# Maps.map
Cheap converters that aren’t transparent (and why I keep buying them)
Converters I keep buying knowing they color the sound. The coloration is the point.
AD
Apogee Rosetta 200
A 2003 converter on a 2026 desk. The clock is mediocre and the front end is sweet. I track guitars through it on purpose.
Focusrite ISA One (digital card)
The transformer is the sound; the AD is along for the ride. Bass DI lives here.
DA
Benchmark DAC1 (silver)
Transparent, and that is the use: a reference to A/B the colored ones against. Boring, correct, necessary.
Metric Halo ULN-2 (original)
Not cheap when new, cheap now. The DA has a low-mid weight that flatters mixes and lies a little. I master on something else.