 R and PT LE - and have made the switch to the duet and Logic Studio 8. AWESOME. I can't say enough about the sonic quality upgrade. Ease of use is incredible, awesome design - fits right into the apple world.

Do it today.

  An OUTSTANDING Product! 
by Danyo Cummings from Honolulu, HI, February 2008
Music Background:  Singer/Songwriter, Producer, Recording Enthusiast

If you are in the market for a quality yet budget friendly two channel firewire Interface i'd HIGHLY recommend the Duet by Apogee. Besides the sleek and sexy form factor, the Duet demonstrates the Apogee fidelity and overall quality that most are familiar with. The breakaway cables as well as the multi-function knob add to the ease of use and within no time you'll be making sweet music! The Duet also looks as great as it sounds - i use it with my MacBook Pro and 24" iMac and it almost looks as if Apple designed it to match their products! It's effective, user-friendly, budget-friendly, compact and even looks good! The real question is: Why shouldn't you invest in the Duet?

  Blown Away!!! 
by Ben DuBose from Seattle, WA, January 2008
Music Background:  Multi-Instrumentalist, Amateur Recording Engineer/Producer

I just got my Apogee Duet a few weeks ago and I'm already impressed beyond my expectations. My recordings have really been kicked up a few notches. The converters completely live up to Apogee's name in the the pro audio world. The integration of the Duet into Mac OS X and Logic is amazing. My tracks on iTunes really come alive and I'm hearing new things in my favorite songs all the time. I'm absolutely sure that I made the right choice in buying this and that it's the best sound quality short of an Apogee Symphony system. If you're considering this at all..go for it.

  Golden ears review 
by Blake from los angeles, December 2007
Music Background:  mixing engineer

Its fantastic for its value. I bought it as an indecisive buy, thinking that it wouldn't hold to the higher models of apogee (full console series), but it turned out pretty transparent. It is one of those purchases for home studios that competes with the "upper" class studios. The pre's are fairly good as well.

  A worthwhile investment! 
by Temple of Zen/KBS Studio from Maryland, December 2007
Music Background:  Techno/Dance/House engineer & Student

Let me star by giving kudos to the Sweetwater Team, particularly my rep - Austin Moss. I have had some experience in dealing with Audio interfaces such as the Lexicon Omega and, until recently, the PreSonus Firebox. Austin took the time to explain how such a smaller device could pack such high quality clarity. Knowing that I had been wanting to purchase a legendary Apogee box, he made sure that I had all of the information that I needed to make a good decision.
The verdict was pretty quick! I had no idea the sonic difference was so noticeably cleaner and warm. Definitely not pumped up or colored as I had experienced with some others. The Firebox served me well but I now wish that I had used and Apogee product years ago. No major complaints about the FIrebox, but it is nice to have a portable device that is durable and has less moving parts. Since I travel quite a bit, I look forward to using this with my MacBook Pro. The tight integration of software and smooth shape makes Duet easily addictive.
Having less cables routed to the desk top ensures easy relocating and positioning. Since the connectors are easily marked, you can take your time to actually look at the connections without moving the entire unit and risk pulling another line. The software was also pretty easy to set up and I truly enjoy having the option to set up the muting control so that when I am recording, sound only comes through the headphones while playback plays through the Alesis M1 Active Mk2s. Since all controlling is done through one knob (smart idea), I just click the knob once to mute the headphones and the monitors are already set to go! Now I just have to finish learning about the integration within Logic 8 and working the MIDI control.
Sweetwater has consistently met my needs wherever I have traveled and never missed a beat. Phenomenal tech support and open minds! This is why they have such a loyal customer base! Thank you again!
If you are hesitating as to whether you should purchase this unit for your Mac environment (or Core Audio setup), let me reassure you - stop waiting, shell out the investment, download the software and register the product. I am sure you will thank yourself later.

  Perhaps the best piece of gear I have ever owned. 
by Nathanael Davenport from Rexburg, ID, December 2007
Music Background:  Recording and Mixing Engineer

Apogee delivers. Not only is the AD/DA conversion on par with their other offerings, but this is how an audio interface for the 21st century should be designed. They clearly put a great deal of thought into the development of this little gem.

The breakout cable turned out to be a surprise delight for me - I didn't think I would like it. But after having owned numerous audio interfaces, like an MBox, Firepod and Firebox, and Lexicon's Lambda, all of which have fixed connections, it is quite liberating to have just the controls that I need on my desk and the cables OFF my desk. Also, one side benefit is that you can leave your home setup intact (connection wise) simply by purchasing another breakout cable from Apogee and using it for mobile recording. This makes it so you only have to unplug two cables instead of (potentially) seven.

For Mac users, the Duet is fully integrated into the operating system. It is the only audio interface I know of that you can change the output volume with the system volume controls (i.e. the f-keys on the top row of your keyboard). Changes made with the rotary controller to output volume, and even input gains on the two inputs, are reflected on the computer screen much in the same way the system volume is shown in Mac OS X, with a translucent gray square showing volume bars and the relevant icon. Muting is done by holding the dial down for a second, and it can even be programmed to switch between the TS outputs and the headphone output. In short, using this thing is a breeze. The Maestro mixer is the easiest monitoring mixer I have ever used - others from PreSonus, for example, have left me cold. Oh, and don't forget that you can use the rotary encoder to control as much as 4 MIDI continuous controller parameters for controlling your DAW with. AND you can use it as a shuttle wheel to position your song position line.

If I could nitpick, it would be only to allow 48V phantom power switching from the device, and not force you to use software controls. Or as an intermediate, it would be nice if all the preamp settings (gain, phase invert, line/xlr switching, 48 V phantom) were all accessible on a Logic channel strip, since they tout full integration into Logic. But the extent of their integration into Logic is a slightly scaled back set of the Maestro controls in a small window within Logic. It's just as easy to switch to the Maestro application and have more full control.

Other than that, this audio interface is a sheer pleasure to use, and I see myself hanging onto it for a VERY long time!

  Apogee duet 
by R. from Nashville TN, December 2007
Music Background:  audio eng

great piece of gear. it does add its own sonic texture to the mix but i like that sonic texture it adds. it reminds me of of tape. this thing is a bargin hands down. it would be worth it to the HIFI boys to purchase it just for its D/A converters. very pleased with this peice of gear.

  Great Sound, Low Price 
by 27 from Pa., November 2007
Music Background:  Hobbyist

First off Sweetwater delivered like they said they would.

The duet, it is a great simple piece of gear. I have always wanted to get into computer recording and looked at the MH ULN-2 and others costing 2x the duet. The pres and converters in the duet are great and very clear sounding.

Using garageband or logic and you can produce some great sounding music really fast. It is as good as advertised. If you are a songwriter looking to record some of your work on a Mac, you can't go wrong with the duet. You will get great results even having limited knowledge about producing music.

A friend of mine was listening to some of my sample tracks and the first thing they said was "I can't believe how clear that sounds" and this was using the built in speakers on my Macbook.

  Better than my Enemble - Just works! 
by Greg G from Chiacgo, November 2007
Music Background:  Breakdancer turned rapper that sings and records.

I've had an Apogee Ensemble for 10 months. I love it, but the drivers and simplicity of the Duet make it irresistable.

It is by far the sleekest interface I have used. Well worth the money.

  I'd have paid 2x as much... 
by Josh Aker from Provo, UT, October 2007
Music Background:  Pro Musician

One review of the Ensemble (Duet's big brother) said that it produced the closest thing to commercial quality (pre-mastered) the reviewer had ever heard. The same goes for the Duet. I recorded acoustic guitar and vocals (separately)with a Rode K2 mic through the Duet in Logic Pro 8. I was blown away when played back the tracks. Both the voice and the guitar were "up in front" - no hiss, no room noise, no adding effects to get the voice or guitar to be more present or more powerful. Simply put, the Duet produces a warm yet sufficiently crisp, present sound that you can do anything with, or nothing at all cause it just sounds so good raw.

In comparison, I was previously putting my K2 through a Presonus Firebox. The difference is night and day. That's all I need to say about that. But I also have recordings of myself with a Rode K2 through an Avalon 2022, a B.L.U.E. Bottle & Kiwi through Avalon 2022 and other mic pre's (too many things to mention). And believe me when I say, I've never heard anything that sounds better without any treatment or mastering.

Apogee has done a great job. I'll most certainly get the Ensemble when two channels just isn't enough.

One downfall -the only downfall to the Duet (which is something I knew before I bought it) is that there are no insert points. I sing in many different styles, including those styles that always seem to bleed the channel. With no insert points and no "soft-limit" it can be kind of a dance to get just the right level. But there is plenty of headroom and with good mic technique a dynamic singer should still be ok.

The bells and whistles present on other firewire interfaces in the same price range or cheaper that the Duet may not have really won't matter as soon as you hear this thing.

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