Apogee Groove portable laptop DAC

Most laptop sound cards just about do their job but if you are looking for something to bring your portable puter’s audio more in line with what you enjoy at home then a mobile DAC should be your first port-of-call. There’s a new portable DAC about to hit the market from Apogee called Groove.

The Apogee Groove is a new external digital-to-analogue device which has just been launched at the NAMM music trade show.

The Groove is designed to be as portable as possible whilst providing far better sound from your laptop.

The Apogee Groove is roughly the size of a thumb drive but manages to pack four Quad Sum DACs per channel to offer a high dynamic range and minimal distortion. It also manages to handle 24 bit/192kHz audio and can provide an output of up to 225mW into a 30 Ohms. It’s also designed to provide an “ultra-smooth frequency response for any headphones.”

It’s powered by USB and clothed in an aluminium jacket. You get hardware buttons for in-line volume control and LED status lights.

Pricing is yet to be disclosed, but the device should be available this spring. I’ll certainly be interested to hear how it stacks up against the Meridian Explorer.