Review: Apogee Duet 'the perfect high quality interface for on the road'

The Apogee Quartet, Apogee Duet and Apogee ONE are available now with USB-C to USB Mini cable connection. This will make sure that all three products can connect directly to USB Type-C equipped computers – great news! Also, al three Apogee devices are now compatible with Windows starting at Windows 10. Good reason to check them out and have a closer look at three stunning looking devices.

APOGEE Quartet

Perfect for music producers in a recording studio that need multiple inputs and hear sound on multiple speakers when mixing. An all-in-one studio and monitor controller with high-quality hardware.

Professional audio interface & studio control 12 in X 8 out USB Audio Interface for Mac and PC with two displays.

Read the review here.

APOGEE Duet

A great interface for every desk in a medium or small sized studio and on the road. Including a screen and split-cable to easily connect two inputs and two outputs. 

Professional audio interface 2 in x 4 out USB Audio interface for Mac and PC with one display.

APOGEE ONE

A small device to record jam-sessions with the built-in microphone or plugin two instruments and playback via computer or headphones. Perfect for singer-songwriters or other live musicians that want a plug-and-play experience.

2 in x 2 out USB audio interface/microphone for Mac and PC.

Read the review here.

So, the Apogee Duet is model in between the Apogee one and the Quartet. It’s a relatively small device which makes it easy to travel with and at the same time it fits perfect on your desk. The main difference with the Duet and standard audio interfaces is that there are no inputs or outputs directly on the device. It’s linked to a converter cable, so you can connect speakers and instruments. Like the other Apogee devices, the Duet is also built in the U.S.A. which is noticeable on the general quality, look and feel of the interface.

Input and outputs

The 2 speaker outputs and 2 instrument inputs are split with a cable named Breakout cable. In most cases, this will result in a cleaner desk if depending on the situation.

Inputs

2 combo inputs so you can connect microphones, guitars, keyboards or line level devices such as external mic preamps or a mixing board. Also, 1 MIDI input separated on the device.

Outputs

Duet has 4 analog outputs – 2 1/4” balanced outputs for connection to speakers or outboard equipment and a separate, independently controlled 1/4” stereo headphone output.

Touch buttons and display

The Apogee Duet has one OLED display that will show details about the setting and the level of the meters. Under the screen are two touchpads buttons which can be assigned to different settings like: mute speakers, mute headphones, mute all outputs, dim speakers, dim headphones, dim all outputs, sum mono to speakers, sum mono to headphones, sum mono to all outputs, clear meters and assign headphones to different outputs.

Under the two touch buttons is the main knob that we know from the Apogee Quartet and Apogee One. Mainly function to control the volume and input gain, but also can be assigned to different functions. It’s great how the Duet can be positioned next to your keyboard so you can directly adjust volume like a monitor controller.

Specs and details overview

Like the other Apogee devices, the Duet has internal high-quality preamps and AD/DA converters. Many grammy-award-winning producers are using this device and are confirming the quality of the Duet.

• AD/DA conversion for recording up to 192kHz / 24-bit.
• 2 analog inputs with world-class mic preamps and selectable 48v phantom power for connecting microphones, instruments or line-level devices.
• 4 analog outputs – 2 balanced 1/4” mono outputs for speakers or outboard gear, 1/4” stereo headphone output.
• USB 2.0 High-Speed connection to Mac or Windows PC
• Direct digital connection to iPad and iOS devices (iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. Lightning and 30-pin cable sold separately).
• Software control of hardware parameters including input selection and low latency monitoring.

Our experience

We are blown away by the quality of the Apogee Duet. The device itself is solid and well build so are the internal components that you will experience from hearing. It’s easy to set-up and integrates perfectly with Apple devices (Also Windows 10). It’s a pleasure to adjust the gain with the big central knob which feels very solid. The aluminum casing just gives a very robust touch of quality and durability. If you’re looking for a small high-end audio interface, Apogee Duet is there right for you. If your planning on needing more inputs to record, you should think twice – since there are only two inputs available. But if that’s enough for you – it’s a great device!