Recording - October 2016 - 26

&
and the two aforementioned Thunderbolt
ports. That is because all connections are
made based on you choice of input modules that will fill one or both of the rear
expansion slots on the unit. The MKII unit
is backward compatible with all MKI modules, two of which are still in production
and offered in base configurations with
the new MKII. Those are the 2x6 I/O
module and the 8-channel microphone
preamp module (which I reviewed back in
my original MKI review). There are two
new modules, an 8x8 I/O module and a
16x16 I/O module; each of these features newly upgraded converters.
There is also a third slot for networking. Right now it lets you use Apogee's
HD Option Card for use with Pro Tools
HD. Future connectivity options are on
the way, including Waves Soundgrid,
which is supposedly coming right
around the corner.

set of sessions, and the fan never made
its presence known once. One of the
touchscreen pages is a Dynamic
Temperature Control page that shows the
fan speed, temperature, and more.
The internal functionality of the new
MKII has been subtly expanded as well.
Taking a page from the Ensemble MKII,
the Symphony I/O MKII can now also
function as a monitor controller. Outputs
can be configured as speaker outputs
complete with mute, dim and mono, all
on their own touchscreen page. About
the only thing missing is a built-in talkback mic (the Ensemble MKII has one).

In use
In my studio I use a 16x16 MKI unit,
so it made sense for Apogee to send
me a MKII loaded with the new 16x16
module. Set up took under five minutes,
including the firmware update, and only
another two or three minutes to swap
out my DB25 cables to my patchbay.
My studio sessions kept running smoothly without missing a beat. Beyond
sound, one other major reason I
switched to Apogee for my studio was
the product line's rock-solid Mac drivers,
and the new MKII is no different.
Maestro looks and functions exactly the
same as it did before.
I think you can tell already that I am a
huge fan of the new touch screen. It is
easy to use, full featured and detailed.
Another upgrade that's made me a huge
fan is, well, the fan!
There is only one issue I have had in
the past few years with my original MKI:
when my studio inevitably heats up, due
to my tube gear and and other heatgenerating hardware, the Symphony
I/O's fan can get quite loud as it cools
the unit. I am talking "computer CPU fan
loud", not "air conditioner loud", but it
could still cause occasional hassles when
tracking quiet sources in my control room.
Not so with the new fan system in the
MKII. I purposely left my tube gear and
the MKII on overnight during a two-day

new MKII cards, on both the A/D and
D/A sides. The sound is a hair tighter in
the lows, and a touch more dimensional
and open on top.
Having said that, it's a very subtle difference, not a night-and-day thing. It's not as
big a jump as going from the original purple Symphony System up to the Symphony
I/O was, and it does widen the gap
slightly between the latest Ensemble MKII
and the Symphony I/O lineup.

RECORDING OCTOBER 2016

Sound
The most important part of the new
Symphony I/O MKII is of course, "How
does it sound?" There is definitely a
slight boost in audio quality between the
older Symphony I/O's cards and the

Conclusions
This is a great upgrade for a number
of reasons. First there's the great sound,
of course. Second is the improved function set. Third is the killer touchscreen,
and fourth (and icing on the cake) is that
it is backward compatible with older
Symphony I/O modules.
I love my original Symphony I/O. It
still sounds great and does a killer job
as the centerpiece of my studio. Alas, I'd
be lying if I told you that I wasn't
already planning, plotting, and scheming to upgrade sometime in the not-toodistant future.
Prices: vary by configuration. $1695
for chassis alone, $3295 with new 8x8
card, $4295 with new 16x16 card
More from: Apogee,
www.apogeedigital.com

http://www.t-funk.com http://www.apogeedigital.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - October 2016