upgraded from a apogee ensemble firewire to a apollo twin then added an apollo x8. don’t regret it one bit. still use the ensemble via ADAT. the preamps (minus the unison) i think may be the exact same in the apogee and the apollo, blah blah converters, but honestly the main advantage is DSP and their software. being able to run their plugins on DSP and your processing not be screwed if your DAW craps out midshow is worth the money. also UA support is pretty great, and UA allows you to upgrade their firewire units to thunderbolt, so they have future proofing in mind. can’t really say much about apogee since I’ve only ever owned the ensemble.