It'll work fine, the issue would be your DAW not being able to do as much with the i5.

We recommend an i7 so users have the best overall experience.

thanks drew, so I am torn between the MKII quad ..and the X duo - for catching up on mixing at home - I have the quad silver in the studio along with some other converters.. I am used to monitoring with the silver converters, so i'm sure the mkii will be fine there.. but going to the X .. is that a WOW coming from the MKII ..or is it negligible .. can't decide if the duo is enough processing, I typically will print as I go anyway if things are getting slow ..

my goal is to get a 16X in the future for the studio and use its converters as my primary box anyway .. but for now..

so should I just go for more processing or the better DA for home mixing?

Given all these circumstances (adding the x16 later is the big one) then I would go for more DSP now with the MKII.

I would say Twin X if it was going to be the primary.

Hope this helps.

thank you

so let me ask you this... on a cpl of these mixes i'm doing lately i'm using
1 1176
1 CL1B
1 CS-1 stereo
1 Real Verb
maybe a couple precision de esser
maybe a couple of 670's
maybe cpl of Harrison Eq's here and there..


(and other plugs from other companies)

at 24/96...can the twin X duo handle that?
Im really interested in the DA vs the DA in the MKII

Check out this user made chart for what each plug needs at that rate. This is not an official UA support doc, but it's a good resource.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...gid=1215026714

ok cool thanks

Hi guys, I just thought I'd give up update.

I never upgraded to the Apollo Twin X for the converters. Instead I bought a 2nd Apollo Twin mk2 which has the Black Lion audio mod. I still have an unmodded Apollo Twin mk2 which I plan to use in my 2nd studio room here.

The black lion mod does make an improvement to the sound of the conversion but it doesn't really change it's character, it's just a tiny bit less grainy and the transients seems slightly better. The EQ response seems very similar. I don't know how it compares to the Twin X, maybe it might be similar. Overall the BLA mod is better but it's not mind blowing. I doesn't really change the overall vibe/sound of the Twin's converters, it just opens up the clarity a tiny bit, it still has the same vibe.

Although you can't hook up two Apollo Twins on the same system and quickly swap between them, I've listened to the same mix on both the unmodded Apollo Twin and the BLA modded one about 1 minute apart from each other. There is definitely a difference.

I notice it the click on the kick drum a lot more and the there is slightly more attack on the transients in particular on the hats but it is a very subtle change. It's not a huge massive change but it is better to me. There is a tiny bit more bass extension and treble extension but nothing significant. It still has that 16k roll off going on compared to some other converters. It is still dramatically darker sounding than my Apogee Duet.

The main reason I got the BLA mod was because it they add a Toslink output so you can use it with another converter. Unfortunately, the volume knob doesn't turn down the Toslink output which I thought it would given the wording on their website but it plays at full output so you'd need to run it through a converter that has a volume dial or add a monitor controller into the chain. It's not really any different to just buying the Apollo Twin x4 and using the ADAT out for monitoring except obvious the Twin is smaller.

I plan on using the Toslink output from the BLA mod to connect to an external DA. I have an external DA I was planning on using but it's a large 2ru unit which out of reach in a rack so I think I'm going to buy a small DA with a volume dial and mount it under the desk near the mix position.

It will be interesting to see how much of an improvement an external DA makes. I'm going to hook it up to a passive switch box so I can swap between the modded Apollo and the external DA. That way I can use the volume dial on the Twin when tracking and producing and I'll use the external DA when mixing and mastering.

So to summarize, the BLA mod makes an small improvement to the DA but I think you'll get a much larger change if you use the Toslink output and run it through a completely different DA. The improvements they make in the unit doesn't make it sound like a completely different DA, it still has that Apollo sound to it. If you like the Apollo converters, it will be a small upgrade without taking away anything you like about them but it's not as big of a change as using totally different converters and the overall EQ response doesn't change a lot. I don't know how it compares to the Apollo Twin X. Keep in mind that the Toslink output they add doesn't follow the volume dial on the Twin so it's not really any different to just using the ADAT output on the Apollo Twin x4 or the Apollo racks to connect to an external converter.

Black Lion do actually do a mod for the Apollo Twin X now but they don't add a Toslink output to it. Personally, the Toslink output is the best part of the mk2 mod in my opinion. In saying that, you could just add a 2nd interface with a digital output if you don't mind swapping drivers in your DAW to use with an external DA if you want to save money but given the cost of a good external DA, getting the digital out directly on the twin makes sense to me.

I'm also going to use the digital output for live steaming during the pandemic. I've bought a cheap interface with a digital input and a toslink repeater box so I should be able to send the digital out to both the DA and 2nd interface, provided the repeater box doesn't add any noticeable jitter or anything.

what about the new solo? i talked to the UAD ppl and they said the conversion on the X series is slightly better but it wont be noticeable on a home studio. i think the solo will be a good choose just for recording vocals not too many plugins i wont invest on those plugins i got the X for 720 maybe i will send it back  

I know this is an old thread... I am upgrading from the Arrow to the X6, for the DA converters and the extra processing mainly. I've enjoyed the Arrow but I am looking forward to seeing how much of a difference will be audibly noticeable (or, if any) between the units. I imagine with the better clocking, separate power supply, and better specs, it should be a noticeable difference, but hey, maybe I won't be able to tell with all the cotton in my ears and in this padded room...

It will definitely be noticable.

Enjoy.

I have been using it for a couple of weeks now. It was definitely an improvement for all conversion and amplification - Preamps, headphones, speakers... Lower noise floor, everything immediately was much easier to hear, more open, less grainy... Quite happy. I also purchased an RME ADI-2 FS, and I'll say I'm now using that for all my D to A needs. Overally quite happy with all gear now.

Excellente!!

Hello Chris,
Could you maybe tell me if there is a difference in sound between your Apollo X 6 and your RME ADI 2 DAC, I mean in terms of the DA conversion and the headphone preamp between the two? Would you say the RME sounds a little better than the Apollo X 6? Or are the differences minimal? I would be really happy if you would share your experience and thoughts here regarding this question?

Greetings Ivan

Hi Ivan,

To my ears the ADI-2 FS is head and shoulders in a different realm of headphone preamp and conversion. I was frustrated because at the time it was a try it on a whim sale purchase, and then each time i used it I became more firmly planted in how much of a difference the DAC made to the sound. If you just need 2 channels of D/A and a great headphone preamp, I'd highly recommend it as some of the best bang for the buck in that category. The eq, adjustable filters, and many other features make it indispensable for me.