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- UNIVERSAL AUDIO APOLLO X8P PATCH
- UNIVERSAL AUDIO APOLLO X8P UPGRADE
- UNIVERSAL AUDIO APOLLO X8P PRO
- UNIVERSAL AUDIO APOLLO X8P PROFESSIONAL
One of the flagship features in the new Apollos is the upgrade in DSP via the inclusion of six cores ("HEXA Core") – all flavors of Apollo now come with this bump in processing power.
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Using this setup (with other USB peripherals attached to the dock) keeps my studio desktop Marie Kondo-approved – I have a single Thunderbolt 3 cable to plug into my Mac which provides instant, full-throughput, low-latency connections to the interfaces and other studio knick-knacks all while providing power to the laptop. I attached my Apollo Twin MkII directly to the second Thunderbolt 3 port on the x8p via the Apple Thunderbolt 2-to-3 adapter as mentioned above – everything was immediately recognized by the Console app, and I was on my way to the requisite out-of-the-box firmware upgrade, which was applied with nary a hiccup.
UNIVERSAL AUDIO APOLLO X8P PRO
I tested the x8p with a 2017 MacBook Pro and a TS3 Plus Thunderbolt 3 dock from CalDigit. Thunderbolt 3 has twice the throughput of Thunderbolt 2, and (on the Apple side of the fence at least) is backward-compatible with Thunderbolt 2 devices (provided you have Apple's ridiculously pricy adapter dongle or a compatible dock). The new Apollos are now Thunderbolt 3 enabled, which is again a welcome sight for anyone who has purchased a computer over the last few years – as Thunderbolt 2 has been retired (primarily on Mac hardware) in favor of Thunderbolt 3.
UNIVERSAL AUDIO APOLLO X8P PATCH
In contrast, the addition of the DB25 patch points on the new x8p is a welcome sight and makes it so much easier to wire up to my D-sub patchbays. The 8p also sported the eight line outputs on TRS jacks, two of which were dedicated to the monitor path. The older 8p combined the line and mic inputs on one combo jack per input (although perhaps not patchbay friendly, that is still an option for the x8p if desired). The first significant physical change to the back panel is the presence of two DB25 connectors – one each for line outputs 1-8 and line inputs 1-8.
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Like the 8p, the x8p also features four ADAT (S/MUX) optical ports (two in and two out). Like the 8p, this particular rocket ship veers towards live tracking, with eight XLR combo jacks, two front panel Hi-Z TS inputs, and TRS monitor outputs. Let's start with the I/O – of the four available new X-flavors of rack-mount Apollos, we're looking at the x8p variant, which is a direct replacement for the previous-generation 8p. Specs are specs, of course, but add up all of the additional features and refinements made to this third generation of Apollos, and you have a pretty compelling reason to, I don't know, skip a mortgage payment or two in favor of a studio upgrade.
UNIVERSAL AUDIO APOLLO X8P PROFESSIONAL
The Apollo range, initially taking flight in (what seems like prehistoric) 2012, has made a considerable impression in professional and project studios across the globe, leading the industry with a price-to-performance ratio that is unparalleled.Īlthough other manufacturers have, on occasion, inched ahead of Universal Audio in the spec space race, the Apollo Xs have come roaring back, with dynamic range figures that are stellar at this (or any) price point – Apollo x8p boasts 129 dB of dynamic range, with signal-to-noise spec'd at -119 dB THD+N. The latest trio of Apollo X generation interfaces is no exception to this principle. We could probably end this review right there, and most existing Universal Audio/UAD users would get the point: the release cycle from this company is nothing if not consistent in its ability to disengage one's better judgment from, ahem, sympathetic management of one's wallet.