Why most Apollo interfaces are useless..

[AndreD]

Why most Apollo interfaces are useless.. (At least to me):

I have no idea, why product designers think, that you can design a useful audio interface with just one headphone out.
To me, it makes no sense at all. Sure, there might be the one or other user out there, who is always recording and listening alone, but I guess, thats not the normal use case.

So having the smallest Apollo (that would be perfectly fine for me) I would need an external headphone amp just to drive the 2nd headphone.
And, I would have to upgrade to the 4x, just to get the essential 2nd headphone out in one case. This makes zero sense!
I would be happy with just one very good mic pre, but I cannot do anything without a 2nd headphone out.

So, maybe UA is listening and the next twin and solo will receive the very important 2nd headphone out!

 

[Joe Porto]

 

[AndreD]

Well, this is not an option..
Cannot be used with different headphones and the level might be to low..

 

[JohnR1]

If you only need 1 cue mix and budget conscious there are a lot of headphone distro/amps out there e.g. Behringer MicroAMP HA400 4-ch
If you need separate cue mixes there are a number of other budget conscious or used interfaces with 2 headphone outs on separate cue busses.
The sacrifice is losing ARM and UAD-2 DSP for tracking, but you can still use UA plugins via UA Connect/UADx for post processing or mixing.

 

[drjamesh]

Here you go...now you and your three friends/Bandmates can be happy...and you can all dance together to your beautiful music! LZSIG Headphone Amplifier 4 Channel Metal Stereo Audio Amplifier,Mini Earphone Splitter with Power Adapter,1/4" & 1/8" TRS Headphones Output and TRS Audio Input for Sound Mixer,DC 12V-LHA1

 

[Joe Porto]

Well, this is not an option..
Cannot be used with different headphones and the level might be to low..

I know. I was responding in kind to the absurdity of the title of your post.

 

[klasaine]

Only level options but it’s only 40 bucks.

 

[AndreD]

But still makes no sense to build an audio interface with just one headphone out..
Are they really thinking, twin and solo users just sitting alone in their studio and recording themself??
Its just a very stupid product design decision to me and the reason why I am not already owning a solo to twin..

 

[rodd]

I guess if the number of headphone outputs is your #1 requirement then the Twin is not for you. You will probably have to compromise in other areas with different interfaces though, there is not a single interface that does what everyone could ever want.

 

[hotspot]

I think there are enough people out there who use the little Apollos for themselves and only themselves. That will probably even be the vast majority. There are solutions for everyone else, you just have to make use of them.

 

[exoslime]

Why most Apollo interfaces...

you are wrong, most apollo interfaces have 2 headphones out, only the minority has one headphone out
you may have overlooked the whole range of rackmounted apollos

 

[Mengelking]

Didn’t Finneas and Billie make some demos and somewhat successful music on a twin? I bet they worked around the glaring oversight of one hp out…

 

[AndreD]

you are wrong, most apollo interfaces have 2 headphones out, only the minority has one headphone out
you may have overlooked the whole range of rackmounted apollos

Which makes even less sense!
If there is a rack, its super easy to use any external headphone amp out there!

But on the go, even bus powered??
Are the product designers really thinking that mobile location recording or recording on the go is a one man show???
I just cannot get this! No sense at all!

 

[hotspot]

No sense at all

This thread title really makes no sense at all. But nice click catcher, I'll give you that.

 

[AndreD]

This thread title really makes no sense at all. But nice click catcher, I'll give you that.

Yes, because I would be really happy with a solo or twin that has 2 hp outs..
I stoped studio work a few years ago, but from to time I love to do recording, mixing and mastering on the go..
A bus powered solo with 2 hp outs would just be SO PERFECT!

 

[hotspot]

A bus powered solo with 2 hp outs would just be SO PERFECT!

And that would also be a perfect thread title

 

[AndreD]

And that would also be a perfect thread title

Its more, its an essential design failure!
Unless you are an alone working mixing or mastering engineer or you are recording nothing but yourself alone it may work.
Having a beautiful twin or solo but then the need to clutter it with more cables a cheap headphone amp, wall power plug etc just to record with somebody.. (Which should be the main use of this devices, shouldn't it?!)
Its just useless like this..

 

[klasaine]

Yes, and it's been a (ridiculously successful) design "failure" for going on like 12 years now. Obviously it's not suiting your work flow. That's cool. That's why there's more than one recording interface company. Find and use the tool that does the job you need it to do.

 

[hotspot]

Its more, its an essential design failure!

I very much doubt that. It's a very clear cost/benefit decision to keep the costs tight for a large market.
There are rack interfaces for all the people who work with others in the studio.
And are their two HP outputs enough?
No, they don't.
I have an extra 8 channel HP amp to have enough HP outputs.
Would I ever have the strange idea of expecting 8 HP outputs on a Rack Apollo? Never in my life.

 

[AndreD]

Yes, and it's been a (ridiculously successful) design "failure" for going on like 12 years now. Obviously it's not suiting your work flow. That's cool. That's why there's more than one recording interface company. Find and use the tool that does the job you need it to do.

Well, as said.
For the solo and twin, just self recorder or alone working engineers..
Or having clutter with external hp amp, more cables, wall plug, etc..
This IS a design failure..
And as a Luna user, my first choice would be an Apollo interface..