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Originally Posted by Fredrik  Digidesign are the ones that are excluding them selves by not suporting core audio like evryone else IMO. |
True, but Digidesign does support AES/EBU, S/PDIF and ADAT optical. CoreAudio is just another standard.
It is safe to say that Digidesign is not concerned with supporting other audio interfaces, and Apogee is not concerned with Pro Tools users buying this product.
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Originally Posted by Jazzpunk It's a smart and aggressive play to cut into the MBox market and lure potential customers over to Logic. |
Perhaps. Or perhaps they're just saving a boatload in hardware costs by eliminating any stand-alone capability. No need for digital i/o on the unit or the breakout cable, no need for resolution or clock switches or indicators -- these and many other features are controlled strictly in software, which means you don't have to deal with user control in hardware.
Just look at all the knobs and lights they didn't have to include. Remember, this thing (probably) sounds terrific and is less than 500 bucks!
I don't know that Duet competes in the same market as Mbox at all. Mbox is not an option for those who expect top sonic quality (in a single device), and Duet is not an option for those who want (effortless) compatibility with pro studios.
It will be nice if Apogee can replace their Mini line with a stand-alone box that incorporates the Duet/Ensemble preamp and converter technology. This would serve not only Digidesign customers, but also non-computer-based applications. And even for CoreAudio users, if you have multiple converters in the system, it's still simpler/better to use a single interface/driver than to use aggregated interface. I'd pay an extra $100 for the option to strap this thing onto a ULN-2, or Mbox, or Digi001/2/3, or Firebox ... it would still be a great deal at that price.
JSL