Dear Apogee:...

[GoldMember]

The reason i wont buy your Sympohy I/O are:

#1. Stand alone mode needs a Mac.
#2. ADAT I/O modules don't have enough outputs at 192khz...
for example:
16 channel module but only 4x channel Toslink.
8 ch module only 2x channel Toslink.

for $2000usd. per module i would expect at least half channels available.
but hey,
i have a crazy idea, why not all? impossible right?

#3. or ADAT or AES.
not both, like older, lower priced Rosetta 800 interfaces.

#4. no Rosetta module, no Ensemble module.
some people still like the old Apogee sound.
i love Ensemble sound... but... No ADAT at 192khz...

#5. no open frame for other companies to make modules for the Symphony I/O.
Burl module, Avid module, Lynx module, etc...

i don't know why Apogee engenieers can't think those crazy ideas.
but for all those reasons, i have decided not to buy your Symphony I/O.
Just a Pretty face, is not enough.
Thanks.

[Kiwi]

Symphony for the devil ...

I the reason they didn't think of your crazy ideas is because they are, well ... crazy...

Apogee don't need feedback from potential customers. They have plenty of serious competitors in an overcrowded market. They should be able to figure out what we want sooner or later based on what the market ends up buying.

[psycho_monkey]

Seriously though, who works at 192k? Archivists or occasionally sound designers, that's about it!

[RARStudios]

I agree with psycho. Don't buy it then?

[hasbeen]

Dear Apogee,

You took to friggin long to release all of your products, after showing them for months on end.

I went elsewhere.

[AcoosticZoo]

Dear Apogee, I look forward to years of enjoyment with my mobile Duet2. This is where you really kick some waves imho.

Regards
Josef Horhay
Mixing Engineer
www.acoosticzoo.com

[danander11]

Dear Apogee.. Buy Protools and fire the execs, give DTS a raise, then offer us an upgrade at a reasonable price.

[youngmain]

Dear Apogee, I will be buying a Symphony I/O.

[Bassmankr]

Just addressing your #2 complaint, ALL ADAT interfaces from ALL suppliers half the number of channels as you double the sample rate. It's part of the ADAT lightpipe standard. Who records at 192k sample rate? With a good converter 44.1k or 48k is all that you need. There is a thread about sample rates in the computer section here spelling out the science if interested. No need to buy into the marketing hype about using 192k, even without using a converter with good chips and analog circuit to match 96k is all that you would need with that less than stellar converter.

[MIKEHARRIS]

The Symphony is a sonic upgrade from the Rosetta...im sure you can find a way to make your tracks sound bad some other way.

Thunderbolt implementation 6-8 months away

Nothing has stopped others from making modules that fit...but not a reason to stay away

[Plugses]

Originally Posted by GoldMember

The reason i wont buy your Sympohy I/O are:

#1. Stand alone mode needs a Mac.

I agree on this one. just idiotic

[GoldMember]

Originally Posted by Bassmankr

Just addressing your #2 complaint, ALL ADAT interfaces from ALL suppliers half the number of channels as you double the sample rate. It's part of the ADAT lightpipe standard. Who records at 192k sample rate? With a good converter 44.1k or 48k is all that you need. There is a thread about sample rates in the computer section here spelling out the science if interested. No need to buy into the marketing hype about using 192k, even without using a converter with good chips and analog circuit to match 96k is all that you would need with that less than stellar converter.

#1.
4 is not the half of 16
2 is not the half of 8.

#2.
its not about need... its about perfection.

you should be in the low end forum.

[GoldMember]

Originally Posted by Plugses

I agree on this one. just idiotic

if Apogee had the crazy idea of making a Maestro software for Linux & Maestro for Windows... i could tolerate the need of a computer.

[GoldMember]

Originally Posted by MIKEHARRIS

The Symphony is a sonic upgrade from the Rosetta...im sure you can find a way to make your tracks sound bad some other way.

Thunderbolt implementation 6-8 months away

Nothing has stopped others from making modules that fit...but not a reason to stay away

Thunderbolt is a promise land..

try asking schematics & service manuals from your favorite companies...

[explorer]

Originally Posted by GoldMember

#1.
4 is not the half of 16
2 is not the half of 8.

The lightpipe can only carry so much data. Each one can carry 8 channels at 48kHz, 4 channels at 96kHz or 2 at 192kHz.

[MIKEHARRIS]

Originally Posted by GoldMember

Thunderbolt is a promise land..

so is a hit...that stop you ?

[neb]

Is this a bitter sweet symphony?

I have no complaints with mine.

[jasonwagner]

Dear Apogee, thank you for making the symphony work so well with Logic, it's rock solid and sounds fantastic. I know we had some shaky ground earlier on in our relationship but you worked on yourself and I am proud to have you as my music making partner now.

You still breathe a little loud but it's OK since we moved you into your own room. Although I do miss staring into your pretty meters.

[neb]

Originally Posted by jasonwagner

You still breathe a little loud but it's OK since we moved you into your own room. Although I do miss staring into your pretty meters.

What about a small camera on those pretty meters with a monitor in the control room?

[Kane]

Dear Apogee

Please reconsider your policy of dumping Mobile users. You specifically advertised the Symphony IO with the Mobile card, then dumped support for it only a few months later (and not long after Symphony finally worked!).

No, I don't expect support forever, but I DO expect that a brand new system will have support for more than a few months. It's a shocking way to treat users who spent $$$$ (££££ in my case) on a new system.

[jasonwagner]

Originally Posted by neb

What about a small camera on those pretty meters with a monitor in the control room?

It just wouldn't be the same.

[jwleeman]

Originally Posted by Kane

Dear Apogee

Please reconsider your policy of dumping Mobile users. You specifically advertised the Symphony IO with the Mobile card, then dumped support for it only a few months later (and not long after Symphony finally worked!).

No, I don't expect support forever, but I DO expect that a brand new system will have support for more than a few months. It's a shocking way to treat users who spent $$$$ (££££ in my case) on a new system.

+100 !!

[GoldMember]

Originally Posted by explorer

The lightpipe can only carry so much data. Each one can carry 8 channels at 48kHz, 4 channels at 96kHz or 2 at 192kHz.

the 8 channel module has 4 lightpipe connectors: 2i+2o = 8 channels io @ 96k & it should be 4io @ 192khz.
the 16 channel module has 4 lightpipe connectors: 4i or 4o = 16 channels @ 96k & it should be 8 @ 192khz.
but no...

[IMG]******//www.apogeedigital.com/images/sio-module-8-analog-optical-lg.jpg[/IMG]
ADAT: 8 channels 44.1-48 kHz
SMUX: 4 channels, 88.2-96 kHz*
SPDIF: 2 channels up to 192 kHz

[IMG]******//www.apogeedigital.com/images/sio-module-16analogin-opticalout-lg.jpg[/IMG]
ADAT: 16 channels 44.1-48 kHz
SMUX: 16 channels 88.2-96 kHz
SPDIF: 4 channels up to 192 kHz

[IMG]******//www.apogeedigital.com/images/sio-module-16analogout-opticalin-lg.jpg[/IMG]
ADAT: 16 channels 44.1-48 kHz
SMUX: 16 channels 88.2-96 kHz
SPDIF: 4 channels up to 192 kHz

Get it?

Apogee Symphony I/O Modules > Apogee Electronics

[JonesH]

They don't mention support for S/MUX IV at all, ie 192 kHz ADAT over toslink. They just say SPDIF which is always two channels, up to 192 kHz.

Edit: I see that they write SPDIF 4 ch on one connector but I think they might have confused this up. They also wrote 16ch S/MUX on one connector and I've never heard of that before.

[Bassmankr]

Their web page just has incorrect info. Their SMUX at 88.2k - 96k should be 8 channels, not 16 as they have written (4 per ADAT cable). Maybe they are taking a bit of artistic licence and adding the input AND output ADAT cables to get that number. An ADAT cable carries 8 channels at 44.1k - 48k, then half the amount of channels as you double the sample rate so 4 channels at 88.2k - 96k, then again half the amount of channels as you double the sample rate so 2 channels at 192k. If a particular interface give you less than that then they didn't adhere to full SMUX standards. There are many sources on the net to look this stuff up if you don't care to believe us.

[Confusionator]

I must say that I'm also mystified. The AD-16X and DA-16X products were/are awesome. I would think that something similar would still be in their line, to provide basic, high-quality conversion.

Maybe those products stopped selling. I wonder....