[Freq18Hz]

Answers are as follows.


A = Duet left channel
B = Duet Right channel
C = Duet
D = Duet
E = Duet DI
F = Duet
G = Duet aggregated and clocked to Mbox 2 Pro
H = Mbox 2 Pro
I = Mbox 2 Pro
J = Mbox 2 Pro DI
K = Mboxx 2 Pro
L = Mbox 2 Pro aggregated and clocked to Mbox 2 Pro

FYI this was not really a subjective test, just a blind test to see if people were able to pick out the differences between the two. I think the test proves that both units sound very similar, and even when comparing recordings of both, it is highly subjective as to which sounds "best".


Opnions/ personal review:

I am going to buck the trend to trash the Mbox, and praise the Duet endlessly here so bear with me. If you disagree, don't flame me, just post your own test. I'm always willing to change/modify my opinion.

Both pieces of gear sound fantastic, especially for the money. Both have a distinct sound, yet the differences between the preamps/converters are incredibly subtle. You would be hard pressed to hear the difference between the two, even if you A/B knowing what you are listening to, and even in a mix.

Duet - The Duet has a nice top end sheen to it. It definitely brings out the gliss of the guitar strings, and seems to capture fast transients slightly better. Unfortunately, it also lacks a lot of lower mid range detail, and in my opinion on this guitar, in this room, sounds a tad thin. I can see that were I to be recording a whole mix worth of tracks, the apogee would probably have less "build up" of low mids, and sound brighter than the Mbox, yet would to my tastes sound a bit sterile. The Duet might excel at capturing early reflections and reverberation while recording a source like a choir or symphonic band, in a very large live room, say the london philharmonic in the sistine chapel. The preamps provide a lot of gain, and I think would work well for field recording, and with ribbon microphones. Also the ability to flip the input phase is quite cool. The big issue for me with the duet, is the amount of nasty and extremely audible hiss I hear from my speakers due to the unbalanced outputs. While this may be nitpicky for some, I find I can very audibly hear the hiss, even when playing back program material at a reasonable volume. The only other glaring cons I notice with the Duet are the lack of fine adjustment with the preamps (they move in digital steps, which also can be a plus, in that you can set them reliably to the same value session after session), and the glitchyness of the software (faders not moving, gain knobs not refreshing in the maestro software).

Mbox 2 Pro - The Mbox 2 Pro sounds very slightly 'warmer' than Duet, and has better low mid detail. It doesn't add the high end sheen that the Duet does. It happens to in my opinion, more faithfully reproduce my guitar in my room, with my mics, than the Duet does. While it doesn't quite have the top end of the Duet, it doesn't sound thin either. I definitely wouldn't call the Mbox 2 Pro's preamps/converters colored sounding at all. In fact to my ears, it brings out the natural sound qualities of my microphones better. The only con I can give, is that the preamps don't provide as much gain as the Duet's, and +48v cannot be toggled on/off individually for each microphone channel. Also no phase inversion is available.

Both of the units preamps sound worse to me than my grace design preamp. Both DIs sound average as well.

Outputs: not included in my test here, I hear a difference between the output of the Duet and the Mbox 2 Pro. Besides the hiss the Duet sounds fantastic, very flat and balanced. However I hear what I feel is an imitation of that "famous" apogee sound where everything sounds expensive, and has a sheen to it. While It sounds clearer than the Mbox 2 Pro on output, I also hear less separation between instruments, and less definition. The Duet does seem to output low mids slightly better than the Mbox 2 Pro, overall resulting in a very balanced and 'warm' yet accurate reproduction. The best way to describe it is "natural".

The Mbox 2 Pro on the other hand, seems to have better separation than the Duet. On my monitors I hear better separation between sounds, and no hiss from the output. The high mids on the Mbox 2 Pro are slightly more present than the Duet, and perhaps could to some people sound more "harsh". I also hear slightly less low mids reproduced. Overall I slightly prefer the Duet's outputs for Listening to music, as it gives everything a finished, smooth sound. Basically everything played through it sounds good. However, due to the enhanced separation, I think I prefer mixing on the Mbox 2 Pro better, as it seems to point out faults more readily than the Duet. Again the differences are very slight, yet able to be heard when A/B-ing the two. Both sound infinitely better than my Motu 828, or my O1v.


Conclusion: It is my personal opinion that both of these pieces of gear are fantastic values. If you can't make a world class high fidelity recording, with either of these devices, then you have a larger problem than what piece of gear to choose. On one hand with the Duet, you get great sound, in a small package, for not a lot of money. The unit itself feels sturdy and looks nice, until you connect the chintzy breakout cables. The connectivity however is limited, and it is mac only. The Mbox 2 Pro however is more expensive, yet it has more connectivity, and features. It does come with Pro Tools, but this might not be a bonus to people who don't care, like myself. I can see why people who have been previously burned by digi would be weary to try this box. However, the sound quality makes it a great value IMHO, and night/day difference between any other mbox I have heard previously. The unit itself looks tacky in blue, and feels light when you pick it up. However in usage, the knobs feel actually pretty nice, and after using it you get the sense that it is well built for the price point, and is designed well for its intended home studio recording purpose.

In the end, the differences between these two are not night and day. Having spent time with lots of ultra high end gear, I do not think the Duet is on the same playing field with other high end converters/preamps I have heard, nor is it a cut above the rest of gear available within a few hundred dollars of its price point, assuming memory serves me correctly. It is still a fantastic value. Likewise, I don't believe the Mbox 2 Pro to be the bargain bin trash everyone slams it for. While less of a value if you don't need Pro Tools, it hangs with the Duet on sound quality, and in most ways exceeds it in terms of usage/workflow.

Both sound worse to me than something like an SSL G/E desk into a nice studer/otari 2 inch.

I am still on the fence on which one to keep, given that the Duet is substantially cheaper, and I don't need to use Pro Tools. I do however prefer the Mbox 2 Pro's workflow and features better, and no hiss out of the speakers rocks!


-Freq