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Apogee Groove USB DAC/headphone amplifier

Item # 903GROOVE

No matter what music sources you listen to on your computer — iTunes®, Spotify®, YouTube®, or...

No matter what music sources you listen to on your computer — iTunes®, Spotify®, YouTube®, or...

1 question - 1 answer

Item # 903GROOVE

Shop all Apogee DACs

About the Apogee Groove

Dave Bar

A portable DAC with a big sonic punch

No matter what music sources you listen to on your computer — iTunes®, Spotify®, YouTube®, or downloaded high-res audio files — the Apogee Groove can make them all sound their best. Simply plug it into an open USB port and the Groove takes the place of the sound processor inside your PC, reproducing your tunes with greater precision and accuracy. You'll hear rich, involving sound with taut, tuneful bass and silky, extended highs. The Groove's built-in headphone amp will power your 'phones to satisfying levels without distortion. Its Constant Current Drive™ output stage ensures smooth, linear frequency response whether you're listening through earbuds or your best high-end cans.
Apogee Groove DAC

Give your music and your headphones a huge sonic boost with the Apogee Groove.

A portable DAC with a big sonic punch

No matter what music sources you listen to on your computer — iTunes®, Spotify®, YouTube®, or downloaded high-res audio files — the Apogee Groove can make them all sound their best. Simply plug it into an open USB port and the Groove takes the place of the sound processor inside your PC, reproducing your tunes with greater precision and accuracy. You'll hear rich, involving sound with taut, tuneful bass and silky, extended highs. The Groove's built-in headphone amp will power your 'phones to satisfying levels without distortion. Its Constant Current Drive™ output stage ensures smooth, linear frequency response whether you're listening through earbuds or your best high-end cans.

Crafted with care for better sound

Renowned as an innovator and industry leader in digital audio recording, Apogee carefully builds each Groove right here in the USA to the same exacting standards as their studio gear, so you can count on your music sounding its best. The Groove's durable aluminum case comes packed with the highest-quality components, including an audiophile-grade ESS Sabre™ DAC with jitter-eliminating circuitry to extract clearer, low-distortion sound from your computer music sources. Apogee also employs a Quad Sum DAC™ design that combines the Sabre's eight internal DACs into a two-channel mode with four digital-to-analog converters per channel to give your music the highest possible dynamic range. 


High-res audio

Enjoy high-resolution audio

Along with all the sonic benefits the Groove provides for your compressed and CD-quality music files, it also has another trick up its sleeve — it decodes high-resolution audio streams of up to 24-bit/192kHz resolution, so you can enjoy better-than-CD sound. (There's a free USB driver download you'll need for Windows® PCs.) If you download high-res music files from HDtracks and other audiophile sources, this DAC ensures that you'll hear them in all their glory.

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Product highlights:

  • ESS Sabre32 32-bit Hyperstream digital-to-analog converter with Time Domain Jitter Eliminator
  • supports sample rates up to 24-bit/192kHz for listening to high-resolution digital music sources
  • asynchronous USB technology for reduced timing jitter and better sound with computer audio sources
  • Quad Sum DAC design uses four digital-to-analog converters per channel for high dynamic range and low distortion
  • Constant Current Drive output stage provides smooth, linear frequency response with any headphones
  • micro USB input for connection to a computer (USB adapter cable included)
  • powered by USB connection no need for external power supply
  • built-in top-panel volume control
  • 3.5mm stereo minijack provides variable-level headphone and line-level output
  • compatible with headphones up to 600 ohms
  • premium aluminum construction for added durability
  • compatible with Mac® and PC
  • USB Audio 2.0 Windows driver required for playback on a PC (free download available from Apogee website)
  • soft carrying pouch and micro USB (type-B) to USB (type-A) cable included
  • 1-3/16"W x 11/16"H x 3-3/4"D
  • warranty: 1 year
  • MFR # Groove

What's in the box:

  • Headphone Amp/DAC
  • 13" microUSB-to-USB cable
  • Drawstring pouch
  • Product booklet

Customer reviews for Apogee Groove

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More details on the Apogee Groove

Mark G.

Features & specs

Design
Type ---
Built-in Rechargable Battery ---
Built-in Headphone Amplifier
Output Power ---
Output Impedance (Unbalanced) ---
Output Impedance (Balanced) ---
Audio Specs
Bit Depth (USB) 24
Max Sampling Rate (USB) 192 kHz
Bit Depth (S/PDIF) ---
Max Sampling Rate S/PDIF ---
S/N Ratio (Unbalanced, in dB) ---
S/N Ratio (Balanced, in dB) ---
THD (Unbalanced) ---
THD (Balanced) 107%
Supported File Types
PCM ---
DSD ---
DXD ---
MQA ---
Inputs
Total Inputs 1
USB Micro-B
Optical Digital None
Coaxial Digital None
3.5mm Digital None
Stereo RCA Analog None
Stereo 3.5mm Analog None
Stereo XLR Analog ---
Headphone Outputs
3.5mm Unbalanced ---
1/4-inch Unbalanced ---
4.4mm Balanced ---
XLR4 Balanced ---
Other Headphone Outs ---
Line Level & Digital Outs
RCA Line Out None
3.5mm Line Out None
XLR Line Out ---
Subwoofer Out None
Optical Digital Out None
Coaxial Digital Out None
Wireless Connectivity
Bluetooth ---
Wi-Fi ---
Apple-compatible ---
Android-compatible ---
General Info
Width (inches) 1-3/16
Height (inches) 0-11/16
Depth (inches) 3-3/4
Weight 2 lbs.
Parts Warranty 1 Year
Labor Warranty 1 Year

Product Research

Features

USB-DAC & Headphone Amp: The Apogee Groove is a portable USB-DAC and headphone amp for listening to music on your Windows PC or Mac computer. The Apogee Groove takes the same high quality audio technology found in the world's most prestigious recording studios and delivers it to your laptop or desktop computer. You'll be amazed by the difference in sound quality; the precise stereo image, punchy bass, and stunningly clear highs.

Note: Your computer has a DAC and headphone jack built-in, however without a high-quality external DAC and headphone amp like the Groove, you will miss out on much of the subtlety, detail and dimension of music you listen to - regardless of what headphones or speakers you use.

Quad Sum ESS Sabre DAC Technology: The Apogee Groove features a Quad Sum DAC design which employs four ESS DACs per channel to achieve the highest dynamic range and lowest distortion (THD+N) of any device in its class. The Groove employs ESS Sabre32 32-bit Hyperstream DAC technology with Time Domain Jitter Eliminator to offer unequaled dynamic range, ultra-low distortion, and unmatched audio clarity free from input jitter. The Apogee Grove supports up to 24-bit/192kHz high resolution music files.

  • Frequency response: 10Hz - 20K +/- 0.2dB
  • Dynamic Range: 117dB a-weighted
  • THD+N (16 dBu): -107 dB with 600 load
  • THD+N (10.5 dBu): -100dB with 30 load

Constant Current Drive: Groove's Constant Current Drive output stage dynamically compensates for the nonlinearities (acoustic, mechanical, or electrical) of any connected headphones, resulting in lower distortion and a more linear frequency response. Whether listening through earbuds or "HiFi" headphones, you'll discover a new level of fidelity, clarity, and detail.

Input & Output: The Apogee Groove USB-DAC and headphone amp is fitted with a microUSB 2.0 port and 1/8" headphone jack.

  • microUSB 2.0 Port: The Apogee Groove features an asynchronous microUSB 2.0 port for connection to your computer. Simply connect the Groove to your Windows or Mac computer's USB (type-A) port, using the 13" microUSB-to-USB cable.
  • 1/8" Headphone Jack: The Groove features an 1/8" headphone jack to connect your headphones or powered speakers. The Apogee Groove has a max output level of 225mW into 30 and 40mW into 6000.

System Requirements: Your Windows PC or Mac computer/laptop will need to meet the following system requirements in order to connect with the Apogee Groove.

  • Windows OS: PC or laptop manufactured after January 2006
    • Intel Core 2 @ 1.6 GHz or AMD equivalent
    • 1 GB RAM minimum
    • Windows 7 (32 and 64 bit) or greater
    • Available USB port
    • Apogee registered USB driver *To download the Windows driver, register the Groove on the Apogee website
  • Mac OS:
    • Intel Mac 1.5GHz or faster
    • 2 GB RAM minimum, 4 GB recommended
    • Mac OS X 10.8 or greater
    • Available USB port
    • Mac Core Audio USB Driver (no additional USB driver necessary)

Aluminum Body: The Apogee Groove USB-DAC and headphone amp features a premium aluminum build quality.

Volume Control & Multi-Color LEDs: The Apogee Groove has two volume control buttons (up/down) and three multi-color LEDs.

  • A single blue LED indicates Groove is connected and ready but not streaming audio from an application.
  • Purple LEDs display the listening level you've set with the up/down volume controls.
  • Green LEDs display the level of the audio file you're playing back, regardless of the listening level.

Applications: The Apogee Groove portable USB-DAC and headphone amp can be used for your music listening enjoyment or when you are working in the studio mixing music tracks

  • Music Listening: Whether you're building your FLAC file collection or subscribing to a premium music streaming service, you are investing in a higher quality listening experience. Groove unlocks the full potential of that experience, revealing definition, clarity and details like you have never heard before.
  • Studio Mixing: With professional headphones, your laptop and Groove, you can mix or make music anywhere. Groove's reference quality sound insures you will hear every detail of your project as it would sound in the studio.

Drawstring Pouch: The Apogee Groove comes with a drawstring pouch for storage. It is also fitted with a leash loop to add a wrist-strap or lanyard (sold separately).

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Customer Q&A

1 question already asked

Q
Can this be used for IPhones?
chris  May 01, 2016
1 answer
A
The Apogee Groove is a portable USB-DAC and headphone amp for listening to music on your Windows PC or Mac laptop/computer. It wouldn't be able to connect to an iPhone/iPod/iPad though. I hope that helps. My Bio: http://www.crutchfield.com/Support/Bio.aspx?bio=159
david  May 04, 2016 (Staff)

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