ADI 2 Series Discontinued, any news on successor?

[BassTinker]

Link posted on the 2/4 Pro thread, has details on all 3 units. Seems like all three will share the larger enclosure used in the 2/4.

RME introduces the next generation: Welcome to the ADI-2 EX series!

RME introduces the next generation: Welcome to the ADI-2 EX series! 03 June 2026 Just in time for HighEnd in Vienna, audio enthusiasts and mastering professiona...

www.musicnetwork.ch

In this source, they mention something of an RIAA EQ for vinyl MC cartridge input. However I can't find this on any other source, not even RMEs official website.

The ADI-2/4 SE had a dedicated MM vinyl cartridge input, which is quite useful for me and still convinces me of going with a used SE instead of the new EX models (+ the 4.4mm balanced output on the SE)

Does anyone have more info on whether the EX has this vinyl function or not?

 

[BassTinker]

Dumb this down please. Are you saying that any frequency dependant change (PEQ) means it will have an impact beyond the frequency change?

More precise would be: almost any PEQ results in a frequency-dependent amplitude change AND a frequency-dependent phase change

Most of the time, the phase change is not shown in PEQ user interfaces because the audible impact is non-existent or negligible. However, if you pump a shit-ton of EQ-ing on your signal (maybe even different EQs between left and right in low frequency), this will most likely influence your perceived sound quality not only based on the amplitude change.

But as a regular end user, don't worry about this too much. Limit your EQs maybe to 5 or 6 and don't go crazy high on your quality factor/"steepness" (often depicted as Q in thr user interfaces) of the EQs and you are good. Act on the principle "as many as needed, but as few as possible".

 

[KSTR]

More precise would be: almost any PEQ results in a frequency-dependent amplitude change AND a frequency-dependent phase change

But the point is that this phase change -- that of a minimum phase IIR filter design -- is the only correct one for any EQ to sound natural and not have strong pre-ringing artifacts.
There is a good reason all linear-phase EQs have been abandoned, it simply just doesn't work and sounds like shite.

 

[Sir Sanders Zingmore]

Every filter has its own frequency dependent amplitude response, which automatically results in a phase response. Always. That's mathematics,

I get that (think I even knew that)
But that’s very different to this claim isn’t it:

It's impossible to implement eq without artifacts both in digital and analog domains.

 

[KSTR]

Does anyone have more info on whether the EX has this vinyl function or not?

My educated guess would say no, for the Pro. If it did they would have mentioned it on the product page. The 2/4 seems to have it, as expected.

 

[KSTR]

But that’s very different to this claim isn’t it:

That claim is wrong, obviously

 

[KSTR]

I read the USB C is some kind of EU requirement. I don't think they had a choice on that.

AFAIK USB-C socket is only mandatory when USB is used to power a device, charging an internal battery.

 

[BassTinker]

But that’s very different to this claim isn’t it:

True, I just referred to the phase question since this was the initial question under discussion. At some point, the digital/analog comparison was brought in. And yes, as @KSTR said, you can't have "only digital" or "only analog" artifacts. At some point, you convert the signal via ADC or DAC and the resulting signal will inherit all of the artifacts that the original signal had at the input.

There is a good reason all linear-phase EQs have been abandoned, it simply just doesn't work and sounds like shite.

Mh can you elaborate what exactly you want to say with this? Slow Linear Phase filters are great if you want to prevent a Phase mess within the signal under test as you delay all wavelengths by the same amount of time. On the other hand, linear phase can create pre-ringing at very high steepness/Q-factor. So just generally saying "they sound crappy" is a bit short IMO and should be more of a question of the signal you are looking at, wouldn't it? There are still great applications cases for linear phase FIR.

Have in mind, this is my view as an engineer, not a musician/producer/FOH mixer. Happy to hear from another perspective.

 

[KSTR]

Linear-phase EQ or filters always have pre-ringing and time smear just by first principles. Remember what "minimum" actually denotes in the term "minimum phase", it denotes the smallest, most compact impulse response for a given magnitude response.

The consensus is to apply minimum-phase filters to correct minimum-phase problems, and most problems (including any EQ "to taste") are minimum-phase.

I do agree that when you have very gentle corrections then the difference is not that pronounced and the preringing is subtle and often inaudible.

 

[Rainer Dynszis]

I'm an extremely happy owner of an adi2 pro (black edition)

I'd probably be too if I were in your place. I'm only in the market for an EX (in principle) because the 2/4 Pro SE were all sold out when I was finally ready to pull the trigger.

In this source, they mention something of an RIAA EQ for vinyl MC cartridge input. However I can't find this on any other source, not even RMEs official website.

I understand that the RIAA EQ is a feature of the ADI-2/4 Pro EX only, not the other models. It's only logical that you can't find anything about RIAA on RME's official website, because they haven't announced the ADI-2/4 Pro EX yet, and the less expensive ADI-2 Pro EX won't have that feature.

 

[muslhead]

I'm an extremely happy owner of an adi2 pro (black edition)

What are the actual real world improvements for the new one? I only see trigger output, which is kinda useful, but don't really care about the other specs I've seen. I definitely don't care that the new one has chrome feet now.

I, too am happy and the only thing i can see worth upgrading for is (potentially) the fix for the very poor temperature control of the unit. Mine is hot when on. I had to purchase a 4mm high speed fan and attach it to the side of the unit, which does what RME should have done if designed better. Sadly the fan whines and can be heard on quiet passages of music. The price i had to pay (unknowingly) for owning an almost perfect DAC,

 

[Bland_username42069]

In this source, they mention something of an RIAA EQ for vinyl MC cartridge input. However I can't find this on any other source, not even RMEs official website.

The ADI-2/4 SE had a dedicated MM vinyl cartridge input, which is quite useful for me and still convinces me of going with a used SE instead of the new EX models (+ the 4.4mm balanced output on the SE)

Does anyone have more info on whether the EX has this vinyl function or not?

“Vinyl and microphone upgrades: RIAA equalization is now available in line mode (0 dB gain), which allows for the use of external preamps and simplifies the use of MC systems. A separate ground screw provides a ground connection for turntables. Additionally, extended reference levels up to -35 dBu allow for direct connection of dynamic microphones”

I take this to mean you can use a flat phono preamp for a line level signal and then apply RIAA in RME. This seems a very niche application though. Personally it would have been better to be able to just turn the RIAA on and off whilst still being able to use the full gain stage.

Surely this could just be done in a firmware update for the original 2/4.

finally a ground screw though. That was an annoying admission from the first model.

 

[BassTinker]

Good point, that might be what they intend to do with the 2/4. As you said, veeeeery niche. Would be a weird approach to split the phono preconditioning in two and leave one half to the user. Add a couple of bucks more to the price and make it a full preamp, please, RME

 

[Bland_username42069]

Good point, that might be what they intend to do with the 2/4. As you said, veeeeery niche. Would be a weird approach to split the phono preconditioning in two and leave one half to the user. Add a couple of bucks more to the price and make it a full preamp, please, RME

I use a 2/4 but personally I think the best solution is just a waxwing into a DAC. Although if you just play good condition modern recordings then 2/4 really is first class

 

[john61ct]

And please distinguish between effects only detectable with measurement instruments

and those that produce AUDIBLE unintended negative effects in the music reproduction.

Personally I am not concerned about the former.

 

[amper42]

I, too am happy and the only thing i can see worth upgrading for is (potentially) the fix for the very poor temperature control of the unit. Mine is hot when on. I had to purchase a 4mm high speed fan and attach it to the side of the unit, which does what RME should have done if designed better. Sadly the fan whines and can be heard on quiet passages of music. The price i had to pay (unknowingly) for owning an almost perfect DAC,

Wow... surprising. My RME ADI-2 DAC FS stays completely cool. It never even gets warm.

 

[muslhead]

Wow... surprising. My RME ADI-2 DAC FS stays completely cool. It never even gets warm.

I have the BE version. Not sure of the difference if there is any wrt cooling. Either way, I still have to decide whether i want to "upgrade" to the new version (when it is available) solely due to heat dissipation problems

 

[Grotti]

I have the BE version. Not sure of the difference if there is any wrt cooling. Either way, I still have to decide whether i want to "upgrade" to the new version (when it is available) solely due to heat dissipation problems

I own the same ADI with the same problem: it gets hot. But does it get too hot? Can't find it right now but I remember that this problem was addressed either here or at the RME forum. If I recall it correctly, the temperature was considered to be within the safety limits and not a concern. Right, @MC_RME ?

 

[amper42]

Apparently, the RME ADI-2 DAC FS runs totally cool while the ADI-2 BE case runs hot because they are totally different animals. BE adds double the DAC chips, analog-to-digital (ADC) converters, and complex input/output stages into the same size housing, generating substantially more heat.

BE Chassis Heat Sinking: The thick metal casing and a 10-layer PCB on BE model acts as a heatsink, transferring internal heat directly to the outer chassis. The BE exterior is engineered to feel hot to the touch as it dissipates internal heat. If it doesn't feel hot - it's not working. I can see why the BE model might benefit from a fan where ADI-2 DAC FS never even gets warm. This isn't a specification that was obvious to me by simply reading the RME sales literature.

 

[nagster]

"The new ADI-2 Pro EX is equipped with the AK5574 analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and the AK4493 digital-to-analog converter (DAC)."

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