I ended up returning the unit with the faulty display-sticking with my AresII...
RME ADI-2 DAC Thread
- Thread starter NickedWicked
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That's 600 € more than the old RME ADI 2 PRO and more than double of the RME ADI 2 DAC FS. I could be wrong, but I don't think the new model could justify the price difference just for a pentaconn output and more power.
If you are just powering the headphones in your signature, you will be wasting money by adding another amp. Unless you are going to power something really power hungry like- Susvara, HE6 or 1266TC etc then you will need more power. Otherwise you have nothing to gain by adding an additional amp.
Edit: additional caveat- unless you want to experiment with tubes. I recommend Ampsandsound or Woo Audio (I would skip the ever popular but 'meh' Bottlehead Crack).
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jamca
100+ Head-Fier
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Could you tell us which headphone will you pair with it? From my experience generally it is not necessary. It is one of the best i tried, and the only thing that bothers me as device is the quality control issues that should not exist (defective screens, weird hand soldered cable patches...)
evhvis
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The sound stage on the ADI-2 DAC FS isn't the largest but the amp is quite good. I mostly just use it and am happy with it. Expect to spend close to the same money or more on an amp that will be meaningfully better unless you need massive amounts of power.
Very exciting news.
I am not (yet) in disagreement with you about the price increase. However, there are a few more changes here than just the pentaconn and more power. Known tangible upgrades are: More power, Pentaconn connector, 12v remote power trigger on the back, 20% more DSP power, even lower noise floor for IEM use, ability for engineers to loop and monitor the analog chain at the same time. It is also said to have lower THD, which will not be an audible improvement, since it was already way below the hearing threshold. They have not disclosed yet what they are doing with the extra 20% of DSP power. My guess (hope really) is that they use it to make the unit into a 10 band PEQ, in leu of the current 7 (5 + B/T added in the menu). To me, if it only has the increased power, pentaconn and increased PEQ, it would be worth the price increase.
Sources:
RME ADI-2/4 Pro SE Digital Converter - Gearspace @ Superbooth 2022
RME User Forum → ADI-2 Pro & ADI-2 DAC → ADI-2/4 Prototyp
I agree with you. If they have improved the PEQ with a 10 band one, alonside the power and the 4,4 output, it could justify the price steep.
I don't care at all for proffessional uses, so I cannot value those features, but improving the PEQ is a must for me.
I guess we'll find out soon.
Slaphead
500+ Head-Fier
If somebody needs more that a 5 band PEQ then either something is seriously wrong with their source material, or very seriously wrong with their understanding of EQ.
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Well. You could easily need more than 5 bands even if you source and headphones are good. It's a matter of tastes. I use 7 bands with my Finals D8000 PRO and I still like them in their stock tuning, but I like fine tuning them.
The thing is that, in my opinion, they need to improve that feature to adjust it to the standar of 10 bands.
gimmeheadroom
Headphoneus Supremus
I lived through the graphic EQ wars of the 1970s and to this day I never used it. I have an SAE Parametric 3 bander somewhere and that was always more than enough.
Some people live to turn knobs, I'm not one of them
If you have a headphone with a messy frequency response, peaks and valleys close to each other etc you will need more than 5 bands. For some speaker room correction scenarios you will again possibly need more. Though I generally get by with 2-4. I have thousands of hours of PEQ and analog EQ. I also know several professional sound engineers and have sat in on hundreds of hours of recording and mastering sessions. I am no 'expert', but I understand EQ very well. Certainly more than most.
After the RME DAC FS has had some burnin, the iPurifier3 did not go well, it felt like a veil. It sounds better without it. I am trying so hard to like this DAC. Its soo lifeless. No seperation, everything sound mashed together in a dry coating. Vocal are too much in the "background"
Even the most joyeful, vibing songs feels dead. No musicality.
What can I do to push some life into this. What Im I doing wrong?
EQ is off
Loudness on Bass/Treble on 3dB and Low Ref level at -20dB
B/T 3/2.5 47Hz/7kHz
Currently settings:
Auto Ref Level on
HiPower on
Mono off
Width 1
MS proc off
Polarity off
Crossfeed off
DA filter SD Sharp
De-emphasis off
Dual EQ off
Lock Volume off
Balance C
Loopback to USB off
Dig DC Protection ON
Even the most joyeful, vibing songs feels dead. No musicality.
What can I do to push some life into this. What Im I doing wrong?
EQ is off
Loudness on Bass/Treble on 3dB and Low Ref level at -20dB
B/T 3/2.5 47Hz/7kHz
Currently settings:
Auto Ref Level on
HiPower on
Mono off
Width 1
MS proc off
Polarity off
Crossfeed off
DA filter SD Sharp
De-emphasis off
Dual EQ off
Lock Volume off
Balance C
Loopback to USB off
Dig DC Protection ON
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Looks like you don't like High Fidelity then, because that's what a DAC like the RME ADI is going to give you. Transparent sound without any coloration.
Sounds like dude needs something that 'colors' the sound. Or makes it sound 'better'. Like a Chord TT2, a tube amp or similar. RME products just reproduce what is in the recording. Nothing else.
Well, I get that people like coloured sound. I like headphones with tuning that is far from what we could call "neutral" and like some tube amps, but I want my DACs to be transparent and true to the source.
Im more shocked that he claims thar the RME ADI 2 DAC FS gives you a mashed sound with no separation.
I would love to hear the DACs that he consider to give a good sound then, because I already love what I hear from my DAC.
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