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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

What connectivity options does the Apogee Rosetta 800 offer?

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.

Is the Apogee Rosetta 800 compatible with my DAW?

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.

Can the Apogee Rosetta 800 handle high-resolution audio?

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.

How does the Apogee Rosetta 800 improve sound quality?

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.

What is the primary use case for the Apogee Rosetta 800?

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.

Felipe “Fapo” Apolonio

Felipe “Fapo” Apolonio

Apogee DUET 2 Vs Apogee Rosetta 800 + API 3124 with Beyer M160 Ribbon Mic

Video thumbnail for Apogee DUET 2 Vs Apogee Rosetta 800 + API 3124 with Beyer M160 Ribbon Mic by Felipe “Fapo” Apolonio

Apogee DUET 2 Vs Apogee Rosetta 800 + API 3124 with Beyer M160 Ribbon Mic

Felipe “Fapo” Apolonio

Felipe “Fapo” Apolonio

Video thumbnail for (Very Little) Lost In Translation: Apogee's Rosetta AD/DA Converters by gearwire

(Very Little) Lost In Translation: Apogee's Rosetta AD/DA Converters

gearwire

gearwire

Video thumbnail for How to Calibrate Hardware Insert Delay in Pro Tools RME UFX Apogee Rosetta 800 by GinoB615

How to Calibrate Hardware Insert Delay in Pro Tools RME UFX Apogee Rosetta 800

GinoB615

GinoB615

Reviews

PROS

  • Delivers exceptional A/D and D/A conversion quality

  • Preserves every element of sound with high fidelity

  • Ideal for recording with its top-notch performance

  • Provides stunning detail and depth in recordings

  • Excels in acoustic work with accurate transients and clarity

  • Can be used as an interface with X-firewire card connection

  • Offers a punchy and powerful sound signature

CONS

  • Out of production, availability limited to second-hand markets

  • 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

  • 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.

    Source
  • Apogee's "soft limit" feature acts as an analog brickwall limiter, engaging at -2 dBFS to prevent digital clipping.

    Source
  • The Rosetta 800's UV22HR dithering adds a distinctive sparkle and shine, differentiating it from other converters that aim for transparency.

    Source

Comparisons

  • The Rosetta 800 uses CS5361 converters, considered a step down from the newer CS5381 used in Focusrite Scarlett Gen4.

    Source
  • 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.

    Source
  • 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.

    Source

Use cases and applications

  • 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.

    Source
  • 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.

    Source

Software and compatibility

  • The FireWire card in Rosetta 800 has compatibility issues with modern Windows but works well with Mac using a Thunderbolt adapter.

    Source

Value and pricing

  • Several users suggest a price of no more than $500, reflecting both quality and age-related risk factors.

    Source

User experience

  • Owners report that the Rosetta 800 remains reliable, but Apogee no longer offers parts or repair, increasing the risk if it fails.

    Source
  • 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.

    Source
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5.0 out of 5

Based on 3 Reviews and 6 Ratings

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wanya7

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

From Gear Setup
A

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.

mcguffin

Great and legendary.

"Apogee-Kinded" great sound. If you want that "21st Century super pure wide range sounds", will prefer things instead like LYNX STUDIO TECHNOLOGY AURORA 8 or something, but this thing has the punch and power. It just really ROCKS.

Artist usage

Add artist
See how Michael Jackson uses Apogee Rosetta 800

Michael Jackson

Singer, Composer

The Jackson 5

...
Verified via Amazon

Bruce Swedien & MJ used Apogee Conversion on the last Michael Jackson 'Invincible' Album

See how Deryck Whibley uses Apogee Rosetta 800

Deryck Whibley

Singer, Guitarist

Sum 41

...
Verified via reverb.com

This Apogee Rosetta 800 is owned by Deryck Whibley Of Sum 41

My main studio rig

See how Shpongle (Simon Posford) uses Apogee Rosetta 800

Shpongle (Simon Posford)

DJ

Shpongle

...
Verified via YouTube

3:18 in the video.

See how Christopher Franke uses Apogee Rosetta 800

Christopher Franke

Keyboardist

Tangerine Dream

...
Verified via Christopherfranke

Included in list of recording equipment on Christopher Franke's website.

See how Anthony Marinelli uses Apogee Rosetta 800

Anthony Marinelli

Keyboardist, Composer

...
Verified via YouTube

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.

See how Lisciel Franco uses Apogee Rosetta 800

Lisciel Franco

...
Verified via Photo

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.

See how Synthetix uses Apogee Rosetta 800

Synthetix

Music Producer

...
Verified via Imgur

In a recent photo of the DataCenter studio, Synthetix can be seen using the Apogee Rosetta 800, highlighting its role in their recording setup.

See how Jordan Perlson uses Apogee Rosetta 800

Jordan Perlson

Drummer

Becca Stevens Band

...
Verified via Jordan Perlson

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.

Apple Mac Pro (2006-2012)
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Apple Logic Pro
Apple Logic Pro DAW Software
2
Access Virus TI Desktop
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Neumann U87 Ai
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1
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AKG D12 E Dynamic Microphones
1
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Urei 1176 LN Revision H Effects Processors
1

Community setups

Show yours
opus

opus

Gear IQ 186

wanya7

wanya7

Gear IQ 1822

rezaassadpour

rezaassadpour

Gear IQ 168

octatonic

octatonic

Gear IQ 161

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