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Description
Unlock the full potential of your studio recordings with the Apogee Rosetta 800, a staple in high-quality A-D & D-A conversion. Designed for the discerning audio professional, the Rosetta 800 offers pristine conversion quality, ensuring that every detail of your sound is captured and faithfully reproduced. Featuring Apogee's renowned AD/DA converters, this unit delivers exceptional clarity and dynamic range, making it an ideal choice for studios aiming to elevate their sound to the next level.
The Apogee Rosetta 800 is equipped with Apogee's SoftLimit technology, which provides a gentle yet effective means of preventing digital clipping, ensuring that your recordings maintain their integrity even at higher levels. This feature, combined with its simple and intuitive interface, makes it a versatile addition to any studio setup, whether you're recording vocals, instruments, or full bands.
It offers both ADAT and AES/EBU digital outputs, allowing seamless integration with various digital audio workstations and other studio gear. The Rosetta 800 also provides word clock input and output, ensuring that your devices stay perfectly synchronized, reducing jitter and maintaining audio fidelity.
For producers and engineers looking to maintain the highest audio standards, the Apogee Rosetta 800 is a trusted and reliable partner in any recording environment.
Key Features:
- 8 channels of AD/DA conversion
- Apogee's SoftLimit technology to prevent digital clipping
- ADAT and AES/EBU digital outputs for flexible studio integration
- Word clock input and output for superior synchronization
- Transparent and accurate conversion quality
Product specs
| Brand | Apogee |
| Model | Rosetta 800 192kHz 8-Channel AD/DA Converter |
| Finish | Silver |
| Year | 2000s |
| Made In | United States |
| Categories | AD/DA Converters |
FAQs
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What connectivity options does the Apogee Rosetta 800 offer?
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The Apogee Rosetta 800 provides 8 channels of AD/DA conversion with options for ADAT, AES/EBU, and S/PDIF digital I/O, making it versatile for integrating into various studio setups.
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Is the Apogee Rosetta 800 compatible with my DAW?
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Yes, the Apogee Rosetta 800 is compatible with most DAWs as it supports standard digital formats like ADAT and AES/EBU, ensuring seamless integration with your recording software.
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Can the Apogee Rosetta 800 handle high-resolution audio?
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Yes, the Apogee Rosetta 800 supports sample rates up to 192kHz, allowing for high-resolution audio recording and playback, suitable for professional studios demanding top-notch sound quality.
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How does the Apogee Rosetta 800 improve sound quality?
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The Apogee Rosetta 800 enhances sound quality with its high-quality AD/DA conversion, offering superior clarity, detail, and dynamic range, which is crucial for accurate audio reproduction in professional recordings.
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What is the primary use case for the Apogee Rosetta 800?
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The Apogee Rosetta 800 is primarily used in professional recording studios for high-quality analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog conversion, ensuring pristine audio capture and playback.
Videos
Felipe “Fapo” Apolonio
Apogee DUET 2 Vs Apogee Rosetta 800 + API 3124 with Beyer M160 Ribbon Mic
Reviews
PROS
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Delivers exceptional A/D and D/A conversion quality
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Preserves every element of sound with high fidelity
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Ideal for recording with its top-notch performance
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Provides stunning detail and depth in recordings
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Excels in acoustic work with accurate transients and clarity
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Can be used as an interface with X-firewire card connection
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Offers a punchy and powerful sound signature
CONS
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Out of production, availability limited to second-hand markets
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May not suit those seeking ultra-modern sound qualities
Owner Insights
We analyzed real musician discussions from forums and Reddit to find what players love, question, and tweak about Apogee Rosetta 800.
Features and functionality
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The Apogee Rosetta 800 features SMUX for handling high sample rates, allowing 96k on two ADAT channels due to ADAT's 48k per channel limitation.
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Apogee's "soft limit" feature acts as an analog brickwall limiter, engaging at -2 dBFS to prevent digital clipping.
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The Rosetta 800's UV22HR dithering adds a distinctive sparkle and shine, differentiating it from other converters that aim for transparency.
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Comparisons
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The Rosetta 800 uses CS5361 converters, considered a step down from the newer CS5381 used in Focusrite Scarlett Gen4.
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It's noted that the Rosetta 800's sound quality is comparable to more modern units in the same tier, such as Lynx, Burl, and PrismSound, especially noticeable with extensive I/O.
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Modern converters like MOTU M series and Audient iD series offer slightly higher dynamic range than older chips like the Rosetta 800's, impacting SNR and analog headroom.
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Use cases and applications
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The Rosetta 800's analog side was designed to mimic a tape-like sound, with subtle roll-off on the frequency extremes, suitable for mastering.
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The Rosetta 800 is praised for its cumulative conversion quality, making it ideal for projects involving extensive A/D conversion or mixing with multiple outputs.
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Software and compatibility
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The FireWire card in Rosetta 800 has compatibility issues with modern Windows but works well with Mac using a Thunderbolt adapter.
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Value and pricing
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Several users suggest a price of no more than $500, reflecting both quality and age-related risk factors.
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User experience
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Owners report that the Rosetta 800 remains reliable, but Apogee no longer offers parts or repair, increasing the risk if it fails.
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Owners report the Rosetta 800 provides superior headroom, with a maximum input of +24dB compared to modern converters like Arturia Audiofuse, which have lower headroom limits.
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5.0 out of 5
Based on 3 Reviews and 6 Ratings
1822
Stunning Converter
Apogee Sounds Amazing Alright!
Detail Depth is Stunningly Unbelievable
If you are doing Acoustic Work where Depth & Transients are a MUST (Acoustic, Space, Percussion, Ambience) with Stunning Depth or Field & Accurate Transients & Clarity Galore - this is a Great Standard
Affordable AD/DA solution with direct MacBook Pro connectivity
Great AD/DA. Out of production, but may be bought relatively cheap on ebay. I use this in combination with the X-firewire card, and connect the rosetta directly to my macbook pro, using it as a interface.
Artist usage
Add artist
Bruce Swedien & MJ used Apogee Conversion on the last Michael Jackson 'Invincible' Album
This Apogee Rosetta 800 is owned by Deryck Whibley Of Sum 41
My main studio rig
Included in list of recording equipment on Christopher Franke's website.
In the video titled My Synth Studio Revealed | Studio Tour 2025 by Anthony Marinelli Music, at the timestamp 1:13:27, Anthony Marinelli's engineer Reuben demonstrates the presence of two Apogee Rosetta 800 eight-channel A/D–D/A converters installed in a rack beneath the work desk.
In an Instagram post, Lisciel Franco shares a photo of the Apogee Rosetta 800 in her studio rack, discussing its performance and sound characteristics, including noise levels and EQ adjustments.
In a recent photo of the DataCenter studio, Synthetix can be seen using the Apogee Rosetta 800, highlighting its role in their recording setup.
Listed among Perlson's equipment on his website.
My recording rig:
Apple Mac Pro
Logic X
Apogee Rosetta 800
(2) API 500c
(2) Great River MP-500NV
Daking MIC PRE IV
AKG 414 (stereo pair)
Mercenary Audio KM 69 (stereo pair)
Soyuz Small Diaphragm Fet
Yamaha Subkick
Assorted Shure and Beyerdynamic mics.
Many vintage and modern kits and snares: Ludwig, Slingerland, Yamaha, Gretsch and more.
Cymbals: assorted Meinl
Percussion from all over the world.
Album Usage
The Apogee Rosetta 800 has been featured on the following albums:
Genre Usage
Based on how artists on Equipboard use this gear, it is most commonly found in the following genres.
Used With
Based on how musicians on Equipboard use Apogee Rosetta 800, it is most commonly used with the following gear.
Community setups
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