New (2021) RME Fireface UCX II

[Music1969]

It's not the multichannel version of ADI-2 FS PRO DAC/ADC that I've been dreaming of but it's closer and definitely stellar specs and improvement over Mk 1 .

https://www.rme-audio.de/fireface-ucx-ii.html

I like this feature :

 

[Music1969]

@MC_RME not that it's critically important but what DAC and ADC chip models are being used in this?

It's mentioned in ADI-2 products so I think fair to ask here too.

 

[markb]

When Western Digital bought SanDisk some years ago the controller of this particular model was changed and performance from then on sucked big time.​

Gotta love RME manuals. They're fun to read, full of useful info, and no BS or PC in there.

 

[devink]

@MC_RME are the output levels (+19 dBu, +13 dBu, +4 dBu) relay switched like the ADI-2? I'm guessing not since that would be an awful lot of relays, but I can dream…

 

[MC_RME]

No relays in that small unit, sorry. AD is AK5558, DA is AK4458. We secured tons of these chips very early so will have no problem to manufacture the units for the forseeable future.

 

[Music1969]

No relays in that small unit, sorry. AD is AK5558, DA is AK4458. We secured tons of these chips very early so will have no problem to manufacture the units for the forseeable future.

Nice, thanks.

If you have excess you can sell some AK4458 to Denon for a good price I imagine

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...akm-ak4458-dac-ic-in-x4700h-and-x6700h.22798/

 

[Trell]

The recommended price for the unit is 1299 Euro: https://www.thomann.de/de/rme_fireface_ucx_ii.htm

 

[Trell]

No relays in that small unit, sorry. AD is AK5558, DA is AK4458. We secured tons of these chips very early so will have no problem to manufacture the units for the forseeable future.

What is the maxpower per channel @ 300 Ohm load for the headphone output? Only 32 Ohm is specified in the manual.

 

[AnalogSteph]

What is the maxpower per channel @ 300 Ohm load for the headphone output? Only 32 Ohm is specified in the manual.

I would imagine the output can hit the full +19 dBu starting from somewhere around 100 ohms, so expect approx. 157 mW. (Julian Krause has yet to measure an interface with more than approximately half that, so it's no slouch.)

Seems that in keeping with RME's tradition, they've squeezed basically datasheet-level performance out of the converters, too. To be fair, the (midrange) parts chosen are not exactly glamourous, but combined with the analog gain setting choices they should easily get the job done in practice.

 

[pjug]

Is it just me or does anyone else a little jolt browsing past this thread title with what appear to be Strategic caps and what can be mistaken for exclamation points:

Fireface UCX II

 

[Music1969]

I would imagine the output can hit the full +19 dBu starting from somewhere around 100 ohms, so expect approx. 157 mW. (Julian Krause has yet to measure an interface with more than approximately half that, so it's no slouch.)

True but @Julian Krause has yet to measure ADI-2 FS DAC and it's headphone output.

I was hoping UCX II would have headphone performance like ADI-2 but unfortunately not.

 

[DJBonoBobo]

Is the breakout cable (BO968) included?

 

[Trell]

Is the breakout cable (BO968) included?

Not included, according to the manual linked to in post 3.

 

[DJBonoBobo]

Not included, according to the manual linked to in post 3.

That´s why i asked.

The features list includes the d-sub as well as rca-sockets - if the breakout cable isn´t included they should write that a little more clearly, I think.

 

[digitalfrost]

From the manual:

Voltage Ranges Line Out 1-6, unbalanced (mono jack), unloaded: +19 dBu: +9.5 V, +13 dBu: +4.75 V, +4 dBu: +1.7 V

Assuming I want to run a Benchmark AHB2 from two of the outputs (9.8V RMS/22dBu in low gain mode) and a regular home hifi power amp (2V RMS for full output) with others. Can I select the output voltage for each output or do I set all of them to +19dBu and then scale down the output in TotalMix as to not overwhelm the 2V amp?

e: From later in the manual:

Level. Sets the reference levels of the 6 analog Line outputs. The available settings are +4 dBu, +13 dBu and +19 dBu. The Phones (channels 7-8) have a Low (+4 dBu) and High (+19 dBu) setting to choose from.

So it seems it's for all. But I'm even more confused now. According to this http://www.sengpielaudio.com/calculator-db-volt.htm 19dBu is only 6.9V?

 

[MC_RME]

Not included, according to the manual linked to in post 3.

Thanks for pointing out this error. I added

Optical cable (TOSLINK), 2 m (6.6 ft)
B0968 Digital breakout cable (XLR/RCA)

to the Package Contents list of the manual.

 

[MC_RME]

Can I select the output voltage for each output

Yes. Should be clear from the picture, this setting is per channel.

 

[Zarvonn]

@MC_RME interesting this unit isn't using a thunderbolt connection like it's bigger brother the UFX+. Didn't intel drop the licensing fee for TB? Seems like you can't even find a USB port on a new computer. Will USB 2.0 be able to handle 40 channels?

Also, what is the price going to be for this unit?

 

[MC_RME]

The TB situation is unchanged. USB 2.0 is good enough for 70 channels record PLUS 70 channels playback (RME MADIface Pro), the UFX II has only 20 channels per direction. TB for such a small amount of channels would just mean wasted money for a more expensive interface (same for USB 3).

Your comment on USB on new computers is misleading. USB 2.0 is always available. Simple and cheap (passive!) adapters to any kind of connector format are easy to get and these days a necessity to have anyway.

 

[devink]

Another good reason to avoid Thunderbolt interfaces is that they cannot be further than ~2m from the computer because of cable limitations.

Probably not an issue for non-pros, but it can be really annoying / difficult to work around if, for example, you want the interface on your desk but want the computer further away or in a machine closet.