[jamca]

Why does it matter?

I have read that Ess is somehow drier than AKM version , which has better mids. I have heard other AKM implementations but no RMEs. It could be the case if you have Ess... There have been analytical measurements which shows that AKM has 2nd harmonics which gives you this sense of fullness that you say you miss, in constrast with Ess that has more 3rd and 5th harmonics which has the opposite effect. However i think that Adi 2 drives perfectly the Arya, and somehow takes away the sharp highs of these but in a good way.

 

[DarginMahkum]

I have read that Ess is somehow drier than AKM version , which has better mids. I have heard other AKM implementations but no RMEs. It could be the case if you have Ess... There have been analytical measurements which shows that AKM has 2nd harmonics which gives you this sense of fullness that you say you miss, in constrast with Ess that has more 3rd and 5th harmonics which has the opposite effect. However i think that Adi 2 drives perfectly the Arya, and somehow takes away the sharp highs of these but in a good way.

RME mentioned multiple times that there is absolutely no audible difference. Plus I had both ESS and AKM versions at the same for about a year and I can confirm that what RME says is true.

The main point is whether "the full circuit implementation" is audibly different. Any difference lower than human hearing limits will not matter in any shape or form.

 

[jamca]

RME mentioned multiple times that there is absolutely no audible difference. Plus I had both ESS and AKM versions at the same for about a year and I can confirm that what RME says is true.

The main point is whether "the full circuit implementation" is audibly different. Any difference lower than human hearing limits will not matter in any shape or form.

i dont care what RME says (as it is a company that want to sell products), but i care about your experience as you had both. Perhaps then it has something to do with the amp section. I can say that RMEs amp is unbeatable at this price point, not so much because it is that great at full headphones, but it does really good job at both headphones and iems, which is rare. I think it drives perfectly Aryas and if you find it a little hollow you should try some eq tweaking, but i suppose you already did it.

 

[DarginMahkum]

i dont care what RME says (as it is a company that want to sell products), but i care about your experience as you had both. Perhaps then it has something to do with the amp section. I can say that RMEs amp is unbeatable at this price point, not so much because it is that great at full headphones, but it does really good job at both headphones and iems, which is rare. I think it drives perfectly Aryas and if you find it a little hollow you should try some eq tweaking, but i suppose you already did it.

Ehmmm...I am not the one that finds it hollow, by the way.

I use my ADI-2s (both DAC and Pro 2/4) both with Susvara and DCA Stealth and I don't think there is anything the amplifier lacks. I had much more expensive gear, like T+A HA200 or Benchmark HPA4, and I have no regrets replacing them with an ADI-2. So I don't think it is the price point that makes the difference but the quality of engineering.

 

[ld100]

I have read that Ess is somehow drier than AKM version , which has better mids. I have heard other AKM implementations but no RMEs. It could be the case if you have Ess... There have been analytical measurements which shows that AKM has 2nd harmonics which gives you this sense of fullness that you say you miss, in constrast with Ess that has more 3rd and 5th harmonics which has the opposite effect. However i think that Adi 2 drives perfectly the Arya, and somehow takes away the sharp highs of these but in a good way.

 

[OCC7N]

Ok sorry for sparking another discussion. I should have said: "What headphones do you guys like" "Have you done anything to improve the sound to your likings"

Its all about staying woke as possible, neutral as possible, opinions belongs to the past....Therefore I am sorry

 

[jamca]

Ok sorry for sparking another discussion. I should have said: "What headphones do you guys like" "Have you done anything to improve the sound to your likings"

Its all about staying woke as possible, neutral as possible, opinions belongs to the past....Therefore I am sorry

Although i am keen on using EQ, most of the times i feel that i improve frequency response, but i loose the transparency/clarity/character of the headphone, so i go back to stock. I do believe that there is not neutrality as we would want to. Unfortunately more than one headphone is inevitable in order to have some kind of neutrality in different genres. The only phones i have tried and where close to what you want were the focal clear originals and the shure 1540. However the first was not as open as i would want and the second one was technically inferior, very enjoyable though (the only headphone i listened to the music and forgot i had headphones on my head).

 

[DarginMahkum]

Although i am keen on using EQ, most of the times i feel that i improve frequency response, but i loose the transparency/clarity/character of the headphone, so i go back to stock.

That is most probably because you are not using the EQ properly.

I do believe that there is not neutrality as we would want to.

Sorry, it has nothing to do with believing. It is not a religion.

Unfortunately more than one headphone is inevitable in order to have some kind of neutrality in different genres. The only phones i have tried and where close to what you want were the focal clear originals and the shure 1540. However the first was not as open as i would want and the second one was technically inferior, very enjoyable though (the only headphone i listened to the music and forgot i had headphones on my head).

 

[jamca]

That is most probably because you are not using the EQ properly.

Sorry, it has nothing to do with believing. It is not a religion.

Perhaps i do not use the eq properly, however i try to be very gentle . As long as believing in neutrality i was misunderstood. Of course there is objectivity, i was referring to headphones. I mean i do not believe that there is out there a truly neutral headphone. That one headphone sounds correct for one genre and another one sounds correct for another genre. Also even if there was a perfectly neutral headphone, which frequency curve it should follow? I think it is debatable. There is objectivity for measurements about dacs and amps, as signal should be transferred as it is, but the way we perceive the sound through headphones is a grey zone for many reasons.

 

[DarginMahkum]

Perhaps i do not use the eq properly, however i try to be very gentle . As long as believing in neutrality i was misunderstood. Of course there is objectivity, i was referring to headphones. I mean i do not believe that there is out there a truly neutral headphone. That one headphone sounds correct for one genre and another one sounds correct for another genre. Also even if there was a perfectly neutral headphone, which frequency curve it should follow? I think it is debatable. There is objectivity for measurements about dacs and amps, as signal should be transferred as it is, but the way we perceive the sound through headphones is a grey zone for many reasons.

Often the problem is either the production or our expectations. Production might differ so much, even within an album. Or there is a remix which has completely different bass and treble response. Also, it is unlikely people would like a concert hall acoustics with dead neutral speakers in clubs. So yes, people might prefer to have different tunings for different musics. Though I still believe in reference HPs (like DCA Stealth), with squeaky clean 20Hz to 18 kHz reproduction, without unexpected dips or spikes in frequency response, so that they can be easily retuned via EQ. That's why they are my endgame and I am not even checking what is new in the market anymore.

The tricky point about EQ is that it is all relative and when you tune, for example, something in the lows you might lose the clarity of the mids. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. It might change even depending on how tired your ears are.

So yeah, no single solution to rule them all as there is no absolute references for preferences for both producers and listeners. Harman Target is a good and often acceptable reference, though.

Where I don't fully agree is that, audiophiles are often exaggerating the gray zone you mentioned. There's a lot we know and tweak in the user space. After I started listening through HPs more seriously, despite my technical background I wanted to experience things first hand and lost a lot of money in hypes (that doesn't exclude the HPs I have at the moment but at least I drew the line) until I came to my senses. I would recommend everyone to be aware of things around them objectively to reach the level of subjective joy they are looking for. There is often too much misinformation to sell products which are nowhere near what they claim.

Anyway... Back to ADI-2...

 

[IXOYE]

Ok sorry for sparking another discussion. I should have said: "What headphones do you guys like" "Have you done anything to improve the sound to your likings"

Its all about staying woke as possible, neutral as possible, opinions belongs to the past....Therefore I am sorry

I have at the moment Sennheizer 660s and Sundara, I use EQ on both, as far as I understand no manufacturer has tuned their sound specifically to suit my ears, so in my opinion all headphones need to be EQ'd, I use NOS filter and Crossfeed 2 (Jan Meier emulation) and both sound devine with RME ADI-2, but i'm considering to sell my Sundara and buy Arya SE as a Christmas present for myself.

 

[OCC7N]

Any impressions on coax/spdif input?

Im gonna try it when I get my DDC running though, but have no cables yet.

 

[DarginMahkum]

Any impressions on coax/spdif input?

Im gonna try it when I get my DDC running though, but have no cables yet.

Same as USB.

 

[eswng679]

Same as USB.

Agree with audio quality being same for both SPDIF and USB. I run the RME with a Schiit EITR via SPDIF but have noticed no differences in sound.

The only thing I will note is that I can't seem to change the sample rate beyond 48K via USB (option is greyed out in Windows sound settings) but I can change it to 24/96 on the EITR. Anyone know how I can change the settings on USB for the RME?

 

[OCC7N]

I might have some impression of this dacs that made me realise a revelation. Wow!

Sometimes things gotta be read as a book.

I never understood it till yesterday.

This DAC keeps me out of the music, it makes me objectively listening. I dont feel the music is in my room, but like at a distant. Like it should be, if I were to mix in a pro studio…..

I dont enjoy music on this like other DAC. It feels like every song I hear, is like for the first time.