Apogee Symphony I/O

Next Generation Sound Quality

Simply the best sounding interface Apogee has ever made

The culmination of 25 years of Apogee's design excellence and experience
Next generation converter quality
Refined and updated circuitry with fewer, more advanced components:

Less components means a shorter audio path and more recording clarity and transparency
Lower converter latency
More efficient power distribution
Enhanced C777 clocking performance

"Sound Amazing" remixed and remastered
Optional mic preamp module
Front panel control of headphone and output levels

Symphony I/O, the highest end

Symphony I/O builds upon the award-winning design approaches of Apogee’s X-Series* and Rosetta Series converters*, the Big Ben master clock and the Trak2 mic preamps. It also refines and updates these proven designs with fewer but more advanced components while optimizing their performance with efficient power distribution. These enhancements allow audio to travel through less circuitry, offering lower converter latency, more accurate clocking and even more transparency and clarity in your recordings.

*As of July 2010, Symphony I/O will replace AD-16X, DA-16X and Rosetta 800

Analog design, the cornerstone of Apogee quality

Apogee's engineers do not merely rely on specs and data sheets when selecting converter components, they listen. Each component is auditioned and carefully selected to best reflect the characteristics of the Apogee sound. Symphony I/O’s audio path design is elegant and efficient, incorporating the most advanced opamps that offer better performance than multiple parts used in previous designs.

This design improvement minimizes the audio path circuitry and maximizes sound quality. And in the tradition of the X-Series and Rosetta series, the entire audio path is DC coupled, resulting in ultra flat frequency response and extremely low phase error.

Total Flexibility: Symphony I/O is built to grow with your studio

Symphony I/O is an audio hardware platform, designed to deliver the most advanced recording technology available and the flexibility, scalability, and longevity required to power the modern studio. Modular I/O design, total software control, and direct connection to all popular DAWs make Symphony I/O a long-term sound investment.

What makes Symphony I/O a great choice for your studio now and for years to come:

Flexible design architecture with a base unit and two I/O module slots
Up to 32 channels of I/O per unit
Future proof connectivity with PCI, USB, Ethernet and all popular digital formats
Compatibility with Logic, Pro Tools HD, Pro Tools LE and any Core Audio driven application
Total software control of Symphony I/O with Maestro

Audio Interface Mode (AIM)

AIM for Complete Compatibility

With a simple adjustment using the front panel encoder knobs, AIM transforms Symphony I/O into an interface optimized for the mode that’s been selected.

Modes:

Symphony PCI
Pro Tools HD PCI
USB Audio
StandAlone

Symphony I/O’s Audio Interface Modes (AIM)

Symphony I/O makes it easy to select an audio mode by a simple front panel adjustment

With a 2 step adjustment using a single front panel encoder knob, AIM transforms Symphony I/O into an interface optimized for the most popular audio workstation environments. This feature allows users of Logic and Pro Tools HD for example, to easily switch back and forth between the two DAWs with the click of a knob and swap of a cable. If USB is your preferred mode, connecting to Core Audio compatible apps like Digital Performer and Cubase is just as easy. And StandAlone mode calibrates Symphony I/O for simple and direct routing ideal for a variety of uses and applications including Pro Tools LE or Pro Tools M-Powered.

Simply Switch

Move between Symphony/Logic and Pro Tools HD on one workstation with ease and without compromise

Step up to a world that embraces Logic, Mac Based workstations and Pro Tools HD. Whatever platform you choose to work with the audio quality will Sound Amazing.

The Symphony I/O PC-32 connector connects directly to a Symphony 64 card or a Pro Tools HD card. When using a Logic Studio Mac based system, latency is below 1.8ms.

Logic and Pro Tools made easy.

Simply switch the connection from Symphony I/O to your installed Symphony 64 card or Pro Tools card and select the desired Audio Interface Mode

I/O Modules

The Magic is in the Modules

The I/O Modules are the sound and soul of Symphony I/O, and represent 25 years of Apogee R&D and design excellence. These powerful Modules deliver Apogee’s core competency, superior sounding digital audio recording. With 5 available I/O Modules, you can choose from standard configurations or customize the following: channel count, analog to digital input, digital to analog output, mic preamps and digital I/O. You compose your Symphony I/O.

Highlights:

The culmination of 25 years of Apogee’s digital recording technology
The most advanced AD/DA conversion available
5 I/O Modules to choose from
8 channel mic preamp module with 4 instrument inputs and 8 inserts points

8 Analog I/O + 8 AES I/O

8 channels of Analog I/O and up to 8 channels of Digital I/O simultaneously

Symphony I/O Module 8 Analog I/O + 8 Optical I/O

INPUTS

Analog IN: 8 balanced channels, DSUB 25-pin connector
AES-EBU IN: 8 balanced channels, DSUB 25-pin connector (192k single wide compatible)
Coax IN: Supports SPDIF on 1 RCA connector

OUTPUTS

Analog OUT: 8 balanced channels, DSUB 25-pin connector
S-EBU OUT: 8 balanced channels, DSUB 25-pin connector (192k single wide compatible)
Coax OUT: Supports SPDIF on 1 RCA connector

8 Analog I/O + 8 Optical I/O

8 channels of Analog I/O and up to 8 channels of Digital I/O simultaneously

Symphony I/O Module 8 Analog I/O + 8 Optical I/O

INPUTS

Analog IN: 8 balanced, DSUB 25-pin connector
Optical IN: Supports ADAT, SMUX & SPDIF on 1 Toslink connector

ADAT: 8 channels 44.1-48 kHz
SMUX: 8 channels, 88.2-96 kHz over 2 Toslink connectors
SPDIF: 2 channels up to 192 kHz

Coax IN: Supports SPDIF on 1 RCA connector

OUTPUTS

Analog OUT: 8 balanced, DSUB 25-pin connector
Optical OUT: Supports ADAT, SMUX & SPDIF on 1 Toslink connector

ADAT: 8 channels 44.1-48 kHz
SMUX: 4 channels, 88.2-96 kHz
SPDIF: 2 channels up to 192 kHz

Coax OUT: Supports SPDIF on 1 RCA connector

16 Analog IN + 16 Optical OUT

16 channels of Analog INPUT and up to 16 channels of Digital OUTPUT simultaneously

Symphony I/O Module 8 Analog I/O + 8 Optical I/O

INPUT

Analog IN: 16 balanced inputs, 2 DSUB 25-pin connectors

Coax IN: Supports SPDIF on 1 RCA connector

OUTPUTS

Optical OUT: Supports ADAT, SMUX & SPDIF on 1 Toslink connector

ADAT: 16 channels 44.1-48 kHz
SMUX: 8 channels 88.2-96 kHz
SPDIF: 4 channels up to 192 kHz

Coax OUT: Supports SPDIF on 1 RCA connector

16 Analog OUT + 16 Optical IN Module

16 channels of Analog OUTPUT and up to 16 channels of Digital INPUT simultaneously

Symphony I/O Module 8 Analog I/O + 8 Optical I/O

INPUTS

Optical: Supports ADAT, SMUX & SPDIF on 1 Toslink connector

ADAT: 16 channels 44.1-48 kHz
SMUX: 8 channels 88.2-96 kHz
SPDIF: 4 channels up to 192 kHz

Coax: Supports SPDIF on 1 RCA connector

OUTPUTS

Analog OUT: 16 balanced outputs, 2 DSUB 25-pin connectors
Optical: Supports ADAT, SMUX & SPDIF on 1 Toslink connector

ADAT: 16 channels 44.1-48 kHz
SMUX: 8 channels 88.2-96 kHz
SPDIF: 4 channels up to 192 kHz

Coax: Supports SPDIF on 1 RCA connector

8 Mic Preamp Module

8 Mic preamps with 4 instrument inputs and 8 insert points

Symphony I/O Module 8 Analog I/O + 8 Optical I/O

MIC PREAMPS

8 digitally controlled, 85dB microphone preamps
Upgrades functionality of Analog I/O Module by adding mic preamps to the existing line inputs
Creates a direct connection between the Mic Preamp Module and the Analog I/O Module by inserting a mic preamp stage before the line inputs

INPUTS

4 Hi-Z 1/4” instrument inputs capable of handling high level instruments

INSERTS

8 fully balanced insert points
Send 1-8 and Return 1-8 on 2 DSUB 25-pin connectors

How does the 8 Mic Preamp Module work?

The Mic Preamp Module upgrades the functionality of any Analog I/O Module by adding mic preamps to the existing line inputs.
A direct connection between the Mic Preamp Module and the Analog I/O Module inserts a mic preamp stage before the line inputs