RME ADI-2 DAC Thread

[tekkster]

To be fair, ive had a listen to the HD800 and they sound meh... i honestly think there are better headphones out there for the same price or less.
imo, HD800 is over hyped to the max. I've yet to hear the HD800S properly, and i havent tried the HD820 yet. so no comment on thoes, but i would never personally buy the HD800 for my setup. xD

Absolutely believe that opinions on audio sound profiles will vary widely by their nature, since audio perception is so subjective.

My own experience with the HD800 is that it is an exceptional headphone, As one of the early headphones during the post iPod (2000's) massive resurgence of high end headphones, The HD800, to me anyway, is both iconic, and still holds it's own as a wide soundstage headphones.

Not as fast as old Stax, Koss, from the 80's and 90's, sure, but as a high end headphone that could be powered by a low end amp, and an exceptional sounding headphone our of the HDVD800 when they launched together, it really was a stunningly beautiful sounding headphone.

To each their own, but despite buying more expensive headphones (e.g. Utopia, KSE1200, SR009s), the HD800 still gets a lot of use in my home (along with the oft under-rated T1, which also gets a lot of use)

 

[tekkster]

you sure? ive heard lots of people talk about using the 6.35 input with more power hungry headphones and the bass was perfectly fine. maybe you had it on low power setting?

Agree here. While it's true that an external amp can help and I do often use the T1 with an iCan Pro to the ADI-2 DAC, it's certainly true that the ADI-2 DAC in high-power mode is pretty powerful, and more than enough to drive power hungry T1s, HE1K, etc. Whether you feel the "oomph" impact or not may be questionable depending on what sound profile you're looking for may be up for debate, but with the right EQ'ing (which the ADI-2 does exceptionally well and granularly), there really are very few headphones that ADI-2 can't drive.

 

[Dave S]

To be fair, ive had a listen to the HD800 and they sound meh... i honestly think there are better headphones out there for the same price or less.
imo, HD800 is over hyped to the max. I've yet to hear the HD800S properly, and i havent tried the HD820 yet. so no comment on thoes, but i would never personally buy the HD800 for my setup. xD

Yeah better off sticking with your Beoplay's

 

[Tsukuyomi]

Yeah better off sticking with your Beoplay's

Rude. The H6 are actually fantastic over all cans for commuting and portable use. You dont have to belittle them. Atleast my enjoyment isnt dictated by the price tag like some people.

 

[CaptainFantastic]

My ADI-2 arrived today. What an experience. A lot of literature to go through to get going. Enjoying all the functionalities, learning about the filters and other options. The analyzer is even nicer than expected as an aesthetic bonus (and informational, why not).

My unit came loaded with firmware version 21. I see that there is a newer one from November. I downloaded the file and even after reboots, nothing happens when I click on the .exe file fut_mfusb3.exe. Has anyone else had this issue?

 

[CaptainFantastic]

Just 5 minutes later I figured it out. Strangely, I had to first update the driver, reboot, then the firmware update worked. Easy, quick, clean.

 

[cardeli22]

Just got mine today from the Headfi marketplace. I'm at work so I can't really play with it until I get home. Looks amazing. Small but with some heft to it. Can't wait to try it with my Dt 1990 pro and MassDrop Plus iems.

 

[Tsukuyomi]

Just got mine today from the Headfi marketplace. I'm at work so I can't really play with it until I get home. Looks amazing. Small but with some heft to it. Can't wait to try it with my Dt 1990 pro and MassDrop Plus iems.

I should be getting mine this week also, ill plug my dt1990 pro asap and we can share experiences

 

[cardeli22]

I should be getting mine this week also, ill plug my dt1990 pro asap and we can share experiences

Ah to be able to describe it like this:
That is the dream. LOL

 

[canali]

Sorry but you will need an amp for anything but IEM's. There was very little bass with my HD800's direct from the DAC, add in my amp and the bass came back!

The Arcam rHead is a great amp to use with this dac.

i wonder how the recently released monolith cavelli liquid platinum would sound with this dac.
(this is a pairing i'm considering or else cavelli with qutest).

i only currently have the mojo for my 6xx and lcd2c...will be upgrading soon.
https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=33305

 

[sikki-six]

HD800 sounding flat out of ADI-2 DAC? Come on, just learn to use that EQ. It's a flawed masterpiece of a headphone FR-wise. A mirror-image bass boost of the bass roll-off seen in measurements works wonders down low. But, even more important is dealing with the spike at about 6K... I have the cut set at -6db @6,5k with Q4,5. I also cut the treble above 7k 1-2db.

800 is a real chameleon of headphones because of its lack of distortion, you can EQ it very well to suit your needs (10db boosts etc. are always a bad idea, though). Yeah, it won't slam like an LCD-2, but it'll have some very nice subs when EQ'd to suit one's taste (maybe +5db @20Hz, Q 0,5). And yeah, it will not be clinical or fatiguing in the slightest.

ADI-2 DAC has plenty of power to drive the 800, but I understand some folks are looking for different flavours. Then maybe start thinking of tubes. Or just really learn to use that EQ and save a bunch of money.

 

[fonna]

Connected the adi 2 to my marantz hd amp1, sounds great.. however..do you guys have any advice on volume for me? Should i keep the adi 2 on max volume? And just control the volume on the marantz?

 

[Slaphead]

Connected the adi 2 to my marantz hd amp1, sounds great.. however..do you guys have any advice on volume for me? Should i keep the adi 2 on max volume? And just control the volume on the marantz?

Check out page 37 (section 19.3) of the manual as this will give you an idea of how to set the volume control for maximum S/N ratio. Personally I'd set it so that you have a reasonable swing on the Marantz amp volume control.

 

[devante1977]

Connected the adi 2 to my marantz hd amp1, sounds great.. however..do you guys have any advice on volume for me? Should i keep the adi 2 on max volume? And just control the volume on the marantz?

The forums at RME have a few threads that discuss something like this. Considering the capabilities in regards to loudness and EQing I don't think you would need to crank your adi-2 to its max. I don't with my Jotunheim.

https://www.forum.rme-audio.de/viewtopic.php?id=28008

https://www.forum.rme-audio.de/viewtopic.php?id=27924

https://www.forum.rme-audio.de/viewtopic.php?id=27842

EDIT: I don't have any specific info to give to you myself since I am also learning as I go as a newb to all this headphone-audiophile-adventure craziness

 

[NickedWicked]

New firmware is out.

https://www.forum.rme-audio.de/viewtopic.php?id=28058