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Review and Measurements of Apogee Groove DAC and Amp

xineis

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So you are using an (headphone) output which is already amplified into a 2nd amplifier?

That's like amp²!

The website said: "For Mac or PC" . It doesn't mention a compatibility with any phone or mobile OS...

But from some reports online, it does work with mobiles. Which is a great feature nowadays that phones don't come with (decent) headphone jacks anymore. If only the output impedance was lower...
 

Nango

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The website said: "For Mac or PC" . It doesn't mention a compatibility with any phone or mobile OS...
http://www.apogeedigital.com/blog/blog-how-to/improve-sound-quality-samsung-galaxy-s6

apogee-groove-samsung-s6-edge-1200x800.jpg
 

Nango

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That's like amp²!

Sometimes the circuitry does recognize whether it is an amp connected (with some KOhm) or just a headphone with few 32Ohm but I seriously doubt such a tiny portable item will be that smart/capable. It does not have to sound necessarily poor but I think it is not pure enough and to some extent "coloured".
 
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watchnerd

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Frankly speaking I really don’t know why people buy this kind of portable device since the street is reallly noisy! I would prefer to buy a noise canceling headphone like sony mdr 1000xm3.

That's not the use case at all.

The use case is you're an audio professional doing DAW work on your laptop while away from the studio.

Imagine using Pro Tools in your hotel room or maybe at a Starbucks.
 

PuX

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it will be interesting to see how AudioQuest DragonFly Red compares. I really like how it sounds and it has plenty of power but I still kind of expect it have poor measurements... edit: here's one test: https://www.stereophile.com/content...lack-usb-da-headphone-amplifiers-measurements

by the way, amirm, do you think crosstalk is an important metric? I have seen it in some other audio device reviews.
any other metrics you might ad in the future?
 
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andreasmaaan

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That's not the use case at all.

The use case is you're an audio professional doing DAW work on your laptop while away from the studio.

Imagine using Pro Tools in your hotel room or maybe at a Starbucks.

My hunch is that this market (audio professionals) is too small to account for most of these products, and also that if this were the case it would be the pro audio companies producing them.

But I do agree it's aimed at people who are sitting down somewhere and listening, in hotels rooms, etc. Audiophiles who travel basically.
 

watchnerd

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JJB70

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They seem to do special deals with headphone companies to bundle the Groove with better headphone models at pretty much give away prices, to the point that if it is a headphone you want then you'd be daft not to go for the Groove bundle. These bundles come and go but are worth watching out for. Sennheiser do them.

On the product, there is a market for stuff like this. I travel a lot and take good headphones with me and a microSD card with several hundred FLAC CDs as being able to enjoy music when I'm away from home makes the experience much nicer. I don't carry a DAP currently as I am fortunate to have a smart phone with an excellent audio output and headphone jack, but if I end up replacing that phone and the next one is minus headphone jack then something like the Groove might be very attractive.
 

wiljen

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So you are using an (headphone) output which is already amplified into a 2nd amplifier?

yes, I set the level on the Groove to be at the same 2V as line-out on any other device (same as is used for testing here) and then use it run into another amp. Pretty much all DACS have some form of op-amp in them so it is nearly impossible to not amplify the signal twice when you think about it.
 

Timbo2

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Everything that is wrong about music 'production' these days. This dopey looking clown's woollen beanie is half over his ears.

Do you actually have to listen or do you just push every slider to maximum to make the loudest and most compressed mix possible?
 
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