[Noobzilla]

@Golyatx

Got them on Amazon in the U.S. I'm not sure about EU but definitely shop where there's good return policy so you won't be stuck with the item or lose money selling it as second hand in case you don't notice improvement or just not worth the price for whatever reason (there's a ton of variables like overall quality of all equipment, music files, etc). I've definitely returned items in the past despite claims of improvement by others.

You'll hear people with very strong opinions. What's reasonable for you may not be for others and vice versa. Which is fine. Do your research and make informed decisions. Be skeptical but have an open mind. Overall, it's best to try them yourself and decide on your own whether there's improvement and if it's worth the cost for you -- it's your money so don't let others dictate what's a waste of your money or not.

 

[Marutks]

Amazon. But after testing these there was no difference in sound from stock cable for me.

I have got Audioquest Forest USB cable. No difference from stock cable.

 

[Wladimir]

In almost 300 pages I think I found 2 or 3 people claiming they had improvements from running off DC instead of the wall wart or some other tweak. Oh there was that horrible Franken-RME that somebody did by soldering in some large caps to the point the case no longer fit- I am still trying to block that picture out of my mind

Yeah that one was legendary.
Anyway, you can count me in to those few lucky ones, who found a way to improve the sound from ADI-2.

First and foremost, power filtering was such a huge jump for me that when I got back to my original power strip, I was shocked, how could I've listened to that crap before.

Regarding power supplies, first gen iFi iPower 15V was some step up - not big, but noticeable, however hard to tell if worth it. Then I tried their last gen Elite version and that was a very clear improvement, even with filtering in place already.

Then I tried their USB iPurifier just out of curiosity and was convinced beforehand that I'll be returning it, but there was a clearly audible improvement again, so I happily kept it.

However, it's always system/environment dependable, so everybody can have different results, as always.

Best is to try it for yourself and better don't trust blindly to anyone, who is confidently claiming what is or isn't possible

 

[Marutks]

Regarding power supplies, first gen iFi iPower 15V was some step up - not big, but noticeable, however hard to tell if worth it. Then I tried their last gen Elite version and that was a very clear improvement, even with filtering in place already.

What do you use as a power conditioner?

Is it this power adapter that makes RME DAC sound better?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/iFi-iPower-Elite-Supply-Adapter/dp/B08THRHZY9

Do you think it will improve sound of my RME DAC? I use it with a tube amplifier. Do you use an amplifier with your DAC?

 

[Wladimir]

What do you use as a power conditioner?

Is it this power adapter that makes RME DAC sound better?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/iFi-iPower-Elite-Supply-Adapter/dp/B08THRHZY9

Do you think it will improve sound of my RME DAC? I use it with a tube amplifier. Do you use an amplifier with your DAC?

I just use a passive filtering strip - Oehlbach Powersocket 907. It was one of the items I wasn't expecting any audible improvement, but it cleaned the sound beyond my imagination, since I had perceived the sound fairly clean even before it.

I'm suspecting it's because I feed my ADI-2 from a PC, so together with screen & other desk electronics, they probably create a lot of "noise" or disturbances (or however it's properly called). So this might not and probably won't be the case for everyone! But for me definitely the best upgrade overall.

Beyond that filtering, iPower Elite (yes that's the one you sent) made the sound more "prominent" and clearer. Pretty unexpected change and hard to describe properly, maybe with better filtering won't be needed or vice versa - without any filtering could bring more improvement. But it's a keeper for me, since I enjoy my music better.

Yes I'm using it with a dedicated amplifier, GS-X Mini. Can't tell you how it's gonna behave in your system, but even with the built-in amp, I'm hearing the same improvements.

 

[ejswa51]

Just a stupid question. Say I would like to use the DSP engine with eq and the likes of this wonderful DAC, how could I get analogue vinyl sound in this thing? I thought an Rega Fono Mini A2D would work via connecting it's usb out to the RMA's usb in. But no sound comes through...
Any idea why? And would anyone have any other suggestions?
(Yes I know I'm converting analogue to digital to analogue which is stupid but ah let me be )

 

[gimmeheadroom]

Because the DAC is a USB device that communicates over USB drivers and so is the Rega (probably). They can't talk to each other.

The RME DAC does not have analog input. The pro version does though.

 

[Slaphead]

Just a stupid question. Say I would like to use the DSP engine with eq and the likes of this wonderful DAC, how could I get analogue vinyl sound in this thing? I thought an Rega Fono Mini A2D would work via connecting it's usb out to the RMA's usb in. But no sound comes through...
Any idea why? And would anyone have any other suggestions?
(Yes I know I'm converting analogue to digital to analogue which is stupid but ah let me be )

Digitise your vinyl - the digital copy, if done right, will retain everything you like about vinyl. The standard 16 bits of bit depth is overkill to capture vinyls dynamic range, and 96 khz sample rate will capture pretty much all frequencies on the format for a mint record on a first playthrough, but honestly 44 khz is more than enough as vinyl tends to lose whatever ultrasonic content it has after one or two playthroughs

If you want your existing digital music to sound more like analog then there's a whole host of tube and vinyl VSTs and AUs that you can use with your audio player - assuming it supports them.

 

[CaptainFantastic]

So a paragraph about this screen appears on page 31 of the manual. But why is it happening exactly?

It happened once a couple of months ago, and now again. I am not 100% sure, but I think the first time was the same sequence of events as this evening:

1) I turn on RME

2) I turn on my tube amp which is connected to RME via RCA cables

3) I plug in headphones and listen for 2-3 hours

4) I unplug from tube amp (zero volume and all that), turn off tube amp

5) I plug headphone jack into RME to listen directly via RME amp... I get this screen.

6) I try several times, same screen - it's as if it won't change automatically to headphones out from line out?

7) I wait 5 minutes, plug headphones in to the RME, now it works, no DC detected screen.

Does anyone know why this is happening?

 

[betula]

So a paragraph about this screen appears on page 31 of the manual. But why is it happening exactly?

It happened once a couple of months ago, and now again. I am not 100% sure, but I think the first time was the same sequence of events as this evening:

1) I turn on RME

2) I turn on my tube amp which is connected to RME via RCA cables

3) I plug in headphones and listed for 2-3 hours

4) I unplug from tube amp (zero volume and all that), turn off tube amp

5) I plug headphone jack into RME to listen directly via RME amp... I get this screen.

6) I try several times, same screen - it's as if it won't change automatically to headphones out from line out?

7) wait 5 minutes, plug headphones in, it works.

Does anyone know why this is happening?

What is your current firmware?

 

[CaptainFantastic]

What is your current firmware?

Latest. March update, 2nd update (I think there were two last month).

 

[gimmeheadroom]

Just a guess, if the tube amp is still plugged into the RME then I guess it is leaking DC after it's shut off. If so you could try unplugging the tube amp from the RME input between steps 4 and 5

 

[CaptainFantastic]

Just a guess, if the tube amp is still plugged into the RME then I guess it is leaking DC after it's shut off. If so you could try unplugging the tube amp from the RME input between steps 4 and 5

I was thinking that too, but since I don't have technical knowledge in this area I was hesitant to put it out there as a possibility. Assuming this is what's happening, does it mean the tube amp (Woo Audio WA3) is potentially damaging the RME with this leakage of current?

 

[gimmeheadroom]

I'm sorry, I think I was probably incorrect about even the possibility of that. I was in the middle of too many things when I posted it. Now I don't know what to say. Is it really too early for a beer? I'm gonna have to find out.

 

[CaptainFantastic]

No problem, really does seem like a likely scenario. I think I will ask on the RME forums directly.