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RME ADI-2 DAC Thread

Sep 3, 2021 at 12:52 PM Post #4,442 of 6,231
GoldenOne said:
Just as a dac the adi-2 isn't all that amazing. It's not bad. But it's not great.

Realistically the adi-2 should be bought for the features.

The qutest is a much better dac. With the caveat that it's not particularly great with macrodynamics/'slam', so may come across as too 'polite' sounding for some genres.

For similar money my pick would probably be the gustard x26 pro
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Truth to be told, it is utterly unlikely that RME and qutest could be told apart in a blind test by anyone.
 
Sep 3, 2021 at 3:40 PM Post #4,443 of 6,231
Leporello said:
Truth to be told, it is utterly unlikely that RME and qutest could be told apart in a blind test by anyone.
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It's not too difficult to hear the difference - the Qutest has it's own distinctive sound where it pushed the mids in a very detailed holographic manner, it demands the listener's full attention. The RME (ess) takes a more relaxed and neutral approach with the mids which I enjoy more, as I can enjoy it even when I want to relax or during work - the Qutest demands full attention. Even through speakers it's fairly obvious.
 
Sep 3, 2021 at 5:56 PM Post #4,445 of 6,231
Leporello said:
Truth to be told, it is utterly unlikely that RME and qutest could be told apart in a blind test by anyone.
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They're two quite different sounding dacs
 
Sep 4, 2021 at 8:30 AM Post #4,446 of 6,231
larsv said:
Already got it last week. Brand new (foil around the boxm sticker on the power inlet etc.) and with ESS chip.
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Ok. That’s good. Sorry I didn’t want anyone else to have the same bad experience as i did with them. I just received my unit today from Scan in the UK. Has a 5 year Warranty with UK Distributor.

I don’t know if it is AKM or ESS.
 
Sep 4, 2021 at 9:04 AM Post #4,447 of 6,231
Soundizer said:
Ok. That’s good. Sorry I didn’t want anyone else to have the same bad experience as i did with them. I just received my unit today from Scan in the UK. Has a 5 year Warranty with UK Distributor.

I don’t know if it is AKM or ESS.
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I confirm it is ESS as Serial Number has a C after it and includes additional “Build” filter in settings.
 
Sep 4, 2021 at 9:42 AM Post #4,449 of 6,231
If anyone in the UK has a unit of the ess adi-2 that they wouldn't mind lending to get measured I'd be quite keen to do so.

Fingers crossed the IMD hump is addressed
 
Sep 4, 2021 at 4:32 PM Post #4,450 of 6,231
Sep 5, 2021 at 12:12 AM Post #4,453 of 6,231
Hey everyone - brand new here.

I have a pair of Audeze LCD-2's (from mid-2013) currently paired with an Asgard 2 (from 2013) and a Modi 3+ (replaced a Bifrost due to lack of optical out on my new motherboard and lack of USB on the Bifrost). And, what can I say? I'm no longer engaged with my music. Everything feels recessed, and that "toe-tapping goodness" is gone. I listened to the RME ADI-2 back in December but felt it was too dark and, hence, didn't pair well with the cooler sound signature of the LCD-2. Would it be worth another audition now that the ESS chip has been implemented? Or should I be looking at an HD-800 S with the RME ADI-2 instead? Thanks for any feedback. Super tough to audition equipment in stores these days.
 
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