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  #1  
Old 11-25-2020, 12:12 PM
arashaw arashaw is offline
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Default Apogee Element 46 Compatible with 2015 iMac?

I'm trying to understand thunderbolt and the ports on my iMac...I'm wondering if I need adaptors? Sorry if this is obvious but does the Apogee Element 46 work with my iMac?

My Specs:

iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2015)
Processor 2.8 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5
Memory 8 GB 1867MHz DDR3


Picture of ports at this link:

https://sea.pcmag.com/mac-desktops-p...a-display-2015

Last edited by arashaw; 11-25-2020 at 12:18 PM. Reason: add picture
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Old 11-25-2020, 03:33 PM
jim1960 jim1960 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by arashaw View Post
I'm trying to understand thunderbolt and the ports on my iMac...I'm wondering if I need adaptors? Sorry if this is obvious but does the Apogee Element 46 work with my iMac?

My Specs:

iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2015)
Processor 2.8 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5
Memory 8 GB 1867MHz DDR3


Picture of ports at this link:

https://sea.pcmag.com/mac-desktops-p...a-display-2015
It looks like the interface has the original thunderbolt ports and the interface has thunderbolt 2 ports. I've not heard of a TB-to-TB2 adapter but perhaps someone here knows of a workaround. The easier thing to do would be to get a TB3 interface. TB2-TB3 adapters exist. I have one in my system.
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2023 Iris ND-200 maple/adi
2017 Circle Strings 00 bastogne walnut/sinker redwood
2015 Circle Strings Parlor shedua/western red cedar
2009 Bamburg JSB Signature Baritone macassar ebony/carpathian spruce
2004 Taylor XXX-RS indian rosewood/sitka spruce
1988 Martin D-16 mahogany/sitka spruce

along with some electrics, zouks, dulcimers, and banjos.

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  #3  
Old 11-25-2020, 05:54 PM
pandora pandora is offline
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Hi

My iMac is a Retina 5K 27 inch late 2015 (3.2 quad core Intel Core i5) and the Apogee 46 works beautifully, I didn't need any special adaptor/lead just a thunderbolt lead. The only annoying thing about the unit is when I put the iMac to sleep, the Apogee tends to click itself off and on and off an on ... I sometimes worry this isn't good for the Apogee, but no problems so far. It does sound amazing, with the Apogee vibe.
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Old 11-25-2020, 09:15 PM
arashaw arashaw is offline
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Thanks for that info, much appreciated.
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  #5  
Old 11-26-2020, 12:13 PM
sdelsolray sdelsolray is offline
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I've been using an Apogee Element 46 with a 2011 iMac with a TB1 port for three years with no issues.
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Old 11-26-2020, 06:23 PM
arashaw arashaw is offline
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Great to hear, thanks. What is your experience/opinion with the preamps in the unit? Also. do you find there is enough gain/headroom to power a ribbon mic without lots os excessive noise?
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Old 11-26-2020, 07:40 PM
jim1960 jim1960 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sdelsolray View Post
I've been using an Apogee Element 46 with a 2011 iMac with a TB1 port for three years with no issues.
How do you connect the Element to a TB2 computer? Do convertors exist for that?
__________________
Jim
2023 Iris ND-200 maple/adi
2017 Circle Strings 00 bastogne walnut/sinker redwood
2015 Circle Strings Parlor shedua/western red cedar
2009 Bamburg JSB Signature Baritone macassar ebony/carpathian spruce
2004 Taylor XXX-RS indian rosewood/sitka spruce
1988 Martin D-16 mahogany/sitka spruce

along with some electrics, zouks, dulcimers, and banjos.

YouTube
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  #8  
Old 11-26-2020, 08:19 PM
sdelsolray sdelsolray is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jim1960 View Post
How do you connect the Element to a TB2 computer? Do convertors exist for that?
You just need the correct cable, as the Apogee does not provide a TB cable with any Element unit. No "converters' are needed, just the right connecting cable.

The Element Series was released after Apple introduced TB2. When researching the issues before purchase, I asked Apogee whether the Element Series was backwards compatible with TB1. They said, "Yes, absolutely." I seem to remember the cable from and Element Series unit to a Mac TB1 or TB2 port is identical. I think TB3 (USB3) has a different connector, and there are cables with adapters to connect TB to Firewire or Ethernet.
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Old 11-26-2020, 09:55 PM
jim1960 jim1960 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sdelsolray View Post
You just need the correct cable, as the Apogee does not provide a TB cable with any Element unit. No "converters' are needed, just the right connecting cable.

The Element Series was released after Apple introduced TB2. When researching the issues before purchase, I asked Apogee whether the Element Series was backwards compatible with TB1. They said, "Yes, absolutely." I seem to remember the cable from and Element Series unit to a Mac TB1 or TB2 port is identical. I think TB3 (USB3) has a different connector, and there are cables with adapters to connect TB to Firewire or Ethernet.
When I first addressed the question, the pictures I looked up online fooled my eyes and I thought the ports were different. I just went back and found a better picture of the Element connectors and they do look the same this time round. The OP should be fine with that interface working with his computer.
__________________
Jim
2023 Iris ND-200 maple/adi
2017 Circle Strings 00 bastogne walnut/sinker redwood
2015 Circle Strings Parlor shedua/western red cedar
2009 Bamburg JSB Signature Baritone macassar ebony/carpathian spruce
2004 Taylor XXX-RS indian rosewood/sitka spruce
1988 Martin D-16 mahogany/sitka spruce

along with some electrics, zouks, dulcimers, and banjos.

YouTube
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