• WANTED: Happy members who like to discuss audio and other topics related to our interest. Desire to learn and share knowledge of science required. There are many reviews of audio hardware and expert members to help answer your questions. Click here to have your audio equipment measured for free!

DACs with built in PEQ like RME?

DEALUX

Active Member
Joined
Aug 31, 2019
Messages
179
Likes
211
Location
Arad, Romania
Are there any other good DACs that have built in DSP (full parametric) like the RME ADI-2? The RME is nice but it doesn't have the most powerful headphone output.
 
Are there any other good DACs that have built in DSP (full parametric) like the RME ADI-2? The RME is nice but it doesn't have the most powerful headphone output.
Not aware of other brands but the adi 2 pro and pro 2/4 se have balanced and they before more powerful outputs. But you pay for it.

Poor man's solution would be to stack an adi 2 onto a Topping a70 or similar.
 
The more advanced interfaces from Moto offer advanced on-device DSP options, ranging from mixing channels to crossover, PEQ, and compressors (and these work also without a PC connected). Something like Ultralite MK5, but I doubt it will have a better headphones output. if you want/need that, get a separate headphone amp.
 
Since software players with good PEQ facility are so widespread, I don't see the point, really.
Say a portable DAC like Mojo2 could in a some way justify having some sort of tone controls, but a desktop one??
Even Mojo2, claim to fame is having superior tone controls, because it is hardware based at much higher bitrates, with all overload protections already in place, half convenience, half sound quality.
But I am damned to hear any differences between that, and PEQ on my Neutron Player (Android phone) or using Jriver on a Windows PC.
 
Umm, what? :oops:

He is right. There is juuuust enough output on the RME to drive my DCA Stealths to "moderate" listening volume. Bear in mind that I listen to classical, nearly all the recordings aren't mastered very loud anyway. So I need a bit more gain than most.

Another solution would be to host the PEQ on the player. Both my DAP and JRiver are able to host PEQ's.
 
Has anyone heard any details/ETA on the Topping D90III supposedly getting PEQ via a firmware update?
 
I'm with @Ken Tajall. Do the EQ in software on your source, unless it's some limited device. What do you play from?

I like the RME as I can have several different PEQs for my headphones, plus it remembers the difference between line out and headphone out. I swap laptops now and then, so I like having the PEQ in the RME. But SoundSource (on the mac) is much more flexible.
 
He is right. There is juuuust enough output on the RME to drive my DCA Stealths to "moderate" listening volume. Bear in mind that I listen to classical, nearly all the recordings aren't mastered very loud anyway. So I need a bit more gain than most.
Gain is a different topic than power. You can crank up the gain either in the player or the DAC, here up to +6 dB with Volume, and many more dBs with the PEQ (wideband gain by setting the corner frequency at lowest or highest value).
 

Attachments

  • EQgain_wb.png
    EQgain_wb.png
    61.5 KB · Views: 123
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/.../fiio-k19-looks-like-a-versatile-beast.52926/

Further enhancing its audio processing prowess, the FiiO K19 incorporates an ADI SHARC+ ADSP-21565 DSP from Analog Devices Inc. This powerful digital signal processor is primarily utilized for its 31-band parametric equalizer, offering users granular control over their audio experience by allowing precise adjustments across a wide frequency range.
 
Back
Top Bottom