[uelover]

Please calm down, and respect each individual experience, rather than categorically shooting them down as invalid.

 

[musicmaker]

I absolutely hear a difference with USB cables.

Also does the RMEADI-2 PRO have usb galvanic isolation built in ?

 

[lowvolume]

I've been giving out objective impressions of devices

You meant 'subjective', right? Or where is the objective proof that what you hear isn't just imagination? Where are your blind tests and objective measurement data?

 

[Dogmatrix]

I know I had to let go of quite a few electronic prejudices before I was ready to buy . First the tiny stature , bigger is better right . What about all those op amps , big discrete transistors for high end gear please . Does a 2k piece of audio gear really come with a switch mode floor wart ? I thought SMT was for remote controls and mobile phones . Don't even mention the rat shack break out connector . USB related stuff was the least of my concerns .
Glad I let it all go as this is the best piece of head fi gear I have ever purchased .

 

[uelover]

I know I had to let go of quite a few electronic prejudices before I was ready to buy . First the tiny stature , bigger is better right . What about all those op amps , big discrete transistors for high end gear please . Does a 2k piece of audio gear really come with a switch mode floor wart ? I thought SMT was for remote controls and mobile phones . Don't even mention the rat shack break out connector . USB related stuff was the least of my concerns .
Glad I let it all go as this is the best piece of head fi gear I have ever purchased .

It has all the things that audiophiles despise upon (e.g. delta-sigma, smallish stature, many many op-amps, switching PSU) and to this date, those things still bug me every now and then.

But man, it does sound better than many other audio equipment that claimed to have done all the "right" things.

 

[lowvolume]

The public information available on the ADI-2 Pro (DAC should be the same) gives some ideas why the unit is more audiophile than you might realize. Are you aware that they used a 10 layer PCB? And that there are several ground planes in it which have more copper thickness than usual? Yes, they do use op-amps, but really good ones that also cost considerably more than the standard 4580, which might be a reason for the unit's higher price (a 2 channel interface from RME would have cost far below 1,000 bucks, me thinks). The internal power supply regeneration with double active filtering makes the external SMPS a non-issue. Additionally RME claimed in their forum that the SMPS that they use is exceptionally clean (compared to others).

Then you get SteadyClock - highly efficient active jitter suppression. No HiFi voodoo but studio technology. Look at most other 'DACs'. They often use clocking steered from their XMOS USB chip, or the asynchronous mode of an ESS DAC chip which equals resampling. I have seen asynchronous DACs with expensive Crystek oscillators that still show high jitter because their SPDIF input sucks - not so with the RME.

The DSP stuff added to the unit has matured over 20 years - in my opinion they know their crap and do it right.

Finally - the concept. Adding sensor contacts to the phones jacks and all that is cleverly controlled with it makes using the unit 'audiophile' as well, in that sense.

Sometimes I get interested in other units, like the upcoming Monoprice DAC with THX AAA 788 phones output stage. On paper its THD and SNR outperform RME's Extreme Power stage, but - does it ramp up the volume? Does it start at a lower level to prevent hearing damage? Does it have overload and DC protection? I bet not. It is these things (among many others) that make the ADI-2 Pro (and DAC) so wonderful. IMHO.

 

[NickedWicked]

You meant 'subjective', right? Or where is the objective proof that what you hear isn't just imagination? Where are your blind tests and objective measurement data?

I mean sure, it's not purely objective as I don't have measurements, expectation-bias is for me at least not really present, I barely even look at the cable itself although the craftsmanship is pretty nice.

I just have a set of benchmark tracks I always use and that I'm very familiar with, sit behind my desktop, use gear that I've become very familiar with, and with my own ears that I know and trust. And if I notice something out of the ordinary in one of those benchmark tracks when swapping cables I just note it down, plain and simple. In the end the Carbon just seemed to do it all a bit better. Seems trustworthy enough to me at least.

 

[Soundwave76]

'Seems trustworthy enough to me at least.'

Both your senses and your mind's interpretation of your senses are far far far from trustworthy. Read for example this, with an open mind, and learn: http://nwavguy.blogspot.fi/2011/05/subjective-vs-objective-debate.html

Steering the discussion more back into the ADI-2 Pro, how many of you have actually run the bit perfect test? I have and my PC based system passed. For me this is a great feature to have. No need to wonder and guess if the system is running as it should.

 

[cardeli22]

'Seems trustworthy enough to me at least.'

Both your senses and your mind's interpretation of your senses are far far far from trustworthy. Read for example this, with an open mind, and learn: http://nwavguy.blogspot.fi/2011/05/subjective-vs-objective-debate.html

Steering the discussion more back into the ADI-2 Pro, how many of you have actually run the bit perfect test? I have and my PC based system passed. For me this is a great feature to have. No need to wonder and guess if the system is running as it should.

LOL sooner or later subjective vs objective always leads back to Nwavguy.

 

[Soundwave76]

^ yes, it's called 'The Nwavguy Rule' in the audiophile discussion boards...

 

[uelover]

I mean sure, it's not purely objective as I don't have measurements, expectation-bias is for me at least not really present, I barely even look at the cable itself although the craftsmanship is pretty nice.

I just have a set of benchmark tracks I always use and that I'm very familiar with, sit behind my desktop, use gear that I've become very familiar with, and with my own ears that I know and trust. And if I notice something out of the ordinary in one of those benchmark tracks when swapping cables I just note it down, plain and simple. In the end the Carbon just seemed to do it all a bit better. Seems trustworthy enough to me at least.

We value your subjective experience and input. Don’t be put off by critics. They will always be around.

 

[Dogmatrix]

I am curious as to the engineering mix between RME and their manufacturing partner IMM Gruppe . Clearly the concept and firmware is all RME but I wonder if the immaculate smt layout and 10 layer board is IMM , no consequence of course but interesting .

 

[lowvolume]

I am curious as to the engineering mix between RME and their manufacturing partner IMM Gruppe . Clearly the concept and firmware is all RME but I wonder if the immaculate smt layout and 10 layer board is IMM , no consequence of course but interesting .

I am pretty sure the RME team has at least three production partners, and the ADI-2 Pro and DAC are made in Germany, but not by IMM. Check their manuals, you can get a clue when checking the warranty and electric waste return section.

 

[Dogmatrix]

I am pretty sure the RME team has at least three production partners, and the ADI-2 Pro and DAC are made in Germany, but not by IMM. Check their manuals, you can get a clue when checking the warranty and electric waste return section.

That is interesting , I thought it was IMM because I know they manufactured RME devices in the past . In the manual it mentions Audio AG but in a search of this company I can find no mention of production only distribution .
I have left a question on the RME forum , hopefully someone can enlighten me .

 

[johnreekie]

Sometimes I get interested in other units, like the upcoming Monoprice DAC with THX AAA 788 phones output stage. On paper its THD and SNR outperform RME's Extreme Power stage, but -

Funny you should mention that, I was interested in the THX amp version 789 currently on Massdrop (as a general purpose transparent amp for other equipment) but the THX engineer was unable to provide any information at all about channel matching in the volume control, despite it being "designed for objectivists". RME have a section in the manual about the (digital) volume control, and I guess I'm starting to appreciate accuracy in that regard.