There are some real advantages to the breakout cable. First, using a breakout cable allowed us to create an ergonomic interface that looks really great on your desktop. If the connectors were built in, Duet would not have this cool form factor. Once you hold a Duet and cable in hand and see how cool it is that you can literally fit it in your front pockets, you immediately get it. Another problem with many desktop interfaces is that once you plug your guitar or mic cables directly into the box, you end up pulling the box all over your desk or yank your speaker cables out with one quick turn in the studio. The breakout cable acts as a natural strain relief so that your Duet stays in place. The breakout also allows you to get all of your connectors off the desktop by hanging the cable over the back of the desk. Cables connected directly to the box end up all over your workspace. The duet cable makes sure you can get some of the clutter out of your way. Finally, the Duet breakout cable is covered under Apogee's warranty. As long as you refrain from using it as a cat o' nine tails to punish your fellow musicians for missing their cue, forgetting the lyrics or putting yellow mustard on your pastrami sandwich, we don't foresee any problems.