Apogee Duet 2 USB Interface Regular 

Comments about Apogee Duet 2 USB Interface Regular:

Great quality and low latenency!

Good for both a recording interface or for just getting high quality DACs for listening. Solid drivers... allows for separate monitoring on headphones and monitors... integrates beautifully with Logic... solid construction with a great look and feel

It would be nice if there was Windows support, but I'd much rather take a high quality, focused product than a mediocre dual platform product

Comments about Apogee Duet 2 USB Interface Regular:

I have been producing music (mostly EDM) for 10 years. Because I was on a budget before, my go-to audio interfaces always were the ones below 200$. Then I decided to switch to something that would integrate with my Mac (I was tired of having 3 different opportunities to change the volume and so on), so I made the investment and bought this thing.
The first thing that I noticed is that it is a little bigger than it looks, but it looks really shiny and feels very sturdy.
The OLED display is a very nice thing to have; i find myself trusting its meters and clip display more than my DAWs. The action of the two touch buttons can be adjusted to your needs (clear meters, mute, dim etc.).
The wheel feels very nice and it integrates perfectly with the Mac's built-in volume control.

BUT... the best thing really is the sound quality. I am not recording anything, so I can just tell you about the d/a conversion. I am amazed how clear I can hear mistakes that I made in previous productions which my old audio interface didn't tell me about. No problems here with Mountain Lion as well. Totally compatible with the Macbook Pro Retina, and I am even running it through a (powered) USB hub without problems (although Apogee tells you not to).

Note that other reviews on this site only gave 1 star when I understand they don't have any criticism about it (maybe they got confused with the star rating system). The only thing that I am missing is a built-in MIDI interface.

Buy this and hear your sound improving!

Comments about Apogee Duet 2 USB Interface Regular:

Got this after using a Firepod for many years. Huge upgrade! The lastest version of the drivers are extremely stable. Haven't had any issues there. The converters are so clear and open. The stereo field is unbelievably huge. I'm hoping to get a Quartet or Ensemble soon and aggregate them together for more channels. The portability is great for if I'm recording someone at their house. I'm really glad I got this. I'll be using all Apogee equipment from now on.

Comments about Apogee Duet 2 USB Interface Regular:

Died after third session. Software issues between Maestro and my Macbook Pro. Expect issue after issue with this thing. I've heard of people upgrading their macs to a newer OS. Shouldnt have to do that. This has great potential and sounded awesome, but way too much trouble. Going back to PC.

Comments about Apogee Duet 2 USB Interface Regular:

I am a recording engineer and I rely on tools that function well and can produce the desired result as soon as possible. The duet 2 does just that. In the studio I rely on apogee's fine line of AD/DA 16x for interface but at home on my desk I have the Duet 2. I believe the conversion in the Apogee duet 2 is on par with apogee's other AD/DA conversion products. I liked it so much that I bought a second one just to playback mixes for clients at the studio. The pre amps are very clean an transparent. The touch screen functions are perfect. I especially like the sum to mono function for checking phase relationships while editing. The breakout cable is strong and versatile. The ability to bus power the unit off USB is killer for laptop work. There are no "cons" to this product in my opinion.

Comments about Apogee Duet 2 USB Interface Regular:

Once again, this thing is not cheap. Bought this March and still not working right.
The features are great. There continue to be software problems.
I've done the latest Apple and May apogee updates. Still have to unplug the Duet 2 to get recognized . Wheres the help? Is this covered by warranty?
This thing is not cheap. Wish i would have bought something else.

Comments about Apogee Duet 2 USB Interface Regular:

I recently swiched from PC to Apple and had to give up my old recording system. I've been using the Duet 2 for about six months. For weekender garage band types, you can't beat the combination of Apple + Garage Band + Duet 2. Like everything "apple", the Duet 2 is well integrated with the apple sound system, doesn't require a PhD. Initial set up? Amazingly simple. Nothing like the old days on the PC based system. Then, once configured, laying tracks and to mixing down to an MP3 ... super easy. The design of the Duet is quite elegant and intuitive. Hi quality pre-amps. The sound is great.

I'm looking forward to Apogee's break-out box that will help out considerably with cable management.

Comments about Apogee Duet 2 USB Interface Regular:

I needed 2 channels of good AD/DA converters after my original Duet was stolen I opted for this unit. After having it for 3 months its starting to have compatibility issues. About half of the time I make the physical connection to my computer the device isn't recognized, or even seen, by either the computer or Apogee's Maestro software. Unplug, plug in, hold this button down, count to 10, reboot, cross fingers... sounds fun right. Worst part is tech support: Jay Wolf is the worst tech supportspecialist of any company in the entire music equipment industry. His Los Angeles office at Apogee is 20 minutes from my house however he wouldn't meet in person, also he never returned my calls. He only dealt with me over email, which became a total of 10 emails over a 6 week period. I would respond to his emails just a few minutes after he sent them out to me and like clockwork he ALWAYS took 4 days to get back to me. Usually with far too little information to take 4 days to respond, usually something like "Is the film still on the cover of your Duet 2" (end of email) Unbelievably slow to have the smallest conversation and he still can't diagnose the problem. He's sending me a replacement unit. However the problem looks like software so I might end up selling it and going with something from RME or Aurora. On the plus side the converters are amazing, 192k recording is fantastic. Pre's are clear but quite bright and bland at the same time. I would recommend using a different preamp with this unit for record. When the unit works it sounds great and a super cheap price for what you get.

Comments about Apogee Duet 2 USB Interface Regular:

The thing is, when the Duet 2 IS recognized by my iMac, it sounds great! Plenty of headroom with a variety of mics. I've used the SM58, SM81, Rode NT1 through it and they all sound great. Its very clear and detailed and has a certain "airy" quality that's missing in some of the other audio interfaces I've used.

So in summary, once it's actually working, it is a very nice sounding audio interface. But having to deal with the interface not being recognized by the OS is aggravating and a workflow killer.
I'm having the same problem mentioned by other reviewers with my Apogee Duet 2 interface. Namely that when I shutdown my iMac or reboot, roughly 50-60% of the time, the Duet 2 fails to be recognized. The Apogee Maestro software will say there is no Apogee device connected, but it is. I've downloaded the latest drivers from Apogee that were supposed to correct this issue (Oct. 2011 version), but still have the same problem. I've uninstalled/reinstalled ad nauseum, same problem. The only way to get it recognized again is to unplug and plug back in the USB cable while sometimes also holding down the big volume knob.

This problem really puts a damper on your creative work flow. Seriously, who has time for this? When you want to record and make music, the one thing you DON'T want to have to hassle with, is your audio interface. This is not a cheap interface. For the price you would think Apogee could do better. Plus, they only have to test on Macs. Most all other audio interface companies have to test and QA on both Macs and PCs. Very frustrating.
Bad quality. Not sure if its the drivers or the interface itself, but either way, I shouldn't have to be dealing with these problems for this price!
Additional info: I'm not a big fan of having to use software for engaging phantom power and for switching between line and mic on the input connectors. Having dedicated hardware buttons for this would be much better, IMO.

Comments about Apogee Duet 2 USB Interface Regular:

This thing sounds amazing. Pushing aside Apogee's Maestro 2 software and the other bells and whistles (OLED screen, etc), this Duet 2 sounds fantastic. The bass and guitar tracks I've done so far sound incredible. And the DAC, pardon the pun, is a real ear-opener. The great latency with the Duet is a definite step up from my first interface.

The caveat -- USB driver. Folks have been having problems with the Duet 2 being recognized when their Mac goes to sleep mode and requires a restart. Mine has not had that problem. However, if my unit gets unplugged, I'm forced to restart. It's not a huge issue, and the USB shouldn't be unplugged while you're tracking anyway, but if I'm using my laptop, unplug the Duet and move to another location I need to restart. Not a deal breaker.

Can't rave about this enough. If all you need are great preamps and great sound, get this. It's perfect for me as a 'bedroom' recording artist. If you need S/PDIF, ADAT etc, then look elsewhere (ie, RME Babyface, etc)
World class pre-amps and DAC. Surprisingly good OLED screen, and the touch interface is handier than I thought. 75db of gain is nice to have for my SM58. Good latency.
Better breakout cable than the original Duet. The screen is plastic and not glass, and it does scratch/scuff (not an issue at all for me). Wheel/knob feels solid. No complaints.
This really depends on which side of the fence you sit. For the price, it's terrible because you get very limited I/O. For the price, it's fantastic because you get world class pres and DAC. For me, I chose this over a Scarlett or Mbox 3 because I wanted great pres and a standout DAC. That's what I've got. For me, it's worth it.