Apogee: the new Ensemble Thunderbolt
 

Introducing the All New Apogee Ensemble Thunderbolt 2 Audio Interface for Mac - Apogee Electronics
Ensemble - Thunderbolt Audio Interface - Apogee Electronics

$2495

Discuss. :)

And just as I was getting ready to consider the MOTU 1248...

It says 16 analog outs......where? I see an 8 channel d-sub and then nothing...? freshflowe

2 1/4" balanced monitor outputs
8 balanced outputs on 1 DSUB 25-pin connector
2 independent 1/4" stereo headphone outputs
2 1/4" dual-mode guitar/instrument outputs

edit: I'm still only adding up to 14...

.....indeed. :lol: And most of those are not too useful to me. My attention stays with the 16A. freshflowe

Paging Dr. NMS, you're needed in surgery...

I guess they're counting each stereo channel of the HP outputs, making 16.

Now if they'd only let us Ensemble FW owners "trade up" for $500. My new iMac has TB, but I'll have to use a TB-to-FW converter, than a FW800-to-FW400 cable. Seems a shame.

If I remember correctly, I think they had a trade in for original Duet owners to Duet 2 when it came out. Maybe they'll do something similar.

Looks like the best I'll be able to afford is a BLA mod for my Ensemble FW. Thunderbolt will only work on thunderbolt capable macs. TB to FW adapter only works when going the other way... i.e. FW device > TB port. Can't use TB device to converter to FW port. It's a shame because this thing looks awesome. gruudge

Pretty impressive. Don (or some other Apogee dude), where does it stand sonically between the Duet/Quartet and Symphony? The web copy tells of much improved A/D, but I'm especially interested in the D/A part, it basically specs like the Duet and Quartet. Is it the same?

Guys go here full thread on it all kinds of questions answered by Don
https://www.gearslutz.com/board/137t...rface-mac.html

Nope hjghfgg

just sell your ensemble to me for that pricekfhkh

$2,000? Sure! If you'll notice, I said maybe they'd let us trade up for $500. If the TB Ensemble is going for $2500, that means they would give us $2000 credit for the FW model. Let me know if you're still interested :lol:

Original Ensembles are running around $800-1000 these days

in that case you would be delusional :lol:

Pretty good value, considering they have finally written a Mavericks driver, so the things are useable again.....freshflowe

Says the guy who thought I'd sell for $500 - yeah, right!

Is it better than my setup ?? Apogee Thunderbridge Thunderbolt with an Apogee Symphony ??

go to ebay..they sell for as low as $600. and thats before the ensemble 2 was announced :lol:

No delusional is thinking you'll get full price (trade or sell) for an audio interface that's over 7 years old LOL :lol: Those things sell easily between $5-800 and rightfully so... they're old interfaces.

Ya, I mean I would love Apogee say to me trade in your Quartet Dave we will give 1k towards an Ensemble. :lol: fat chance of that happening. Anyone interested in picking up a Quartet?

Ya, the new ensemble is looking really good at this point. It's def at the top top end of my budget though... might have to settle for the Quartet. Either way both are phenomenal interfaces. @Dpro btw thanks for all your contributions in the Quartet threads.

Looking at the ebay ads below this thread show prices between $775 - $1100. Congrats if you can get one for much less than that.

And while I wasn't serious when I said that I was hoping that Apogee would allow trade-ups for $500, it still would be nice if they did offer a trade-up program for the Ensemble. At $2500, it is right up there with the UAD Apollo Quad, which has all those great plug-ins as well.

here bud..sorry it devaluated that much..$630 is the lowest ...and don't make me go to craigslist lol
apogee ensemble | eBay

Apogee Ensemble Thunderbolt
 

Ya I agree, it would be nice if they did do a trade up for it, however, it really doesn't surprise me at all that they're not given the time between the release of the original Ensemble and now the new Ensemble thunderbolt. Good to hear you were joking lol. $2500 is def up there in price though, and def at the tip top of my budget. UA Apollo looks nice but just means I'm gonna spend even more for a lot of plug-in emulations that I already have (even though they do sound phenomenal). The only thing that kinda bothers me about the new Ensemble thunderbolt is the way Apogee handled support and drivers with the original Ensemble. It's not uncommon for me (or most people I think) to have an audio interface for over 5 years. And I would expect a manufacturer to provide drivers and support for the life of the product (within reason) and not treat it like an after thought or bastard child.

So go Motu AVB series. Cleaner conversion than Apollo & Ensemble (DC coupled like the Symphony, better converter chips) and you can stick to processing in your daw.

They just released another driver update. Support hasn't ended at all.

Just curious, have you heard the Motu AVB stuff yet? freshflowe

I haven't had one in my studio yet to actually listen to. My recommendation comes purely from what I know of its build and having analyzed audio test files passed through the converters. I'm looking forward to digging into it more when I have time, but what I've seen so far tells me it's at least the next cleanest thing to a Symphony. They really set out to raise the bar this time. Very good to see.