Amazing Playback Quality for Mac and PC

Hear every detail of your music with outstanding sound quality anywhere and anytime, with the Apogee Groove portable USB DAC and headphone amp. Loaded with an ESS Sabre digital-to-analog converter and up to 24-bit/192kHz resolution, the Groove interface is the perfect solution for critical listening on your laptop. Engineers have recommended Apogee's portable interfaces for years as solid solutions for high-quality portable monitoring, and the ultra-compact Apogee Groove brings you stellar D/A conversion and USB convenience in the most portable design yet.

When you need stellar sound, but don't need a full audio interface

Whether you're producing tracks in a hotel room on your laptop, auditioning a mix away from your studio, or any other situation that requires high-quality audio playback, you'll be well served with the Apogee Groove portable USB DAC and headphone amplifier. You get some of Apogee's best-sounding conversion with the simplicity of two buttons for volume control. And because it's powered via USB, just keep the Apogee Groove in your laptop bag and you'll always have studio-quality headphone monitoring within reach.

Santa Monica, California, May 19, 2015 – Apogee Electronics is pleased to announce the worldwide availability of Groove, a portable headphone amplifier and DAC for Mac and Windows computers that lets you hear your music like artists and audio professionals do in the studio.

Since 1985, Apogee has been an industry leader in music recording technology. Many of the most successful artists and audio professionals in the world rely on Apogee products every day to capture their performances, mix and master their recordings. Now, you can experience the same technology and quality on your laptop for listening to music. Groove features unique Apogee circuitry designed to deliver the sound quality of the studio to your computer and make any headphones you have sound their best.

Groove is easy for anyone to use, so you don’t need to be a recording engineer to experience professional studio quality.  Simply connect Groove to your computer’s USB port and your headphones or powered speakers to Groove’s audio output.

Hear Every Detail in Stunning Clarity and Fidelity

Take the sound of the studio anywhere

Enhances your iTunes, Tidal, Spotify, Pandora or other music listening experiences. With professional headphones, a laptop and Groove, musicians and producers can mix or make music anywhere.Groove’s reference quality output insures you will hear every detail of your project as it would sound in the studio.

Constant Current Drive

Groove’s Constant Current Drive output stage dynamically compensates for the nonlinearities - electromechanical or acoustic - of any connected headphones, resulting in lower distortion and a more linear frequency response. Whether listening through earbuds or 'hi-fi' headphones, you’ll discover a new level of fidelity, clarity and detail.

Quad Sum DAC

Groove features a Quad Sum DAC design which employs four digital-to-analog converters per channel to achieve the highest dynamic range and lowest distortion (THD+N) of any device in its class.

ESS Sabre DAC technology

ESS Sabre Hyperstream DAC with Time Domain Jitter Eliminator offers unequaled dynamic range, ultra low distortion, and unmatched audio clarity free from input jitter.

Meet Apogee Groove

Apogee Groove is the best portable USB DAC and headphone amp for listening to music on your Mac or PC. Groove takes the same high quality audio technology found in the world’s most prestigious recording studios and delivers it to your laptop. Connect Groove to your computer’s USB port and your headphones or powered speakers to Groove’s audio output. It’s that easy.

Groove’s output provides ample power at any impedance and Apogee’s Constant Current Drive technology makes your headphones sound their best. You’ll be amazed by the difference in sound quality - the precise stereo image, punchy bass and stunningly clear highs.

What is a DAC and why is it important?

If you’re a music lover and you want the best listening experience, one of the key ingredients in the quality of your sound is the digital-to-analog converter or DAC.

A DAC takes the digital information on your computer and translates it into analog sound you can hear through your headphones and speakers.

Not all DACs are created equal. Your computer has a DAC built-in, however without a high quality DAC like 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.

Recorded by Apogee, played by Groove

For 30 years Apogee has been an innovator and industry leader in digital audio recording. From rock to classical, hip-hop to country, and reggae to jazz, the world’s most successful artists, producers and audio engineers rely on Apogee gear to capture Grammy winning recordings. Now, for the first time, Apogee Groove takes this same recording studio technology and makes it available in a simple take-anywhere device dedicated to delivering the ultimate listening experience.

Features:

• USB 2.0 connection to Mac and PC

• Up to 24 bit / 192kHz audio

• ESS Sabre DAC

• Enhances your iTunes, Tidal, Spotify, Pandora or other music listening experiences

• Constant Current Drive™ provides smooth frequency response with any headphones

• Quad Sum DAC™, 4 DACs per channel for highest dynamic range and lowest distortion

• Asynchronous clocking

• Multi-color LEDs for status and level indication

• Powered by USB

• Top panel buttons adjust and mute volume

• Compact and portable (95mm L x 30mm W x 16mm H)

• Premium aluminum build quality

• Built in the USA

D/A conversion :

• THD+N: -107 dB with 600 Ohm load @ 16 dBu
  (-109 dB with 600 Ohm load @ 16 dBu-Anniversary Edition)

• THD+N: -100dB with 30 Ohm load @ 10.5 dBu
  (-101dB with 30 Ohm load @ 10.5 dBu-Anniversary Edition)

• Dynamic Range: 117dB a-weighted
  (119dB a-weighted-Anniversary Edition)

• Frequency response: 10Hz – 20K +/- 0.2dB
  (10Hz – 20K +/- 0.1dB-Anniversary Edition)

• Max output level:

  • 225mW into 30 Ohm

  • 40mW into 600 Ohm

• 8 channel ESS DAC (4 DACs per channel)

System Requirements

Mac OS:

• Computer: Intel Mac 1.5GHz or faster

• Memory: 2 GB RAM minimum, 4 GB recommended

• OS: 10.8 or greater

• Connection and power: Any available USB port

• Driver: Mac Core Audio.  No download or installation necessary.

Windows OS:

• PC or laptop manufactured after January 2006

• Intel Core 2 @ 1.6 GHz or AMD equivalent

• Memory: 1 GB RAM minimum

• Windows 7 (32 and 64 bit)

• Windows 8 (32 and 64 bit)

• Windows 8.1 (32 and 64 bit)

• Connection and power: Any available USB port

• Driver: Register to download from Apogee’s website

In the box

• Groove

• USB Cable (1′)

• Carrying pouch

• Product booklet (Quick Start Guide, Warranty Information)

• Instructions for download of software and complete documentation