RME ADI-2 DAC Thread

[musicmaker]

Just purchased one new and its due to arrive in a couple days. Can't wait.

 

[AudioQuality777]

Good review from the user RME ADI2 DAC.

https://www.tonstudio-forum.de/blog...AC-and-Headphones-Preamp-like-no-other-EN-DE/

 

[AudioQuality777]

New firmware with good additions ADI2 DAC (2018)!
Firmware Update FPGA 11 DSP 20

https://www.forum.rme-audio.de/viewtopic.php?id=26878

The second firmware update for the ADI-2 DAC mostly includes improvements recently done on the ADI-2 Pro. Here are the news for FPGA version 11 and DSP version 20.

- Newly programmed DAC subclock module. Note that the underlying issue never showed up with the ADI-2 DAC.

- Reworked several reset and initialization schemes in various modes and sample rates to avoid unexpected clicks and noise burst issues.

- Playing a PCM file at 176.4 kHz followed by a DSD64 file where both files have audio from start to end (usually special test files, not music...) could cause a 250 ms noise burst during transition.

- The automatic DSD DoP detection (present as hardware module at the digital input, USB playback and in front of the DAC chip) can now be disabled. This option turned out to be necessary when using the ADI-2 DAC for measurements and generating extreme high frequencies [1], but is nothing to worry about if one is just listening to music. Default: SETUP - Options - Device Mode - DSD Detection - ON.

- New option 'Toggle Screen' in the Remap key section. Assigning this function to one of the programmable keys of the remote will toggle between the three top screens Analyzer, Dark Volume and State Overview. In case AutoDark is active the first press will show the current top screen for 10 seconds, a second press within this time changes to the next one. Note: the number of functions for Remap Keys is now 22

 

[Coolblue]

RME ADI-2 DAC seems to provide so much quality and flexibility that it prompted me to purchase one new and its due to arrive tomorrow. .

 

[kundica]

RME ADI-2 DAC seems to provide so much quality and flexibility that it prompted me to purchase one new and its due to arrive tomorrow. .

Mine was due today but at this point it doesn't look like it will arrive anytime soon. I ordered from ZenPro Audio which I suggest people stay away from. They shipped it USPS which on their website it states they only ship very small items under a pound or two through USPS and everything else FedEx. If I knew they would ship such a valuable item through the post, I would've upgraded the shipping. The item shipped from South Carolina to DC which is about 6 1/2 hours away by car yet my DAC is currently in Chicago moving from from one station to another.

I should've known better though. Over a month ago I preordered the same item from them but about a day before it was due to be in stock they emailed to inform me that it wouldn't be. They said the preauth on my credit card had expired and they wanted to run it again (for purchase, not auth) yet they didn't know for sure when the item would come into stock. At that point I said I was no longer interested.

 

[cardeli22]

Mine was due today but at this point it doesn't look like it will arrive anytime soon. I ordered from ZenPro Audio which I suggest people stay away from. They shipped it USPS which on their website it states they only ship very small items under a pound or two through USPS and everything else FedEx. If I knew they would ship such a valuable item through the post, I would've upgraded the shipping. The item shipped from South Carolina to DC which is about 6 1/2 hours away by car yet my DAC is currently in Chicago moving from from one station to another.

I should've known better though. Over a month ago I preordered the same item from them but about a day before it was due to be in stock they emailed to inform me that it wouldn't be. They said the preauth on my credit card had expired and they wanted to run it again (for purchase, not auth) yet they didn't know for sure when the item would come into stock. At that point I said I was no longer interested.

That's nuts. SC to DC by way of Chicago? Not sure how the hell USPS figured that's the best route to your home.

 

[kundica]

That's nuts. SC to DC by way of Chicago? Not sure how the hell USPS figured that's the best route to your home.

Yeah. What pisses me off the most though, is when I contacted ZenPro to express my concern they were dismissive and suggested that I use FedEx the next time I order something from them. I've bought a lot of professional gear over the years from places like Sweetwater and B&H, yet never experienced them shipping via USPS or putting the blame on me for the company going against its stated policy.

 

[cardeli22]

Yeah. What pisses me off the most though, is when I contacted ZenPro to express my concern they were dismissive and suggested that I use FedEx the next time I order something from them. I've bought a lot of professional gear over the years from places like Sweetwater and B&H, yet never experienced them shipping via USPS or putting the blame on me for the company going against its stated policy.

Yeah that sucks. Hopefully it arrives safe. As an expat living in Germany and seeing all those American news reports and online videos of packages "delivered' to someone's doorstep only to be stolen soon after, it makes me wonder how this happens so often.

 

[sikki-six]

I'm very, very pleased with ADI-2 DAC after about two weeks of use. The DAC is clean and non-fatiguing with a very nice sense of space. For such a small unit, I'm surprised RME managed to fit such a nice amp-section in there too. I've mostly listened to my HD600 and the amp for me sounds better than my Lyr 2 (with LISSTs, connected into the line-outs): way snappier & tighter low-end and much less hazy/grainy sound overall. Lyr 2 sounds slightly darker, kind of more romantic (some might like this?) with less instrument separation and generally less detailed. Schiit puts out more subs and bass overall, but it's messier. Bass guitars are easier to follow with the ADI-amp. Differences aren't huge, but speed & clarity go to RME quite easily. I've mostly listened to rock, metal, pop, acoustic, hip-hop etc.

And yeah, I'm loving the usability and overall awesome features of this device. The bass/treble controls on the front panel are a breeze to use when listening to thin/trebly/bloated/etc. mixes or when tired. Tried the EQ too briefly and found it easy to get around.

I still have some extensive listening (and EQing) to do with LCD-2 and HD800 especially, I'll report back!

 

[musicmaker]

Anyone familiar with NOS dacs care to comment on how close the ADI-2 Dac’s NOS filter setting gets to sounding like the real thing? I’ve only ever had delta sigma dacs and I’m thinking of taking the NOS plunge. Not to replace my ADI-2 but to complement it in my setup.

I have a Holo Sprint L3 Kitsune R2R NOS dac. The NOS filter in the ADI-2 DAC is a nice attempt but the real NOS R2R dac is superior in every way. Its no contest. Of course the Holo is more expensive too.

 

[musicmaker]

BTW, I have one for sale. Its basically brand new, just took it out of the box to test if its works properly. Was supposed to take it for someone overseas but trip got cancelled. Can return to vendor but wanted to offer it for sale here as the its hard to find in stock !

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/rme-adi-2-dac-1-day-old.875413/

 

[Coolblue]

I ordered mine from legendary_pro_audio via eBay and it got directly drop shipped and would be getting delivered today via UPS.
So no issues there seems. Seems like seller has their own website https://legendaryproaudio.com/.
Waiting eagerly for it to arrive.

 

[ZenErik]

I have a Holo Sprint L3 Kitsune R2R NOS dac. The NOS filter in the ADI-2 DAC is a nice attempt but the real NOS R2R dac is superior in every way. Its no contest. Of course the Holo is more expensive too.

What makes the Holo superior 'in every way in' your opinion? Would be nice to hear some specific details about the differences.

 

[AudioQuality777]

I'm very, very pleased with ADI-2 DAC after about two weeks of use. The DAC is clean and non-fatiguing with a very nice sense of space. For such a small unit, I'm surprised RME managed to fit such a nice amp-section in there too. I've mostly listened to my HD600 and the amp for me sounds better than my Lyr 2 (with LISSTs, connected into the line-outs): way snappier & tighter low-end and much less hazy/grainy sound overall. Lyr 2 sounds slightly darker, kind of more romantic (some might like this?) with less instrument separation and generally less detailed. Schiit puts out more subs and bass overall, but it's messier. Bass guitars are easier to follow with the ADI-amp. Differences aren't huge, but speed & clarity go to RME quite easily. I've mostly listened to rock, metal, pop, acoustic, hip-hop etc.

And yeah, I'm loving the usability and overall awesome features of this device. The bass/treble controls on the front panel are a breeze to use when listening to thin/trebly/bloated/etc. mixes or when tired. Tried the EQ too briefly and found it easy to get around.

I still have some extensive listening (and EQing) to do with LCD-2 and HD800 especially, I'll report back!

Thanks.Good overview

 

[musicmaker]

What makes the Holo superior 'in every way in' your opinion? Would be nice to hear some specific details about the differences.

The RME only has a few hours of runtime and my Holo has about 50 hours. If I'm doing a proper comparison it would be fair to let the RME unit burn in for a few days before critical listening. So take these as initial impressions. The RME is a great sounding unit and for the price is a no brainer. Having said that, the L3 kitsune sounds much more refined both in the bass and lower and upper treble. The bass has more texture and impact and goes deeper. The treble is smoother yet beautifully extended. Midrange, I really cant tell a difference. Both units sound very transparent and open. The Kitsune has a better soundstage and more importantly for headphone listening precise imaging (ie the placement of instruments in that space) compared to the ADI-2 dac. If I hadn't heard the Holo, I would be very satisfied with the ADI-2. I do wish the ADI-2 had a bit more authority in the lower and upper bass while still maintaining neutrality like the Holo manages to do.

The amp section is pretty good on the ADI-2. I also tried it as dac only with my headamp GS-X mkII to compare with the holo. Hope this helps.