RME ADI-2 DAC

Discussion in 'Headphone Amplifiers and Combo (DAC/Amp) Units' started by Luckbad, Jan 12, 2018.

  1. Collusion

    Collusion Friend

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    I've been continuing my tests with RME and external hp amplifiers. This time it's time to share my impressions with Burson Conductor V2.

    But before starting, I just realized I haven't commented anything on the different digital filters found in RME's settings menu. I've fiddled with them and settled to SD Slow. Truth to be told I'm having a hard time telling them apart from each other. Only exception is the NOS filter, which seems to somewhat tame the top end. Nevertheless, the same filter has been used for all of my evaluations.

    As before, headphones used were HifiMan Sundaras. Also, as the Burson can act as an preamp, it was tested in this regard too with Genelec 8030's.

    Impressions with headphones

    - Burson holds a quite neutral tonal balance. I am not hearing any significant deviation from RME's HP output in this regard. However, bottom and top ends seem to come out as more stronger and dynamic. Not a groundbreaking difference, but noticeable.
    - From lower midrange to bottom end the overall tone seems to be a tad thicker. Not in a colored or veiled sense. It's like everything in the sound stage gets rendered as bigger, but the distances between objects scale up as well.
    - Bass quality is still quite similar. Burson has little more oomph though.
    - There is a very, very small difference in the timbre via Burson. I can't really say if it is better or worse. Maybe the sound overall is now tad warmer, but also more dynamic at the same time.
    - If you think RME sounds thin, Burson certainly corrects this to a some degree. It's still quite transparent though.

    Impressions with active monitors
    - Makes no sense to use Burson this way IMO, as RME has internal volume control
    - Sound doesn't change much at all; maybe there is a minuscule amount of extra warmth somewhere in the (lower) midrange
    - Very small difference in timbre; smaller than with headphones, but still detectable
    - Overall, Burson seems to be quite transparent; It certainly beats Jotunheim in this regard.
    - Unfortunately, there is some hiss with Burson and Genelecs. No hiss with Jotunheim. This can be corrected by lowering Genelecs' input sensitivity though.

    Would I recommend Burson as an external HP amp for ADI-2 DAC?

    Well, the Burson I received for testing was a second hand unit and I did purchase it after some demoing. I got it for a very lucrative price. Because of general lack of experience I am unable to comment whether there is something better at the same price range (~1259€ as new). I personally feel Burson is a step ahead from the Schiit Jotunheim, as it should be with 3x price tag.
     
  2. knackedupdude

    knackedupdude New

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    So, my ADI-2 DAC arrived and after a few hours of listening to it, here's my impression of it with and without my Little Labs Monotor. Headphones used are the ones mentioned in my Signature. Note: I did not/do not EQ or tinker with any DAC setting that alters the sound and presentation when making impressions as I feel that I'm not listening to what the equipment offers sonically in its natural and untouched form (by untouched, I mean the only things I'm touching are the volume pot, source, and the on/off switch kind of thing). That said, take my opinions with a grain (no, a bucket load) of salt as, because AFAIK and observed, you guys are more experienced than me and I'm not that well-versed in audiophile terms.


    W/O the Monotor (HD800 SDR)
    -On their own, it doesn't sound like it truly powers the HD800 well enough (in terms of sheer volume)
    -Its clean, nothing necessarily sticks out over the other
    -Detail retrieval is the best I've come across in terms of DACs and AIOs (though I've only used a total of 10 DACs [3 of which are AIOs] through either owning them or loaning/borrowing them or in meetups here)
    -I noticed the 6khz peak-like sensation creeping in for some reason... on an HD800 SDR-modded
    -Stage width and depth seem to have made not that much change compared to the other DACs I've tried
    -Nothing I've noticed when it came to imaging and instrument separation

    W/O the Monotor (U18+ Pro)
    -Powers them well
    -Clean sounding
    -Detail retrieval is also the same as I thought with the HD800
    -Stage width and depth seem slightly improved from what I remember
    -Nothing I've noticed when it came to imaging and separation

    W/ the Monotor (HD800 SDR)
    -I'm starting to remember what I dislike about the Monotor and why I don't necessarily pair it with the HD800 in any form, for some reason... it sounds a bit more compressed in terms of staging but making no difference in imaging
    -Easier to appreciate the detail retrieval of the ADI-2 DAC with this amp, though I have no other headphone amp in-hand to compare it with
    -Exacerbates the 6khz peak-like sensation creeping in by a little bit more

    W/ the Monotor (U18+ pro)
    -Still similar points other than slightly more compressed staging


    I need to spend a little bit more time with this setup. However, I'm seriously considering pairing the ADI-2 DAC with the Ifi Pro iCan, since I've found the Little Labs Monotor staging issue to be more annoying as it doesn't give me a sense of distance.

    If anyone's curious as to what I listened to when using this, here's the list (via Tidal lossless, personal collection in my HDD which is either FLAC or MP3 320kbps):

    Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon Album (FLAC)
    Marvin Gaye - Trouble Man Album (Tidal)
    Stevie Wonder - Innervisions and Songs in the Key of Life Albums (Tidal)
    Persona 5 Soundtrack (MP3 320kbps... don't judge me for this on either one)
    Yosi Horikawa - Wandering Album (FLAC) [Note: used mostly for imaging and soundstage judgement]
    LiLA'c Records - with GOD Album (FLAC)

    Other staging and imaging were judged via gaming on the PC. Games played/used were:

    Rainbow Six Siege
    Battlefield 1
    CSGO
    Witcher 3
    Quake Champions

    I wouldn't call around 8-10 ish hours of using this as something I'd consider a review. I have to live with it for a while until I can review it properly. Till then, this is just an impression.
     
    Last edited: Jun 30, 2018
  3. Vtory

    Vtory Audiophile™

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    I was a big fan of digital volume. That's one of the reasons why I loved ADI2 DAC. I generally tend to leave amp's knob at a 12-1pm position, then control sonic volume on the side of adi2.

    Today, for the first time, disabled digital attenuation (inspired by @Torq's post). My impression is...

    Heck, have I missed this much?

    Of course, doing so requires decently expensive amps because cheap (<$1k) amps are likely to employ cheaper volume parts that suffer a little LR imbalance at low levels (generally before 9am or so). But if possible, I also recommend to disable digital attenuation.
     
  4. knackedupdude

    knackedupdude New

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    That's good to hear. I really should get myself a proper amp to pair with my ADI-2 DAC. I just wanna know if there could be other options other than the iCan Pro.
     
  5. Torq

    Torq MOT: Headphone.com

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    There are plenty of options that'll do a better overall job than the built-in amp (at least with full-size cans ... with very sensitive IEMs your options will be a bit more limited). It's just a case of what set of trade-offs vs. cost you want to make. You're probably going to lose some transparency/resolution, and likely add some color, at the lower end of the market, but you'll gain in other areas, so it's a question of what's most important to you.
     
  6. knackedupdude

    knackedupdude New

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    Well, my budget's $2k and I'm after an amp that doesn't color the sound signature, can maintain or bring out more of the potential of the ADI-2 DAC's transparency and resolution with the least amount of color possible and somehow not have some soundstage issues that I've experienced with the Little Labs Monotor. I'm heavily considering the iCan Pro (I doubt I'll ever find myself using the tube version) or the Raggy, though I'm very open to other alternatives that can give me more of that.
     
  7. Torq

    Torq MOT: Headphone.com

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    If you're not ever going to use the tube input-stage options on the Pro iCAN, then I'd skip it entirely. It's a good amp, in any mode, but the value proposition drops off a cliff if you're not using it fully. At a minimum, it'd be something I'd hold out for a used copy of if not going to be fully utilized.

    I don't think I'd pair an ADI-2 DAC with a Ragnarok for pure headphone use.

    Maybe a Black Widow (though there will be some color there) or a Phonitor e.

    Otherwise we're into used territory (Phonitor x, GS-X Mk2, Moon 430HA ... though the GS-X Mk2 is probably going to be too bright with the ADI-2 into HD800) or amps I don't have enough experience with to make recommendations on.
     
  8. knackedupdude

    knackedupdude New

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    If ever you're gonna get an iCan Pro second hand, how much would you pay for it? Not sure if I can ask, its just that I found some iCan Pro's for sale here, locally, in our second hand market, though every time I ask, they always give me a vague answer of "as low as possible" when that low could mean 10-20% lower than MSRP.
     
  9. Torq

    Torq MOT: Headphone.com

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    They generally go for $1,100 to $1,200 (since the price increase), via Head-Fi.
     
  10. jowls

    jowls Never shitposts (please) - Friend

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    It’s early days but Headamp Gilmore mk2 seems to play to the strengths of ADI-2. It adds note weight while maintaining the inherent transparency and resolution of the DAC. It also seems to ameliorate some of the timbral issues I was having running headphones directly out of the RME, which I guess must be attributed to the amplifier section. If you want to spend more money you could always add the DPS that Justin is developing when it is released later this year.
     
  11. knackedupdude

    knackedupdude New

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    I'll take a look at that whenever I can
     
  12. I_want_all_the_tacos

    I_want_all_the_tacos Friend

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    Thanks for those impressions, I have been looking at that Gilmore Lite mk2 lately and it seems to be pairing well with everything--sources and headphones. I don't even think I have seen a less than positive review of it yet. I've been looking at possible solid state options that would be a clear upgrade from the RME's built-in amp for under $1k and the Gilmore and the Cayin IHA-6 seem to be top contenders. The iCan Pro seems cool too, but I'm not sure if I would use all the extras it brings.
     
  13. James Paschini

    James Paschini New

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    Anyone try to pair this baby with a Cayin IHA-6 amp?
     
  14. James Paschini

    James Paschini New

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    Just noticed....
     
  15. knackedupdude

    knackedupdude New

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    It appears that my Little Labs Monotor was defective, and the store I bought it from offered to replace it.

    So, I'm re-doing my impressions of it as an amp paired with the RME ADI-2 DAC once I gain it back.
     
  16. Vtory

    Vtory Audiophile™

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    After nearly one week of experiments, I pretty much settled on the volume setting of ADI2 DAC like the below:

    Auto Ref. level : Off
    Reference level: +7 dBu
    Digital Volume: -0.5 dB
    (Note: I am only using "unbalanced" line outs)

    Thoughts:

    1. 0 dBr with auto ref level on (presumably equivalent to +13 dBu ref lev) was not bad and showed slightly sharper and edger presentations. However, dac output level was too high - super inconvenient to locate volume pots. Thus, I changed to +7 dBu of the reference level and it worked me much better without perceptional loss. Very little audible difference though.

    2. Also, with some modern tracks (having no head room of track peaks), occasionally appearing OVR (no idea why. Maybe rounding issues?) bugged me a lot. I decided to have tiny bit of digital attenuation. To my ears, it didn't sound bad with -0.5db of attenuation.
     
  17. maverickronin

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    RME ADI-2 DAC, now running from a power bank.

    [​IMG]

    Thanks to this handy little board, the PD Buddy Sink.

    It's a programmable USB C power delivery chip with a power take off to run whatever gadgets you want to hook up to it. I have it working with this Ravpower USB C PD powerbank.

    For now particular reason, other than insanity, the ADI-2 DAC is now transportable. Probably going to pack this into a hardcase along with a tablet or something now...
     
  18. Armaegis

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    Carry your entire headphone rig in a Pelican case with custom foam cutouts.
     
  19. GanGreinke

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  20. maverickronin

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    I'm not sure about getting one big enough to fit the headphones as well, but I'm at least getting on for the ADI-2 DAC and the powerbank and then mount a tablet in the lid so I can carry it around the AXPONA headphone tables next year like an oversized DAP.
     

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