Universal Audio Apollo Twin Duo (USB)

I bought this audio interface as a replacement for a Focusrite Scarlett i818 2nd Gen. I was experiencing driver issues with the Scarlett in Windows 10 and it was causing my new PC build to blue screen. Having tested this Universal Audio Apollo Twin Interface for a couple of days, the first thing I noticed was the excellent build quality - doesn't feel cheap , flimsy or hollow - everything about it, from input connections to the layout of the interface boasts top quality. It's also heavy!

The interface contains processors built in, so you can use Universal Audio's high quality plug-ins without taxing the processing power of your computer. Typically, their interfaces are connected via Thunderbolt, a format which is BARELY supported for Microsoft Windows users, and as such this iteration of the Apollo Twin is designed with Windows users in mind via the USB 3/USB 3.1 1st gen connection.

There is one negative note as a result of the USB/Windows function, and it is potentially a biggy depending on your audio orientation so take heed: before I bought this, I had seen a number of people have had issues when recording audio at higher sample rates in their DAW using this interface. Recording audio at any sample rate above 44.1Khz (CD Quality) causes artifacts, pops, clicks and distortions to appear in their audio. I had hoped that the people reporting this had just been unlucky because I REALLY WANTED this interface, so I bought it anyway, but unfortunately I had no such luck and sure enough the problem with pops and clicks happened to me also. Universal Audio make no 'Official' mention of this problem but on their user forum, one guy had said that upon experiencing the issue, he called the retailer he bought the interface from, who in turn called up Universal Audio directly and the word from them is that it is a driver related issue to do with Windows 10. That particular post was a couple of years old, and now in 2020, clearly Universal Audio still have yet to release a driver that fixes the issue. All this said, given that we are now in the digital age where audio files are being compressed and audio quality is being sacrificed for convenience anyway, I am personally thinking that not being able to record at higher sample rates with this device doesn't bother me or matter, especially as most audio files get eventually put back to 44.1KHZ for mass consumption. In short, it depends on how audiophile you choose to be, but most people won't hear the difference between 44.1KHZ and anything higher. With this in mind, I'm keeping my Apollo Twin USB, simply because of it's quality and the vast difference that Universal Audio plugins can make on ones tracks -and as it stands, I think this is the only Universal Audio Interface that is compatible with Windows via USB. If there comes a day when I need to record in higher sample rates, then I will consider buying a different interface at that time. Please note, you have to have a USB 3 connection on your current Motherboard; this may change, but Universal Audio have said that having PCI card adapters for USB 3 is not supported - so you have to have the real deal, unfortunately.

Anyway, I love this thing, I'm keeping it until I need higher sample rates.
Hope this (long-winded) review helps!

I bought this soundcard a few months ago and the only thing that I can say is that the sound experience is unbelievable!!! 5 stars

Excellent product. Top Quality. Uad, a great company with excellent support. They helped and guide me to resolve some issues with plugins.
Music store representatives were also very helpful and straightforward.