Legendary Sound Quality
The Apogee Advantage
Why Apogee Duet is the best choice
for your studio.
Apogee is an award-winning industry leader in digital recording technology with over 25 years of experience. Preferred by recording pros around the world, Apogee products like Duet, Ensemble and Symphony I/O have been instrumental in creating countless GRAMMY® and OSCAR® winning recordings and have set the industry standard in professional recording for over two decades. Duet is built solidly on this reputation.
A difference you will hear.
From the mic preamps to the AD/DA converters and the clocking, Duet is best-in-class and cutting-edge Apogee technology. With components carefully selected in critical listening tests and a highly efficient circuit design, Duet was built by Apogee engineers to make a difference you can hear.
Pristine, next generation
AD/DA converters
Duet’s AD/DA converters are designed to deliver the purest recordings and best listening experience possible. Duet’s efficient circuitry and state-of-the-art components provide a simplified signal path resulting in incredibly transparent recordings.
Smooth, detailed world-class
mic preamps
Much like the AD/DA converters, Duet’s mic preamps feature the latest components and offer seamless click-free transitions as the gain increases and decreases throughout the incredible range of 0-75dB. This unprecedented feature allows you to dial in the perfect level, either with the controller knob or from within software, while delivering ultra-low noise and smooth, crisp detail. Duet’s mic pres are suitable for all dynamic, condenser or ribbon microphones, allowing you to capture any sound without compromise.
Soft Limit – Protection from digital overs
An Apogee technology first introduced in 1992 on Apogee’s AD-500 converter, Soft Limit can be heard on countless platinum selling records around the world. Once a technology exclusively reserved for Apogee’s most advanced audio converters, Soft Limit is included in Duet and can be enabled in Apogee Maestro software.
This superior analog design prevents the digital clipping that causes distortion by instantaneously rounding off transient peaks before they hit the analog-to-digital converter. Soft Limit allows several more decibels of apparent level to be recorded while subtly providing an analog-like warmth to the sound.
ESS Sabre32 DAC Technology
ESS Sabre32 32-bit Hyperstream DAC with Time Domain Jitter Eliminator offers unequalled dynamic range, ultra low distortion, and unmatched audio clarity free from input jitter.
While ESS Sabre32 DAC has been widely recognized and employed in the audiophile community as the next step in converter technology, Apogee is one of the first pro audio manufacturers to employ this DAC in an interface designed for audio and video professionals. ESS Sabre32 DAC technology, as employed in Duet 2, Duet for iPad & Mac, Quartetand Symphony I/O, is one ingredient in the Apogee Engineering Difference. The benefits of the ESS Sabre32 DAC include:
32-bit DAC Architecture – Compared to older 24-bit technology, the Sabre32 DAC’s 32-bit filter processing results in significantly lower noise and distortion, for a pure listening experience free from artifacts. 32-bit digital attenuation ensures that sonic purity is maintained at any listening level.
Time Domain Jitter Elimination removes clock inconsistencies from the incoming digital data, so the converted analog output preserves the clarity and soundstage detail of the original recording.
Apogee Duet Product Tour
Inputs & Outputs
Breakout Cable
Duet’s breakout cable includes 2 combination mic/instrument connectors (XLR and 1/4” built into a single connector) and 2 balanced 1/4” connectors for speakers. The elegant single cable-to-junction design allows for easy cable management and the locking connection to Duet is robust and stylish.
2 Analog Inputs
Duet’s 2 combination input connectors (XLR and 1/4”) allow you to connect microphones, guitars and keyboards or your favorite external mic preamps, compressors and EQs.
4 Analog Outputs
Duet includes 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.
With these 4 outputs it’s possible for a DJ to monitor a separate mix in headphones while sending a house mix to the club, a live performer to send a click track to in-ear monitors while sending a backing track to front-of-house, and a recording engineer to send a headphone mix to the performer while dedicating the main outputs to studio monitors.
MIDI
Duet provides a single USB MIDI connection for your CoreMIDI compatible keyboard, synth, or DJ controller. This eliminates the need for an external MIDI interface and promotes an all-in-one music creation solution where Duet and Maestro manage all audio and MIDI. On iPad, Duet’s MIDI connection allows both Duet and a keyboard or DJ controller to be connected at the same time to the iPad’s single connector (Lightning or 30-pin).
Breakout Box Accessory
Available as a separate accessory for Duet is a solidly built, aluminum breakout box with 2 1/4” inputs, 2 XLR inputs (for 2 simultaneous channels of input) and 2 balanced XLR outputs. The Duet breakout box features studio-quality I/O connectors and includes a 2 meter cable allowing you to extend your input and output connections away from your desktop and minimize cable clutter.
Please note the breakout box does not enable extra inputs or outputs. Whether you are using the breakout cable or breakout box Duet is capable of 2 channels of analog input (mic, line, or instrument) and
4 channels of analog output (left/right headphones and left/right monitor outputs).
Control
Full Color OLED Display
The high resolution OLED screen built into Duet’s top is the main control center for Duet, delivering visual feedback for multiple functions including metering, numeric value for input and output levels, input grouping, and phase, muting, phantom power and Soft Limit indication. With this display you know the status of any input and output at any given moment without having to refer to Maestro or your recording software.
Configurable Touchpads
Duet also introduces configurable touchpads. The 2 touchpads, located on either side of the encoder knob, allow you to quickly access output functions such as “Mute Outputs”, “Dim Outputs”, “Sum to Mono” or “Toggle Headphone Source”. Each are assignable using a drop-down menu within Apogee’s new Maestro 2. This unique feature allows you to select the function you want and access it directly from Duet without having to look at software.
Multi-function Controller Knob
Along with its sleek aluminum chassis, the multi-function controller knob is one of the most recognizable features of Duet’s design. This central control feature allows you to quickly and easily toggle through Duet’s inputs and outputs and set levels while looking at Duet’s dynamic OLED display.