RME ADI-2 Pro Discussion Thread

What convolution filters/settings are you currently using?
Also do you think the crossfeed in jRiver is well implemented vs the one in ADI-2?

 

I find the crossfeed in JRiver almost too... "damp" for lack of a better word and rather weak. It works in a pinch, but I'd much rather use TB Isone. The ADI-2 implementation is much much stronger than JRiver's, and I rarely go past setting 1.

 

Hey RME.. please strip out the headphone amp & pro-audio jibber jabber and just give me that sweet DAC for a SBAF-approved price!

 

I don't think it would be wise for them to enter the hi-fi dac melee without any differentiating features. You can't sell only on the basis of good performance because that tends to be [largely] subjective and therefore hard to account for.

If anything, I'd still like some features being included that I currently miss.

 

Agreed, and well explained. I've heard some say similar things about Waves NX, that it makes the music flat and kind of boring, but I'm finding it hard to listen without it.

 

Waves NX definitely manipulates the FR, hence using it without some EQ correction will very likely make some people feel it's boring.

Atomicbob's settings do help, though they only apply to Hd650 and 800 iirc. With the modded he6 it's not quite there for me, but I lack the time for proper EQ work.

 

@bartzky created the convolution wave file for me.

 

Doubt it will ever happen. RME is not a low-price company. Back in 2000-something, my RME sound card was multiples of what "normal" people would spend on a sound card, and quite a lot more expensive than "serious" people would spend on, say, the M-Audio card. Roughly, my audio interface steps, in a fairly short space of time, were something like: GB5, GBP15, GBP50, GBP200. Two hundred UK Quid was one hell of a lot to spend on a sound card back then: to be honest, I didn't, it was already previous-generation and I got it at half price (like a lot of my audio kit!).

In terms of sound quality steps, probably the only one that really mattered was the step up to the RME. It came from a musicians shop, not a PC supplier or a hifi shop. Back then, probably neither would have even heard of RME. A step into the professional world, albeit at the lower end thereof.

A couple of generations on, I could not even buy such a simple stereo i/o (analogue and digital) from RME. Their gear was made to connect to devices never to be seen in the non-music-making home.

The point of all this waffle is to end up saying that, updating the ADI-2 Pro firmware with features for the audiophile market is the first time I have noticed RME taking any notice of that market at all.

Buying this sort of kit is always going to be spending money on unneeded features. At least it doesn't bristle with stuff like mic preamps, but, for starters, what is the point of spending money on a high-quality DAC/ADC if one is never going to record anything? 50% functionality unwanted but paid for immediately.

Looked at the other way, when the stand-alone DAC became a thing, I thought it was only half the deal: How was I going to record anything?
My theory was that the marketing men came up with "let's sell them half the gear at twice the price." But now I don't record anyway, so have a different view

SBAF-approved prices extend to the Yggdrasil for some, and far beyond for a few. Always assuming that the sound suits, boxes such as ADI-2 Pro and Lynx'x Hilo give you a lot more for your money, in terms of functionality. If you want it: if not, it may not seem such a great deal.

 

The Soekris dac1541 could be considered an alternative to the RME, if you do not need the ADC. It is a similar price and has some similar features, eg built-in volume control and crossfeed. The Soekris is multibit, whereas the RME is delta-sigma, I imagine they sound quite different. @Torq is in the process of auditioning the Soekris (as you are probably well aware!), I'm not sure if he has heard the RME. If I was looking for an all-in-one DAC / SS Headphone amp it would certainly be at the top of my list to audition (But I already have Gungnir Multibit + Vali 2 ).

 

NX alters FR so significantly I found it unusable for work and distracting for listening. I tried out redline monitor and found it meh, but then I tried Goodhertz CanOpener and really dug it. Like most neutral things, it does not jump out and grab you. But it is there. It does not give you the full 3D treatment like NX but it does get the soundstage out of your head and in front of you. To me, it sounds like monitors in a very well-treated room and it does not alter the timbre.

 

Are you using it together with Sonarworks or any other EQ?

 

It is in EQuick. Both the 12 Hz and 10 KHz are peak and linear.

This is very important to note. Some EQ required. My efforts apply only to HD650 and HD800 which is why the document I linked is labeled as a Starting Point - experimentation and adjustments encouraged for both those I published and other headphones.

 

Nope!

I do plan to put it through the "Life after Yggdrasil" cycle at some point; hopefully sooner than later.

 

Yes, Sonarworks with HD600 measured by Sonarworks (so ±1dB). No limit profile.

I gather from your post and Atomicbob's post that there is some additional EQ beyond simple correction. It wasn't just FR though, I don't think, it just generally killed detail. Hard to say. But lots of detail obscured, generally just messy when compared to something like CanOpener.

 

Correct. I'm using a 12Hz SSBB and Sonarworks EQ, Waves NX and finally a phase flip. Not really looking for alternatives but it's interesting to compare to build more references in terms of how to improve headphone listening.
Will seek out can opener and give it a try by just replacing NX and see how that performs.

 

Well they did implement a "hifi mode" in their latest firmware update...

Right, like their manual wasn't thick enough already

What extra features would you like to see though?

 

What i'd like is separating DSP from impacting the digital outputs and setting up crossovers for the outputs. But alas, I'm probably a minority. It would allow me for really convenient sub integration.

 

@Azteca Didn't realize can opener was for mac only...

 

@Hrodulf @sorrodje I feel like some of those would be achievable with firmware updates, but I'm in no position to speculate. I know some of the RME guys monitor this thread though...