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The world of digital audio might look incredibly different without the decades of work done by Apogee. Since 1985, the company has constantly found ways to invent, improve, and future-proof its wide array of interfaces, mics, and plug-ins. Their flagship model, the Symphony I/O MKII, is a testament to that constant innovation.
But say you were looking to get a Symphony interface for yourself. You go onto Vintage King’s website, and you see many product listings for the Apogee Symphony, all with different specs and prices. It’s understandable if you’re a bit confused, but fear not. In this buyer’s guide, we’ll explain why there are so many variations of the Symphony interface available, and why there is almost certainly the perfect one for you out there.
As the world of digital audio came to life in the 1980s, Betty Bennett, Bruce Jackson, and Christof Heidelberger started Apogee to figure out solutions to some of the new medium’s early quirks. Naturally, the company became incredibly popular and earned a reputation for innovation and dedication to improving digital audio.
The 2000s were especially eventful for Apogee as it introduced the world to game-changing marvels like the Trak 2 converter/preamp and Big Ben master clock. In 2010, the first version of the Symphony hit the market, featuring an impressive 32 channels of I/O, eight onboard microphone preamps, and connectivity for both Pro Tools and Thunderbolt. The fact that those features still sound pretty impressive 14 years later says a lot about the interface’s innovation, reliability, and staying power over the years.
In 2016, the Symphony MKII was launched, improving upon the original model’s already-great specs to bring it up-to-speed with the latest tech. The MKII had another update in 2023, ensuring that the interface is ready for Primetime for years to come.
With that, let’s get into the current version of the Apogee Symphony MKII.
The current Symphony MKII has a few key differences from its predecessors, chief among them being the improved D/A and A/D conversion technology. Apogee wanted to keep the Symphony’s capabilities up to speed with the latest and greatest technology. The result is some of the most transparent and efficient A/D and D/A conversion on the market.
The second big difference is the overhauled Apogee Symphony Control Software, which now supports immersive audio formats like Dolby Atmos. Users can control and customize up to 32 speakers at once for instantly swapping between stereo, 5.1, 7.1.4, and any other setup, as well as calibrate individual channels, set output monitor levels, and more.
Other features include ultra-low latency even during high-bandwidth projects, an intuitive touchscreen for easy and responsive controls, and an improved ventilation design. And of course, the unit can handle up to 32 Channels of modular analog I/O with ease.
Now that the base is established, let’s get to why the Symphony is so used and loved: The bountiful customization options.
Looking at the Symphony’s back panel reveals spots for two modules and card options, which are the key to the Symphony’s unmatched versatility. Not only can you customize your Symphony to be perfectly calibrated for your preferred setup, but you can also swap any of the custom areas out for something different if you ever want to try something new.
With that, here are the custom options for cards and modules you have at your disposal.
The first input option available on the Symphony is the Thunderbolt Option Card, which offers two Thunderbolt 2 inputs for Mac computers. This option is ideal for running high-powered sessions via Logic Pro, Pro Tools, or any other native DAW, capable of up to 64 channels of simultaneous IO. The proprietary Thunderbolt driver also achieves a speedy 1.35ms latency round-trip.
If you want something other than Thunderbolt inputs, the Symphony also supports a Pro Tools Plus card option, made for multichannel recording on Pro Tools at an impressive cost-per-channel value. This card connects up to 32 channels directly to any software in the Pro Tools HD family, including HDX, HD Native, and more. For even more inputs, you can also connect up to six Symphony interfaces to one Pro Tools rig.
Finally, there’s also the Dante Option Card to upgrade your Pro Tools Plus card to the Pro Tools HD Dante, which adds 32 channels of Dante connectivity. We’ve covered Dante at length in the past, but for those unfamiliar, the biggest benefit of Dante is that it lets you set up and control complex audio setups via Ethernet — ideal for growing studios or connecting signals across different rooms without drowning in wires. For navigating these different routing options, the Symphony's touch-screen display lets you switch between routing directly to your Dante network or to Pro Tools in between Dante.
Next up are the two input modules on the Symphony, which you can mix and match between three setups.
The 2x6 SE module comes with the most IO options for large studio sessions. Along with two mastering-grade line inputs and six outputs, you also get stereo AES inputs and outputs, eight channels of optical IO (ADAT, SPDIF, SMUX), and stereo SPDIF inputs.
For those looking to prioritize line inputs, the 16x16 SE is a natural choice. As the name suggests, this module offers a full 16 line inputs and outputs, with up to 128 dB of dynamic range across both directions, as well as stereo SPDIF inputs and outputs.
Last but not least, the Connect8 module brings state-of-the-art mic preamps into the mix for its eight mic line inputs and outputs, giving you up to 72 dB of preamp gain with Advanced Stepped Gain Architecture. There are also eight AES/Optical IOs and SPDIF inputs for even more flexibility.
Long story short: There is very likely a version of the Apogee Symphony out there that perfectly suits your recording and monitoring needs. And if those needs change for whatever reason, then the Symphony can change too!
The last piece of the Symphony puzzle isn’t another upgrade or module, but an incredibly powerful USB audio interface. Whether you’re looking for a way to bring the Symphony’s high-quality recording prowess on the road or just prefer the convenience and user-friendliness of USB interfaces, the Symphony Desktop is your answer.
While it isn’t customizable like the MKII, the Symphony Desktop packs several of the original’s key features into a compact USB interface, including the same high-end DA/AD converters, a responsive touchscreen, and Symphony Desktop Control support. But the Symphony Desktop also brings plenty of its own specs to the table that make it one of the most versatile USB audio interfaces out there, including a built-in DSP, lifelike preamp emulators modeled after the iconic Neve 1066 and Ampex 601, and a comprehensive suite of Apogee native FX plugins.
And of course, the Desktop lives up to the Symphony title by offering a ton of input options. Along with the two mic/line inputs and dedicated Hi-Z input, the Symphony Desktop also has two Optical Toslink ports for expanding your setup further with digital inputs.
Between the Desktop and mainline model, there definitely is a version of Apogee's Symphony that will best suit your needs. Check out the wide selection of Symphony interfaces already available at Vintage King.
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