[gimmeheadroom]

I think the RME is still the best in terms of value. And by the maybe you or others can help me out. I have emailed RME and waiting for their response of their reasoning. While subjective and everybody needs is different, to me the RME is almost perfect AIO.

So why not include MQA, streamer & ethernet port, bluetooth, measurement based & powerful amplifier and much more powerful pre-amp ?
I have always wish they had a bigger screen. Comes with fancy remote. Better amp measurement and power. Have multiple streaming services and streamer. Have wireless bluetooth and ethernet connection. Colours options whether we want it colourless or RGB colours for the buttons such as power button.

RME is a pro audio company (that means studio, production etc.) They are mostly not targeting hifi users. It's true this DAC has found fans in hifi, but the stuff you mentioned is just not something most of the customers want and obviously RME doesn't want to do. And they would triple the price.

If you want that stuff there are already products available.

 

[HIFIloverM]

Hey all, I got the adi-2 dac last week and I use it with my 64 Audio u12t. I really like what I hear! I love how effortless the music is rendered. At first its settings were a bit overwhelming, but after a while of usage it wasn't too complicated at all. Great device!

 

[dzigi12]

Hello all,

Yesterday I have bought RMI ADI-2 PRO FS R Black Edition and I have few questions regarding configuration. I'm not very technical with audio options so I thought it would be best to ask someone here. I have Sennheiser HD800S headphones and I'll use them with ADI-2 mostly for gaming and occasionally movies. I don't listen music ( sometimes youtube videos ) so I need best possible configuration for games/movies.

I've installed driver and I've updated firmware to v111. I'm using Windows 10.

First question is about Sample Rate in MADIface Series Settings. By default it's 44.1kHz and I have tried to change it to for example 192kHz while listening youtube music video and sound is better/richer on 192kHz. Do I need to change that setting to some other Sample Rate and what about Buffer Size ( Latency )? When I change Sample Rate, Buffer Size changes automatically.

Second question is about CC-Mode. By default it's Stereo and I can change it to Multichannel but when I do that I don't have any sound on headphones. Do I need to change that to Multichannel because better positional sound for gaming or Stereo is way to go? Or Multichannel option is for something else?

I've tried to use EQ settings and I've used oratory1990 preset for HD800S and when I have done that sound is less loud/rich. Not very much but I can notice it when I'm listening youtube music video and turning EQ setting ON/OFF. Is it better to use that EQ settings for gaming or not? Is that setting for professional music reproduction or universal better setting then default.
https://www.reddit.com/r/oratory199..._rme_adi-2#wiki_list_of_presets_for_rme_adi-2

Also do I need to change something in ADI-2 options because there are many options there I don't even know what they do. I'm mostly interested in option Loudness and Hi-Power/Auto Ref Level. If you have some recommendation it would be great.

Before ADI-2 I've used Mayflower ARC Mk2 + oratory1990 preset with Peace software as first DAC/AMP with HD800S and it was great but not very loud and I wanted to buy ADI-2 as my endgame setup for gaming/movies but it has many more options. I want to configure it and forget about it.

And what to do with default windows volume? Do I put that option to max 100 and use only ADI-2 for sound level?

Thank you in advance.

 

[gimmeheadroom]

I can't answer all of this but a few quick thoughts:

• There is a separate thread for the Pro. If you don't get answers here, check that thread and ask if your question remains unanswered
• Ideally, you would be using the ASIO driver in exclusive (bit perfect) mode and control the volume on your DAC. You really, REALLY, don't want Windows sound mixer screwing up your audio. Yes the normal USB driver works, but no, that's not a good idea
• The RME non pro version is not really a great match with the 800s (that's plural like pair of pants) I don't have the 800S. When I listen to my 800s out of my RME I use a separate headamp. I know this is contentious but the 300 ohm Sennies really need more voltage than most DACamps provide. At least make sure you turn on high-power mode...

 

[dzigi12]

I can't answer all of this but a few quick thoughts:

• Ideally, you would be using the ASIO driver in exclusive (bit perfect) mode and control the volume on your DAC. You really, REALLY, don't want Windows sound mixer screwing up your audio. Yes the normal USB driver works, but no, that's not a good idea
• At least make sure you turn on high-power mode...

What do you mean by this "ASIO driver in exclusive (bit perfect)"? I've installed this driver "driver_madiface_win_09747.zip". After restart I got new program in launch bar called "MADIface Series Settings" where I can change Sample Rate and Buffer Size ( Latency ). Option Enable MMCSS for ASIO is checked by default. And I have 2 more unchecked options "Lock Registry" and "Limit ASIO to 32 channels". There is one field called Sort ASIO devices and by default is "Do not modify".

In Windows Playback Device default is Analog (1+2) (RME ADI-2 PRO). That is volume bar in Windows and I can control volume there and I can control volume on DAC at same time. If I mute volume in Windows it will be muted on headphones also. I can put volume at 100 in Windows and forget about it and I can just use knob on DAC for volume.

I've turn on High Power mode just now. What is point of that? And do I need to turn Auto Ref Level also if High Power Mode is ON?

 

[dougq]

I can't answer all of this but a few quick thoughts:

• Ideally, you would be using the ASIO driver in exclusive (bit perfect) mode and control the volume on your DAC. You really, REALLY, don't want Windows sound mixer screwing up your audio. Yes the normal USB driver works, but no, that's not a good idea
• At least make sure you turn on high-power mode...

What do you mean by this "ASIO driver in exclusive (bit perfect)"? I've installed this driver "driver_madiface_win_09747.zip". After restart I got new program in launch bar called "MADIface Series Settings" where I can change Sample Rate and Buffer Size ( Latency ). Option Enable MMCSS for ASIO is checked by default. And I have 2 more unchecked options "Lock Registry" and "Limit ASIO to 32 channels". There is one field called Sort ASIO devices and by default is "Do not modify".

In Windows Playback Device default is Analog (1+2) (RME ADI-2 PRO). That is volume bar in Windows and I can control volume there and I can control volume on DAC at same time. If I mute volume in Windows it will be muted on headphones also. I can put volume at 100 in Windows and forget about it and I can just use knob on DAC for volume.

I've turn on High Power mode just now. What is point of that? And do I need to turn Auto Ref Level also if High Power Mode is ON?

You do not need to turn on high power mode. Just leave auto ref level on. That will put you into high power mode if required for full dynamic range.
You look like you are all set, you don't need to fuss with anything by default, or even after installing the driver.

The RME has a substantial amount of power / voltage to push the HD800s beyond hearing limits.

 

[gimmeheadroom]

What do you mean by this "ASIO driver in exclusive (bit perfect)"? I've installed this driver "driver_madiface_win_09747.zip". After restart I got new program in launch bar called "MADIface Series Settings" where I can change Sample Rate and Buffer Size ( Latency ). Option Enable MMCSS for ASIO is checked by default. And I have 2 more unchecked options "Lock Registry" and "Limit ASIO to 32 channels". There is one field called Sort ASIO devices and by default is "Do not modify".

In Windows Playback Device default is Analog (1+2) (RME ADI-2 PRO). That is volume bar in Windows and I can control volume there and I can control volume on DAC at same time.

If you have the drivers installed in Windows (non trivial, unfortunately with RME) then you will not be able to control the volume from Windows. ASIO / exclusive mode outputs a 0 dB signal and you control volume at the DAC.

If I mute volume in Windows it will be muted on headphones also. I can put volume at 100 in Windows and forget about it and I can just use knob on DAC for volume.

Sounds like something is missing but I don't have a Windows box running right now so I can't tell.

I've turn on High Power mode just now. What is point of that? And do I need to turn Auto Ref Level also if High Power Mode is ON?

Your HD800S are gonna do better in high power mode which increases the amp gain. I don't use auto ref and I don't know if it is useful for headphones. Some people use it for driving speaker amps.

I suggest you sign up for RME's forums and ask your questions there.

 

[RPGWiZaRD]

Hmm, I personally don't find the parametric EQ gives me expected results if I compare to say the 10-band EQ in the Dolby Access Windows Store that is my current favorite as far as software EQs goes (that comes with Dolby Atmos for Headphones). Comparing the result I get with similar configs on both and the result is more pleasing using the software EQ in my case. In particular even if sticking to minor adjustments like below 2dB adjustments which is enough for this headphone in the upper-mid region it's like the changes kill the dynamics and impact pretty significantly making it far less engaging to listen to. Meanwhile if I stick to same settings on the software EQ in the Dolby Access app, even with a 2dB boost to the upper-mid 2kHz region (it kind of even helps to strengthen the EDM kind of bassbeat when the punch of the beat is brought more forward as the M-Audio Q40 headphone has slight recess there muddying things upp in the lows a bit as a result but with RME ADI-2 DACs EQ it also seems to have a impact to lows rather significantly, so it's a bit different than I expected. Other hardware as well as software EQs I've had closer result to the Dolby Atmos one so it was a bit suprising result. Perhaps this DAC could use a Wet/dry sort of filter that say if I have one filter set at +2dB and one filter at -1dB and setting the Wet/Dry slider to 50%, it would only (theoretically) give me +1dB and -0.5dB adjustments respectively but keeping the same figure but I suppose you could also adjust every peak filter slightly less but I don't seem to get the same result anyway I do it. On the other hand I find both the "Loudness" and Bass and Treble settings to work decently or at least give more expected results if sticking to low amounts, in fact I find I have to use very slight amount of that in order to give similar results to my other favorite DAC option for the headphones I typically use that has a bit equal sound to the RME ADI-2 DAC if using loudness of both bass and treble at like +2~3dB and -28dB on low-vol ref (while playback vol is set to -24dB).

Is it the "auto-ref level" perhaps that keeps adjusting the overall gain as I adjust EQ (on the positive side of zero) which would explain why I hear a noticeable drop in impact if I boost the upper-mids (2dB in my case) in case that setting also reduces gain by 2dB perhaps? Have to to try disable auto ref level and see whether that might be the case.

EDIT: Yes it appears like it was due to "auto ref level" being on that was causing that behavior, the EQ is behaving like I had expected with it turned off from a quick listen.

EDIT2: If I may ask those who are more knowledgeable about these things, what kind of gain setting would be ideal to achieve maximum dynamicness if leaving slight headroom for clipping when starting to play around with EQ if not using auto-ref level setting, like does it matter if I use a gain setting that keeps me say in the -20dB or -10dB range or so?

 

[Matias]

And more firmware updates.

https://forum.rme-audio.de/viewtopic.php?id=34588

 

[NickedWicked]

The last firmware update, ADI-2 DAC 66 / 47 and ADI-2 Pro 259 / 111, see thread here

https://forum.rme-audio.de/viewtopic.php?id=34364

was well received and gave us a good time over Christmas and New Year. Thank you all for the positive feedback, it is so nice to see how you love the devices that we invest so much thought and time in!

The new update fixes one bug in the Pro, and does some fine tuning and finalizing of the new features added in that last firmware update:


Pro and DAC

- BB and BT have been added as band 0 and band 6 to the grapical EQ screen. They become adjustable as soon as Load B/T with Preset is set to ON. This finalizes the integration of B/T into the 5-band EQ, turing it into an easy to use 7-band one.

- Digital DC Protection got a third option: Filter. And from now on this one is Default. Existing customers need to select it manually. Filter adds a special, smooth high pass to the DA path, with zero latency, very low THD and phase deviation. This filter has a corner frequency of 7 Hz, to not only cancel DC but also reduce the amount of inaudible and imperceptible infrasound a bit that plagues some sources. The filter is the final solution for this topic, added to the FPGA, not the (already overloaded) DSP.

- Auto Standby now has the options 30min, 1h, 2h and 4h.

- Some visualization tuning: the horizontal level meter got 10 dB markers...


Pro

- Bugfix: USB recording from digital inputs works again in multichannel mode

- Selecting Display - Horizontal Meter - Post FX dBu now also shows dBu for the analog input. While this can be handy to measure the incoming signal, one will only see valid values when there is no processing active.

That's all, folks. Small list this time but we are sure you will like it!


The firmware update tools:

Win: https://www.rme-audio.de/downloads/fut_madiface_win.zip

Mac: https://www.rme-audio.de/downloads/fut_madiface_mac.zip


Updated manuals Pro, v 3.5:

German: https://www.rme-audio.de/downloads/adi2profsr_d.pdf

English: https://www.rme-audio.de/downloads/adi2profsr_e.pdf


Updated manuals DAC, v 3.0:

German: https://www.rme-audio.de/downloads/adi2dacr_d.pdf

English: https://www.rme-audio.de/downloads/adi2dacr_e.pdf

 

[Matias]

The last firmware update, ADI-2 DAC 66 / 47 and ADI-2 Pro 259 / 111, see thread here

https://forum.rme-audio.de/viewtopic.php?id=34364

was well received and gave us a good time over Christmas and New Year. Thank you all for the positive feedback, it is so nice to see how you love the devices that we invest so much thought and time in!

The new update fixes one bug in the Pro, and does some fine tuning and finalizing of the new features added in that last firmware update:


Pro and DAC

- BB and BT have been added as band 0 and band 6 to the grapical EQ screen. They become adjustable as soon as Load B/T with Preset is set to ON. This finalizes the integration of B/T into the 5-band EQ, turing it into an easy to use 7-band one.

- Digital DC Protection got a third option: Filter. And from now on this one is Default. Existing customers need to select it manually. Filter adds a special, smooth high pass to the DA path, with zero latency, very low THD and phase deviation. This filter has a corner frequency of 7 Hz, to not only cancel DC but also reduce the amount of inaudible and imperceptible infrasound a bit that plagues some sources. The filter is the final solution for this topic, added to the FPGA, not the (already overloaded) DSP.

- Auto Standby now has the options 30min, 1h, 2h and 4h.

- Some visualization tuning: the horizontal level meter got 10 dB markers...


Pro

- Bugfix: USB recording from digital inputs works again in multichannel mode

- Selecting Display - Horizontal Meter - Post FX dBu now also shows dBu for the analog input. While this can be handy to measure the incoming signal, one will only see valid values when there is no processing active.

That's all, folks. Small list this time but we are sure you will like it!


The firmware update tools:

Win: https://www.rme-audio.de/downloads/fut_madiface_win.zip

Mac: https://www.rme-audio.de/downloads/fut_madiface_mac.zip


Updated manuals Pro, v 3.5:

German: https://www.rme-audio.de/downloads/adi2profsr_d.pdf

English: https://www.rme-audio.de/downloads/adi2profsr_e.pdf


Updated manuals DAC, v 3.0:

German: https://www.rme-audio.de/downloads/adi2dacr_d.pdf

English: https://www.rme-audio.de/downloads/adi2dacr_e.pdf

This was released last month, the link I posted above your is from yesterday, so a newer version.

 

[NickedWicked]

This was released last month, the link I posted above your is from yesterday, so a newer version.

I think you misread, I'm just quoting what was in the link. The first link was an introduction sentence, but it is a bit confusing nonetheless.

 

[arielext]

- BB and BT have been added as band 0 and band 6 to the grapical EQ screen. They become adjustable as soon as Load B/T with Preset is set to ON. This finalizes the integration of B/T into the 5-band EQ, turing it into an easy to use 7-band one.

Welcome addition to last years final release. Fun fact is that most of my presets are now flat with a variable bass boost.
This device is a gift that keeps on giving. Truly destroyed my urge to get another DAC.

 

[RPGWiZaRD]

The ADI-2 FS has been nothing but an impressive piece DAC these couple of days I've been using it. Due to the vast adjustability/settings it's easy to dial in what works perfect for your needs, this DAC is probably here to stay for a long time to come. Glad to see there's still updates being pushed out too.

In fact the only thing I'm missing on it would be an SPDIF toslink output that the expensier version has, would like to able to hook up a BT Transmitter/Reciever to it as well via optical so I could utilize the EQ functionality that the DAC has to offer also my my late-night YouTube ASMR relaxing sessions before bedtime via my Bluetooth headphones. The Bluetooth transmitter do have an AUX input as well but it results in background noise which the SPDIF connectivity is entirely free from (I've nailed it down to the port on the dongle itself as hooking another another source has exactly the same amount noise floor and characteristics to the hum). What do you guys think would be the solution for that? As I see it the only alternative would be some RCA to optical converter but I'm not sure if it's worth it or not, those only come in cheap offerings on amazon and the like https://www.amazon.com/s?k=rca+to+toslink&crid=D6VHHHGVJD8U&sprefix=rca+to+toslink,aps,213&ref=nb_sb_noss_1 but unsure how well they do the job and what the noise levels would be like, I'm not super-picky regarding the late-night bluetooth listening sessions but needs to be hum-free and still offer "decent" audio quality. I guess there's no other way around it to try a converter like listed above or get another BT dongle that offers better quality aux or alternative inputs.

 

[technobear]

The ADI-2 FS has been nothing but an impressive piece DAC these couple of days I've been using it. Due to the vast adjustability/settings it's easy to dial in what works perfect for your needs, this DAC is probably here to stay for a long time to come. Glad to see there's still updates being pushed out too.

In fact the only thing I'm missing on it would be an SPDIF toslink output that the expensier version has, would like to able to hook up a BT Transmitter/Reciever to it as well via optical so I could utilize the EQ functionality that the DAC has to offer also my my late-night YouTube ASMR relaxing sessions before bedtime via my Bluetooth headphones. The Bluetooth transmitter do have an AUX input as well but it results in background noise which the SPDIF connectivity is entirely free from (I've nailed it down to the port on the dongle itself as hooking another another source has exactly the same amount noise floor and characteristics to the hum). What do you guys think would be the solution for that? As I see it the only alternative would be some RCA to optical converter but I'm not sure if it's worth it or not, those only come in cheap offerings on amazon and the like https://www.amazon.com/s?k=rca+to+toslink&crid=D6VHHHGVJD8U&sprefix=rca+to+toslink,aps,213&ref=nb_sb_noss_1 but unsure how well they do the job and what the noise levels would be like, I'm not super-picky regarding the late-night bluetooth listening sessions but needs to be hum-free and still offer "decent" audio quality. I guess there's no other way around it to try a converter like listed above or get another BT dongle that offers better quality aux or alternative inputs.

Forget Bluetooth. Just use a headphone extension cable.