[Mr B1]

It is so true that in this hobby you have to try. It is the only way.
For example, i found the ether 2 lifeless comparing to aeolus at half the cost.. Also i had vio 200 and sold it because it was the most soft amp i had, and with an unbalanced source was pretty useless..

Interesting findings.. thanks for sharing! I may just follow your path there - I really like to try that particular ZMF! I was lucky to get the E2 for under the price of the Aeolus.. so had to try it.

With the E2 - its not a Verum1 in liveliness and it sounded pretty bad just out of the box.. but some of it is frequence response..I boosted 4-12Khz by about 6db now and that did away with a lot of the Ether 2's lifelessness On the flip side, the E2 has quite a bit of very seductive not-in-your-face detail / plankton, and it especially does well with my tube amp. Will give it more time before pulling the trigger on a ZMF...

 

[lentoviolento]

I don't know verum and your tube amp, but tubes to me are the only way to get something to spice up things after a while in this hobby.
Usually i dont eq hps.. But from what you say, you need some zmfs in your life... Maybe some auteur or verite.. Aeolus to me has the best price/performance ratio in the hobby. Drive it with an otl and whatever dac you like, and you are at the end of the road

 

[Arniesb]

To me, the RME headphone out sounds pretty flat, lifeless, dry, boring .. So I wouldn't run it without an amp now - unless you're after portability. It's not that the RME is bad.. but the 'lifeless' thing just kills the reason why I listen to music in the first place. Anyway, I also started out with just the RME but found amping to make quite the difference.

On the Gilmore - I didn't like the Gilmore mk2 enough and sold it - yet to me it sounded better than the RME. The Gilmore has a somewhat dark sound character, so it doesn't go with all headphones (Aeon Flow Closed, yes - Aeon Open or LCD2C, no)...just mind the pairing with the headphone by itself.

Just to be sure, I did a quick A/B/C listening with Ether 2 and Verum 1 headphone on RME vs tube amp vs Violectric, and the differences are pretty consistent: with both amps voices comes alive, have the magic that keeps me listening and sound more natural. Everything is more lively. Bass is more defined and textured. Less metalic harshness in hi hats. Detail remains about the same. There's quite a bit more depth / space around voices and instruments. The background is also blacker...

"flat, lifeless, dry, boring"
lame power supply immediatly comes to mind.
This is a clear description of poor power supply design.
People complain about chord amps sound... Guess what can be culprit?

 

[Hellraiser86]

I don't know about this... there are several posts about it from May/June above. Some say yes, it makes a difference, others say it doesn't really. Don't forget that the 789 is supposed to be clean, neutral, so it won't add any character, just provide more power. So if your headphones need more power than the ADI-2 provides in high-power mode (Hifiman Susvara?) there might be a reason to go for the 789, otherwise, for what seems to be like marginal improvement at best, why add a box and more cables to an already great setup?

Disclosure - I did not try the 789, but based on some posts here I tried the Gilmore Lite Mk2 with the ADI-2. Wasn't for me. I prefer the ADI-2 amp.

I haven’t tried the 789 as I mentioned as well. But the general impression on head fi are really good.
But what I said is he should go for the ADI with an Amp like V281 or Phonitor (just as an because tried these 2 and will buy one of them this year). The internal amp of the RME is not bad don’t get me wrong. But there is always improvement with all devices out there (even Chord Dave) and the internal amp is (in comparison to the Hugo 2 - and I say for me because it’s always subjective) the „weakness“. In the best case you always compare for yourself but that’s unfortunate not possible for the most of us.
So I can just give my impressions.
Maybe there has someone else an intensive listen (2 weeks up) with these both and some different headphones and the combination of such external amps, too. If so please share your impression (would be awesome to hear).

 

[mixman]

I have the 789 and while in many ways it is an improvement on the RME’s internal amp, some ways it is not. The 789 has more air, better soundstage and is more dynamic. I feel the RME amp is more a little brighter and a touch more resolution. I have tried the liquid platinum, which was about equal to the 789, not really better. Might give it a try again and do more tube rolling. My next stop is either a used iCan Pro or a GSX mini. Those are the amps that it will take to get a true improvement over the either the 789 or RME.

 

[Christoph]

Has anybody compared either the RME ADI-2 DAC or the RME ADI-2 PRO with the Benchmark DAC3?

I'm not interested in the amp part, just in the pure DAC functionality.

 

[lentoviolento]

Gsx mini or benchmark hpa4 could be the SS endgame for every one peace of mind probably..
But until now, an rme headphone out can do the trick at a lower cost.
We dont want someone to put a gun to our head and try us in a blind test though.....

 

[Hellraiser86]

If you’re speaking of endgame just consider the big headamp gsx mk2, the violectric v281, spl phonitor x, the nimbus 4+ and xiaudio formula s as well as the benchmark hpa4. These are all the best ss amps you can buy (at least known to me )

 

[mixman]

If you’re speaking of endgame just consider the big headamp gsx mk2, the violectric v281, spl phonitor x, the nimbus 4+ and xiaudio formula s as well as the benchmark hpa4. These are all the best ss amps you can buy (at least known to me )

Well in my case not looking for an endgame......if there is one, but just a clearly better amp than what I already have.

 

[lentoviolento]

Has anybody compared either the RME ADI-2 DAC or the RME ADI-2 PRO with the Benchmark DAC3?

I'm not interested in the amp part, just in the pure DAC functionality.

maybe on audiosciencereview someone had compared them. also with mytek

 

[lentoviolento]

Well in my case not looking for an endgame......if there is one, but just a clearly better amp than what I already have.

Well in my case not looking for an endgame......if there is one, but just a clearly better amp than what I already have.

if we are talking SS ,imho there isnt. unless you want to try one of the aforementioned... but still...

 

[Christoph]

maybe on audiosciencereview someone had compared them. also with mytek

Yes, there is indeed a promising sounding thread on audiosciencereview "Benchmark DAC3 vs RME ADI-2 DAC - Sound"
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...s/benchmark-dac3-vs-rme-adi-2-dac-sound.3888/
but the summary of this two pager is: "There is no audible difference between both"
which is a bit disappointing and not the statement i was looking for.

But maybe i should overthink my expectations.

 

[CaptainFantastic]

Yes, there is indeed a promising sounding thread on audiosciencereview "Benchmark DAC3 vs RME ADI-2 DAC - Sound"
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...s/benchmark-dac3-vs-rme-adi-2-dac-sound.3888/
but the summary of this two pager is: "There is no audible difference between both"
which is a bit disappointing and not the statement i was looking for.

But maybe i should overthink my expectations.

Why, why are you disappointed that the 1k unit you own sounds as good as a 2k+ DAC? Shouldn't we be happy about that and happily move on and listen to our music? It seems like an addiction for some of us, we must find something better every few months or we are disappointed. Well, what if the ADI-2 is good enough for the next 5 years, 10 years? More time to enjoy the music by not reading review after review and more money in the bank for everything else that is good in life.

 

[adeseaso]

Why, why are you disappointed that the 1k unit you own sounds as good as a 2k+ DAC? Shouldn't we be happy about that and happily move on and listen to our music? It seems like an addiction for some of us, we must find something better every few months or we are disappointed. Well, what if the ADI-2 is good enough for the next 5 years, 10 years? More time to enjoy the music by not reading review after review and more money in the bank for everything else that is good in life.

ASR is a very objectivist crowd who would not have it that two competently designed units sound differently. If you're asking about how DACs might differ in sound it's the last place to go to.

And if you want good measurements at the best price, you're not getting the ADI-2. You'd get the Sabaj D5 as its measurements are significantly better at half the price.

 

[CaptainFantastic]

ASR is a very objectivist crowd who would not have it that two competently designed units sound differently. If you're asking about how DACs might differ in sound it's the last place to go to.

And if you want good measurements at the best price, you're not getting the ADI-2. You'd get the Sabaj D5 as its measurements are significantly better at half the price.

OK, point well taken.

I don't see the Sabaj D5 in the graph posted above here at post 1452. Perhaps it's new or just not that popular. And of course the graph is not going to have everything.

In any case, the ADI-2 is one of the best measuring DACs according to that list. Now add all the other features I am getting with it, like EQ (and yes, I do have separate profiles saved for all of my headphones), but so much more, and it seems like a great value to me.