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Review and Measurements of RME ADI-2 DAC

dc655321

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Sorry if this is the wrong thread to ask in but can someone explain how the auto reference level feature on the ADI-2 DAC works? The reason i ask is because if i turn up the volume enough so that it decides to increase the reference level, for example from -5 dBu to +1 dBu (which happens when i go from -26,5 dBr to -26 dBr), the sound actually gets quieter by a considerable amount. But as i understood it from the manual it should actually get louder when the reference level gets increased? Because it says that -20 dBr with +13 dBu reference level is as loud as -2 dBr with -5 dBu reference level. I find it quite annoying because if i want to listen to something loudly (louder than -26,5 dBr @ +5 dBu) i have to turn the volume up by a lot to compensate for the reduction in volume everytime it increases the reference level and likewise, if i want to turn the volume down it gets louder everytime it decides to reduce the reference level. And if it matters i am using the "Phones" output to drive my HD800.

It should be noted that my knowledge about everything audio related is basically what i've learned from reading the measurements and discussions on this site so it's likely that i understood the manual wrong.

It looks like you could set your volume "Ref Level" (ex: to +13dBu), then turn off the "Auto Ref Level" feature. That should prevent the gain switching, but it may (will) compromise other features.

Or so says my cursory perusal of the manual...
 

Schackmannen

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I think i managed to solve my problem. I had to go into the setup menu and switch the Mute Line option from off to "vs. Phones". If you leave it to off the line out is always active even if nothing is connected to the DAC at the back. When you turned the volume knob it would say "Volume Line Out" despite being in control of the Phones output. What was weird though (at least to me) was that turning off the Auto Ref Level option under line out and manually changing Ref Level would not change the volume at all, even if you manually changed it from -5 dBu to +13 dBu. What changed though was that the volume got set to 18 dBr higher with Auto Ref Level off compared to on.

But changing the Mute Line option to "vs. Phones" as i mentioned aboved seemed to fix my issue. Now the Auto Ref Level setting only switches Hi-Power mode on and off depending on the volume and the volume control works as you'd expect it to without any weird jumping. So i think all is good now :) . Still I'd like to know what the Ref Level actually does for the line out and why the volume control is so different depending on if you leave the line out active or not despite nothing being connected to the outputs at the back of the unit.
 

maverickronin

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Sorry if this is the wrong thread to ask in but can someone explain how the auto reference level feature on the ADI-2 DAC works? The reason i ask is because if i turn up the volume enough so that it decides to increase the reference level, for example from -5 dBu to +1 dBu (which happens when i go from -26,5 dBr to -26 dBr), the sound actually gets quieter by a considerable amount. But as i understood it from the manual it should actually get louder when the reference level gets increased? Because it says that -20 dBr with +13 dBu reference level is as loud as -2 dBr with -5 dBu reference level. I find it quite annoying because if i want to listen to something loudly (louder than -26,5 dBr @ +5 dBu) i have to turn the volume up by a lot to compensate for the reduction in volume everytime it increases the reference level and likewise, if i want to turn the volume down it gets louder everytime it decides to reduce the reference level. And if it matters i am using the "Phones" output to drive my HD800.

It should be noted that my knowledge about everything audio related is basically what i've learned from reading the measurements and discussions on this site so it's likely that i understood the manual wrong.

WIth "Mute Line" set to off it plays on all outputs simultanously and uses the line out settings for Phones and IEM output. The -X/+X dBu settings are only for the line outs. When you cross that boundary the hardware simultaneously increases the line out level while reducing the digital attenuation. Since the Phones output doesn't get the hardware level increase it gets quieter. The phones output just has two levels, Lo-Power, and Hi-Power.

If you don't want those discontinuities on the Phones output you can leave Mute Line to "vs. Phones" so the line out is disabled when headphones are plugged in and it actually uses the separate settings for the Phones out or disable the auto ref on the line out so it doesn't change the digital attenuation in the background.
 
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amirm

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Very good news. Have to try it to see if it is easier to navigate:

"- New menu structure in SETUP for easier navigation and operation with new subpages Display and Phones "

The current one is a nightmare with no logic or rhyme.
 

jonathane40

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Well I just connected it to my PC via USB and that made the hum go away. I think I will just leave it at that and hope my next apartment has better electrical installations...

Really enjoying this device now. The low crosstalk even with the Andromeda IEMs is amazing. There just isn't any. Many people prefer the Andromeda with an output impedance of 2 Ohm and so do I. An impedance adapter would introduce crosstalk, but the change in frequency response can be easily achieved with PEQ on the ADI2-DAC. The PEQ is a real game changer. Here is a quick setup I did for my HD800:
ab5c2b7cb88bc4dd56b566cc7416db6f.png

I was skeptical about only having 5 bands, but I even had one left to correct for the ear pad resonance around 50 Hz. And the bass and treble controls act like a configurable shelve filter, so effectively it can be up to 7 bands for you to use! This is so much better than buying an amp that has the "right" amount of treble rolloff and won't work with any other headphones.

Hi Dro,

Could you share the EQ setting you are using with Andromeda to make up for the low output impedance? I am not sure which output impedance I prefer on Andromeda yet because I haven't tested it. I have only used Andromeda with the Sony zx300 on balanced (don't know output impedance of this DAP), iMac through a NextDrive Spectra (don't know the output impedance) and iPhone X with dongle. So far I find the Sony sounds the best and clearest.
 

Dro

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You will only need band 1 to simulate 2 ohm. Low shelf, -3 dB 600 Hz, Q 0.7.
 

tinger

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Hey guys,
Any harm using both the balanced and RCA out ports on the ADI at the same time?
It seems to be OK.. i have 2 amps playing at the same time.

tkx
 

watchnerd

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Hey guys,
Any harm using both the balanced and RCA out ports on the ADI at the same time?
It seems to be OK.. i have 2 amps playing at the same time.

tkx

I don't know about the home version, but the Pro version is designed to drive 2 sets of outputs simultaneously.
 

sonci

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Hi,
I'm thinking to get this dac, but I'm reading some different opinions on HeadFi regarding sound quality.
It seems to be great dac with a lot of features, Eq, etc, but I just need smth with the best sound quality possible, up to 1000€, I'm not an avid headphone user, so the amplifier is good to have but not essential.
After trying a lot of entry level dacs I still get back to my cd players, but I want to get rid of them.
I was thinking of the RME and some Chord dac. Any other suggestion?
 

Sythrix

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Hi,
I'm thinking to get this dac, but I'm reading some different opinions on HeadFi regarding sound quality.
It seems to be great dac with a lot of features, Eq, etc, but I just need smth with the best sound quality possible, up to 1000€, I'm not an avid headphone user, so the amplifier is good to have but not essential.

Regardless of the highly subjective opinions you'll always find on Head-Fi, this is an excellent DAC and one of the best measuring units available. I have been nothing but impressed with mine and its amplifier performance.

I also admire its quickness and versatility, although not so much it's menu and button system ( it takes a little getting used to).

I hope to power the upcoming THX AAA 789 headphone amplifier with it as well.

I would read the information and the review here on it, then consider that before allowing yourself to be caught up in the subjectivist's trap; whereby a single opinion forever influences the sound for you...and by no means but your own belief in it.
 

andreasmaaan

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Hey guys,
Any harm using both the balanced and RCA out ports on the ADI at the same time?
It seems to be OK.. i have 2 amps playing at the same time.

tkx

I haven't tried it, but according to RME, this is possible. However, volume control and other settings (e.g. EQ) will apply to both/all outputs, i.e. you won't be able to adjust the volume or others settings of one output without adjusting the other(s).
 

sonci

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The RME is much cheaper and far more versatile, but both are excellent designs.
Keith
Keith, apart from the versatility and features, have you made any subjective comparison with any other Dac in the same price range, for example the Chord2Qute.
 

Purité Audio

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To be candid I really don’t hear much/any difference between decenly engineered toversampling designs, unless one is using an unusual filter, I tend to buy on features and measurements, the Kiis ( 12 DACs) Dutch&Dutch 8Cs ( 8 DACs) kind of make the whole dac thing a nonsense.
Keith
 

derp1n

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New firmware today:

FPGA firmware 183 (Pro/AE/Pro FS/Black Edition) and 23 (DAC) brings a new control circuit to make the Class Compliant mode even more compatible. We had observed limitations in higher sample rates with various hosts, like music servers, network players or tablets (not Mac computers, iPhones or iPads). Our new USB asynchronous control loop circuit for Class Compliant mode now operates perfectly even with such hosts and ensures full data transmission performance.

Additionally DSP version 23 for the DAC fixes the missing mute of the IEM output in DSD Direct mode. The unit now switches to Line Out whenever DSD Direct is active and DSD is played back (and of course reverts as soon as PCM is played).
 

mshenay

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Always happy to see unanimous praise for a product across the net. Hopefully I'll be running this in my main system soon!
 
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amirm

amirm

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