Universal Audio Apollo X4 Gen2 Essentials+

Sound quality has been improved compared to previous models, no complaints about that area. Headphone amp has also been improved but it's still not at same quality level with other parts of this interface. Easily replaced with outboard unit so it's not a big deal. After few months use still no regrets about this purchase. I'm not big fan of UAD plugins but even without those this interface is worth to consider.

A high-standard studio interface with great sound and virtually no latency. I bought the Apollo for my home studio after undergoing weeks of research and several blind tests comparing it to Focusrite Scarlett and similar. Sound is superb, build and features everything they say it is.

A few words on getting started. The installation process can be a matter of a whole day. Download of software exceeds 10GB and you'd better have a highspeed flatrate wlan at the ready. Furthermore, if using a silicon valley mac M1 or higher, you might have to deactivate your firewall while installing because otherwise the installer will pause midway and then fail. The reboot security process is quite easy even for amateurs in programming, and online installation guides are fairly helpful although they do lack in detail )at the time of this review). Real-person customer support will take another day or two to get back to your help request if you are having issues.

It has been mentioned, but I understand they do not include a thunderbolt cable in the bundle because not all customers would require that same cable. Keep in mind to have one at the ready, and only a thunderbolt 3 or 4+ (not usb-c!) will do the trick. To purchase an extra iLok usb device will be necessary if you want to use all the plug-ins etc while working offline. Talk about Plug-ins, every single UAD plug-in out there will be listed into your DAW asking you to start trial or buy the product when clicked, which some may appreciate and others not so much.

1 month in at the point of review, because of the abundance of possibilities there is a learning curve to handling the UAD control panel, and reaching a point of actually getting into a state of workflow takes time depending on where you start out from. It's definnitely not plug-and-play right away, but a real joy for recording after the initial hurdles. If you have the funds, it's a recommend!

Bem existem muito debates sobre interfaces áudio, esta é a minha 3 Apollo, melhorou em praticamente tudo, mas o que a UAD Apollo tem que os outros não conseguem ter é workflow, simplesmente a melhor nesse requisito, se começar a utilizar a LUNA o workflow é incrível, tudo directo no DAW, latencia inexistente em um m1… se quiser um conversor AD/DA posso associar mais tarde via SPDIF… altamente recomendado!

Je disposais d'une interface Antelope Synergy Core, mais j'en avais un peu ma claque de leur software bâclé.

Il me fallait une interface en thunderbolt 3, pour agrémenter un Mac Studio. Je ne regrette pas mon choix, malgré un tarif très élevé il faut l'avouer.

La possibilité d'intégrer une calibration d'écoute en DSP grâce à Sonarworks a fait plier ma décision.

Enfin, l'empaquetage et la livraison Thomann étaient impeccables, chose que je ne pourrais pas dire chez la concurrence...