RME ADI-2 DAC Thread

[dogrelata]

Got a qutest because the RME was bit complicated for me and my use case. If flexibility is your aim then the RME is way more versatile. Also it has xlr out which was the reason I bought it (to run long cables). If sound quality is your aim I believe the Qutest is a better day for me. It sound more dimensional and natural compared to the uber detailed but flat RME.

Thanks.

My heart is still with the Chord sound because I've been living with it for the last 7 years but I'm also trying to be pragmatic. I was on the point of buying a new Qutest a couple of months ago but got side-tracked and ended up buying the L700s instead. I'm really enjoying these but my budget is a bit more restricted now due to them being an unplanned purchase!

 

[dogrelata]

The RME really is not that hard to figure out.

Thanks.

I'm sure you're right but I've never been one for tweaking or poring over differences they may make. I just like to turn on my gear and listen to music, which is just one of the many reasons I'll never be an audiophile...

 

[CaptainFantastic]

Thanks.

I'm sure you're right but I've never been one for tweaking or poring over differences they may make. I just like to turn on my gear and listen to music, which is just one of the many reasons I'll never be an audiophile...

Just to be clear. The RME does that. You turn it on and it plays good quality music. There is no short or lengthy setup process that would be different than that of any other DAC. If anything, it's easier and faster because it also has the amp, so no need to connect to another unit.

Sound quality is a different consideration and should be evaluated with your own ears and your own headphones / music preferences.

My point is, don't ignore the unit because it sounds complicated. It doesn't have to be. At all.

 

[CaptainFantastic]

One other reflection: once you arrive at the conclusion that indeed the RME can just be turned on and it works great, no tinkering needed with any settings if you don't want to, then you can reasonably ask yourself the question - but did I overpay for this unit, it has all these features and I don't plan to use them?

But to that I would say, every unit has some similar aspect. With Chord you are overpaying for the name. I should know, I owned the H2 and M Scaler and I own the TT2. I think they are fantastic devices. But there is a huge premium.

With other gear there are other compromises.

In my novice view (but 3-year user of the unit), the RME still has strengths even if you plan to fully ignore its myriad of features. It is a solid DAC that is to some people's taste and not to others', has a more than decent amp, it is amazingly reliable (zero issues - 3 years), it is versatile (it started for me as an all in one, move to DAC for some external amps, then as DAC for my tube amp, then as my go-to unit for IEMs (not much into them though), now as DAC for my STAX amp for the HE-60), and the meters on the screen are unmatched as far as I know in aesthetics on any other unit. It makes the screens of 10k units look pathetic. There are other strengths others here can mention, I am sure. And downsides too, I am sure. Can't think of any right now myself.

 

[dogrelata]

One other reflection: once you arrive at the conclusion that indeed the RME can just be turned on and it works great, no tinkering needed with any settings if you don't want to, then you can reasonably ask yourself the question - but did I overpay for this unit, it has all these features and I don't plan to use them?

But to that I would say, every unit has some similar aspect. With Chord you are overpaying for the name. I should know, I owned the H2 and M Scaler and I own the TT2. I think they are fantastic devices. But there is a huge premium.

With other gear there are other compromises.

In my novice view (but 3-year user of the unit), the RME still has strengths even if you plan to fully ignore its myriad of features. It is a solid DAC that is to some people's taste and not to others', has a more than decent amp, it is amazingly reliable (zero issues - 3 years), it is versatile (it started for me as an all in one, move to DAC for some external amps, then as DAC for my tube amp, then as my go-to unit for IEMs (not much into them though), now as DAC for my STAX amp for the HE-60), and the meters on the screen are unmatched as far as I know in aesthetics on any other unit. It makes the screens of 10k units look pathetic. There are other strengths others here can mention, I am sure. And downsides too, I am sure. Can't think of any right now myself.

Yes, I fully understand it can be used with factory settings straight out of the box. The reason I ask is that many of the impressions I've seen so far have been based on people tailoring sound to their own tastes, which is part of why it is so well regarded on this thread. From my perspective, I tend to take several weeks to adjust to new equipment, assuming it has a different sound signature, and I wouldn't want to be tinkering with sound characteristics during the 2 or 3 week 'grace' period when I don't trust my own initial or short term impressions to be reliable barometer of what I may be hearing further down the line.

On the other hand, if I were to leave it on factory settings and hear a discernable difference in sound, compared to my current Qute, and really liked it, that would be job done.

 

[Another Audiophile]

Thanks.

I'm sure you're right but I've never been one for tweaking or poring over differences they may make. I just like to turn on my gear and listen to music, which is just one of the many reasons I'll never be an audiophile...

I think that's the reason you ARE and audiophile my friend. Listening

 

[TK33]

Yes, I fully understand it can be used with factory settings straight out of the box. The reason I ask is that many of the impressions I've seen so far have been based on people tailoring sound to their own tastes, which is part of why it is so well regarded on this thread. From my perspective, I tend to take several weeks to adjust to new equipment, assuming it has a different sound signature, and I wouldn't want to be tinkering with sound characteristics during the 2 or 3 week 'grace' period when I don't trust my own initial or short term impressions to be reliable barometer of what I may be hearing further down the line.

On the other hand, if I were to leave it on factory settings and hear a discernable difference in sound, compared to my current Qute, and really liked it, that would be job done.

RME has been one of my favorite purchases this year. Use it for a pair of Aeon Noire and SE846 and both work extremely well. Explored the menus out of curiosity but did not do any "tinkering" for the IEM output. It just works. I do use PEQ for the Noire and it works great.and I use the high shelf knob to further tame the treble a bit but that isnt something I can "fix" by getting another DAC. Also love that it adjusts gain by itself so I don't need to mess with it when using PEQ (one less step). Note, settings are separate for the different outputs so I dont even need to change settings when switching from my Noire (EQ on) to SE846 (EQ off). As others have stated, you dont need to use any of the features, although the features make it an excellent value in my opinion.

I use both the coax (Node 2i) and USB (desktop PC) inputs and switching is automatic and easy (you can also manually switch). It is pretty plug and play in my opinion.

Also, something I dont see people mention often, but what led me to the RME was my search for a combo DAC/amp where there are no pops or skips when the sample rate changes. Some of my other DACs have those annoying skips or pops (dangerously loud with my SE846) over coax/optical. The RME just works and is well worth the money just for that alone. I could have saved a lot of money if I just tried this one first.

 

[NickT23]

One other reflection: once you arrive at the conclusion that indeed the RME can just be turned on and it works great, no tinkering needed with any settings if you don't want to, then you can reasonably ask yourself the question - but did I overpay for this unit, it has all these features and I don't plan to use them?

But to that I would say, every unit has some similar aspect. With Chord you are overpaying for the name. I should know, I owned the H2 and M Scaler and I own the TT2. I think they are fantastic devices. But there is a huge premium.

With other gear there are other compromises.

In my novice view (but 3-year user of the unit), the RME still has strengths even if you plan to fully ignore its myriad of features. It is a solid DAC that is to some people's taste and not to others', has a more than decent amp, it is amazingly reliable (zero issues - 3 years), it is versatile (it started for me as an all in one, move to DAC for some external amps, then as DAC for my tube amp, then as my go-to unit for IEMs (not much into them though), now as DAC for my STAX amp for the HE-60), and the meters on the screen are unmatched as far as I know in aesthetics on any other unit. It makes the screens of 10k units look pathetic. There are other strengths others here can mention, I am sure. And downsides too, I am sure. Can't think of any right now myself.

So for Chord and RME comparison, what are the difference in sound quality in your opinion ? Any comparison to that overprice Chord compare to cheaper dac alternative ?

 

[NickT23]

Yeah, I agree, the treble is much too harsh without an EQ but after tweaking them I actually think they sound alright.

Hello have you tried burning it ? there is no harshness and siblance from my side to the point no Eq is needed.

 

[dogrelata]

One other reflection: once you arrive at the conclusion that indeed the RME can just be turned on and it works great, no tinkering needed with any settings if you don't want to, then you can reasonably ask yourself the question - but did I overpay for this unit, it has all these features and I don't plan to use them?

But to that I would say, every unit has some similar aspect. With Chord you are overpaying for the name. I should know, I owned the H2 and M Scaler and I own the TT2. I think they are fantastic devices. But there is a huge premium.

With other gear there are other compromises.

In my novice view (but 3-year user of the unit), the RME still has strengths even if you plan to fully ignore its myriad of features. It is a solid DAC that is to some people's taste and not to others', has a more than decent amp, it is amazingly reliable (zero issues - 3 years), it is versatile (it started for me as an all in one, move to DAC for some external amps, then as DAC for my tube amp, then as my go-to unit for IEMs (not much into them though), now as DAC for my STAX amp for the HE-60), and the meters on the screen are unmatched as far as I know in aesthetics on any other unit. It makes the screens of 10k units look pathetic. There are other strengths others here can mention, I am sure. And downsides too, I am sure. Can't think of any right now myself.

Over the last few days I've been flipping back and forth between favouring Qutest over RME and vice versa. I was edging towards ordering an ADI-2 from Thomann, who have a 30 day return policy. I've also been continuing to work my way through this thread. Around page 80, @elmoe posted an issue he'd had with his unit. That started me researching known issues and came across a number of BSOD problems on RME's own forum. One poster reports BSOD leading to some installations being corrupted. That immediately brought back a bad experience I had.

About 20 years ago I was running a full virus check using McAfee AV. Halfway through I got a BSOD and the PC would not re-boot. I'll never forget it because it was Superbowl Sunday and the crash happened around 6:30pm UK time. When I phoned McAfee, we tried a number of things, none of which worked so they advised re-formatting C drive and a full re-build. That I did and it was after midnight before I got everything up and running again, by which time the game was already into the second quarter! That was the end of McAfee for me.

In fairness there are a number of suggestions of how to avoid BSOD on the RME forum, but this issue makes it a non-starter for me I'm afraid.

 

[Iamnoexpert]

Hi, this is my first post on this forum. I've read most of the pages on this thread. There aren't many people who have compared the AK4493 DAC chip and the ES9028Q2M. I've compared them both. I managed to borrow the older model from an Ebay seller and I bought the newer model, two actually, and then returned it. I've got to return the other one. I didn't need to do a blind test because the sound difference is so clearly apparent.

I listened to Madonna's first album and David Bowie's The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars. I found the AKM chip nicer to listen to, the vocals less squashed and more natural. I found the bass disappointing, I don't know if that was the particular model I had. By contrast, the ES chip was more detailed, the bass was great, but there was a brightness to the sound and the vocals sounded squashed and shrill in places. I've now compared two of these newer models, at different times, and they both have a similar sound.

I know I've got very good hearing. I've been using RME 9632 soundcards in my pc and I hear differences between all the soundcards I've listened to - I've currently got three, all bought on Ebay.

I use a pair of 3-way JVC bookshelf speakers from the 1990s and an Onkyo A-9010 amplifier. I hope this helps anyone looking at buying these DACs.

 

[Verificateur]

Hi, this is my first post on this forum. I've read most of the pages on this thread. There aren't many people who have compared the AK4493 DAC chip and the ES9028Q2M. I've compared them both. I managed to borrow the older model from an Ebay seller and I bought the newer model, two actually, and then returned it. I've got to return the other one. I didn't need to do a blind test because the sound difference is so clearly apparent.

I listened to Madonna's first album and David Bowie's The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars. I found the AKM chip nicer to listen to, the vocals less squashed and more natural. I found the bass disappointing, I don't know if that was the particular model I had. By contrast, the ES chip was more detailed, the bass was great, but there was a brightness to the sound and the vocals sounded squashed and shrill in places. I've now compared two of these newer models, at different times, and they both have a similar sound.

I know I've got very good hearing. I've been using RME 9632 soundcards in my pc and I hear differences between all the soundcards I've listened to - I've currently got three, all bought on Ebay.

I use a pair of 3-way JVC bookshelf speakers from the 1990s and an Onkyo A-9010 amplifier. I hope this helps anyone looking at buying these DACs.

Very interesting, thanks for sharing!

As I was reading your message I understood that you liked the RME AK4493 edition, but then you said it had disappointing bass?

So just wanted to clarify whether you recommend the RME AK4493 edition over the ESS edition and whether you are keeping the RME AK4493 edition for yourself or not?

 

[Iamnoexpert]

Very interesting, thanks for sharing!

As I was reading your message I understood that you liked the RME AK4493 edition, but then you said it had disappointing bass?

So just wanted to clarify whether you recommend the RME AK4493 edition over the ESS edition and whether you are keeping the RME AK4493 edition for yourself or not?

I wasn't clear about that in my post. I didn't keep the AK4493. I wasn't sure if there was something wrong with it, perhaps that's why it was for sale. So I couldn't recommend that one. Perhaps others are different.

 

[Matias]

@Iamnoexpert so you preferred the AKM yet did not buy it? You returned all 3 units?

 

[Verificateur]

On a related/unrelated subject…

Trying to use my balanced 4.4mm cables with the RME.

Has anyone tried these (CEMA) 4.4mm balanced (female) to 6.35mm single-ended (male) adapters?

CEMA 4.4mm to 6.35mm Adapter Converter 3.5MM TO 6.35MM 2.5MM TO 6.35MM
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mM1mMYm

Wonder if there are any positive/negatives and of course if there is an impact on sound quality…