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Apogee Groove DAC/Amp
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Apogee Groove DAC/Amp
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296 requests
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26 Sold
Product Description
With the Groove, Apogee applies its expertise in professional audio devices to making a compact, powerful DAC/amp for Macs and PCs. Featuring a quad-DAC design that uses four DACs per channel, this unit provides the highest dynamic range with the lowest distortion Read More
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keyboard_arrow_downTullNut
4
Feb 13, 2019
I recently bought the Audirect Beam to use with my IEMs from Shure/Westones. I thoroughly enjoyed them till one of my audiophile buddies loaned me the Apogee. I was blown away by the sheer musical nature of the sound specifically how it conveyed timing. I wanted to tap my feet to this thing. I have not heard the DragonFly. I also did compare it to an XDuoo XD-05 and they were very close. Used V-Moda Crossfade M-100 for the testing.
(Edited)
Xavihno
21
Feb 10, 2019
How does this compare with the Duet (https://www.apogeedigital.com/products/duet) and the Audient iD14 (https://audient.com/products/audio-interfaces/id14/overview/)? Can someone lay the main differences regarding the actual drive capacity, tonality and actual sound quality achievable? Is the DAC on the Groove good enough to stack it with an amp (PC>Groove>Amp>HP)?
Xavihno
21
Feb 12, 2019
dschindl@dschindl Thank you for your answer. What do you do then to drive them appropriately (in this type of setup)? That's why I am asking it here, to have the community help answer a big question: Is pairing an Audio Interface (used in music production) such as the Audient iD14, Apogee Duet, Apollo Twin with a Headphone Amp/Dac an adequate solution? I have yet seen anyone get in the specifics...
Catskinner
31
Feb 7, 2019
Bought mine 2-3 years ago. The Groove is one of these products that flies under the radar but is also one of the better portable DAC there is and is very good when paired with Sennheiser HD600/650/6XX headphones where I found it is superior sounding to the Dragonfly, which has a weak and uninspiring amplification.
On fact the diminutive Groove can and will give a fair fight to many popular desktop DAC/AMPs.
Sadly it doesn't do as well with planar headphones and it still requires downloading drivers for Windows 10.
Jhead
38
Feb 7, 2019
The Tech in this device has got to be going back at least 5 years now unless they have revised the circuits over the course of the life of this product too bring more current chip sets into this device. I am basing the age of this off of there operating guide pdf found at the bottom of the last page where shows a date of 2014.Even all things being equal this could still be a fantastic portable even in today's world of portable DAC/Headphone amps with more current Tech being used.
raansire7
1514
Feb 7, 2019
If you guys can handle a little hot plate, the MIYO DAC sounds subjectively fantastic and costs the same. I got mine on MD and I swoon every time I use it. H2 Designs is no longer in business, but if you can find one, I highly recommend it. God bless!
Olek
92
Feb 7, 2019
Used to have Apogee Groove more than 2 years ago when they just came out... Did not work out for me, I found it's sound to be quite a bit bloated and undefined in low end, made me understand term 'one note bass'. Surely better than built in dac/amp in most everything, but I found that Beyerdynamic A200P worked out better for my portable needs (more neutral, more honest, does not over-exaggerate bass, has built in battery). I would not say that A200P is perfect (wolfson dac is a little on warm side, not very detailed, and soundstage is pretty flat), but it was/is a good compromise for me between portability and sound quality, and its sins are mostly of omission. Apogee Groove was not my cup of tea - its sound walked a bit too far from my idea of neutrality and precision. It just tries to impress too much, and turned out to be not great for me in a long run. Funny thing was that Apogee Groove worked quite well to elevate cheap IEMs to semi-reasonable performance level, but with better headphones it just did not do too well. I find that marketing image of a guy plugging in Senns HD800 into Apogee Groove to be quite hilarious... it sounded not so hot with HD600, why would somebody waste HD800's potential on that setup? Keep in mind, it might be just that I do not like sound of Sabre DACs, never found one I liked, always prefer Burr-Brown 179x family.
ukmichaeldavid
54
Feb 6, 2019
I see it does not come with a warranty , just a 30 day return policy. I think it is better to buy it refurb direct from vendor a d get the warranty.
deve53
2
Feb 6, 2019
I already have the Apogee One audio interface. Beautiful metal chassis, with built in studio quality condenser omnidirectional microphone. Works with Mac and iOS; works a treat in my bedroom studio. Can also be used as a DAC. Love it,...
steveraf9922
8
Feb 6, 2019
I'm adding another comment about the best DAC portable but least promoted..this DAC uses no power of it's own making it extremely portable with nothing to charge..it works great with any android phone, tablet or PC..
For the ultimate sound, download the FX sound enhancer to your pc and set the preset to "studio"..Plug in the groove(it will install and no longer needs any drivers) and listen with a good set of headphones..I use the Philips Fidelio M1 for it's clarity and comfort...The Groove has it's own volume controls that synchronize with your PC volume..absolutely mind blowing sound..you can hear sounds you never heard before..Tried the original dragonfly..no soundstage and bass..tried others but believe me, this is by far just a step below the MOJO in quality..Apogee makes recording equipment and are known worldwide for quality..They never promoted this properly but personally, I love mine. I even DJ'ed a party by plugging the groove in a surface tablet and playing it through a guitar center setup with amp and speakers..beautiful!! On the PC, never turned up higher than 40 out of 100..amp is small but powerful. I paid $295 for mind and would pay it again!
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