RME ADI-2 DAC FS or the new Fiio K19

[jkim]

A long-time lurker just joined the forum!

Decided to pull the trigger on either of these two DAC/amp combos. I want a combo unit with built-in multi-band PEQ settings (that can be saved in the device) and a decent headphone amplifier. Will drive Sennheiser HD 800S (but would like to be future-proof for less sensitive headphones, too).

It seems that the new Fiio K19 outperforms the ADI-2 DAC FS on paper---the K19 has not been tested by a third party yet. But I also consider a resale value just in case---the RME would be more sought after in that case?

Any advice?

 

[Grotti]

RME. If my RME will die some day, I will buy a new one immediately.

 

[jkim]

Thanks for your reply! What do you like most about your RME?

I believe one thing that I should consider is that the RME is a mature, tried-and-true product. But the Fiio is not, meaning that any trouble, even if solvable through software updates, could be a nightmare..

 

[Grotti]

Thanks for your reply! What do you like most about your RME?

I believe one thing that I should consider is that the RME is a mature, tried-and-true product. But the Fiio is not, meaning that any trouble, even if solvable through software updates, could be a nightmare..

The RME ( I own the Pro FS version) is packed with useful things, very well build and sounds perfect to me. It's simply the best piece of hifi gear I bought in my life. Period.

 

[MAB]

That FiiO F19 is powerful!
I don't think any of the other specs matter between these two units.
The power will be useful for a handful of headphones, if it performs as advertised. I had a more powerful amp than my RME, with my headphones (all reasonably efficient and easy to drive) I couldn't tell the difference and didn't use all the power.
I like the RME control software. I actually don't like the RME physical interface, too many features for the control-count on the front panel, and as a result the controls are too small, too cramped, and too multifunctional to be easily useful. The RME control software fixes all of that and is a dream to use. No idea about the interface, features, and flexibility of the FiiO.
RME has a good quality reputation.

 

[jkim]

The Pro FS (currently FSR) has a balanced headphone out, but the DAC FS doesn't. Correct?

I believe even the unbalanced out on the DAC FS can handle most of the headphones, including the HD 800 S..

@MAB. Certainly, the K19's headphone section is a behemoth! But as you mentioned, will it be useful so I would trade the RME's reliability for its power?

 

[formdissolve]

The Pro FS (currently FSR) has a balanced headphone out, but the DAC FS doesn't. Correct?

I believe even the unbalanced out on the DAC FS can handle most of the headphones, including the HD 800 S..

@MAB. Certainly, the K19's headphone section is a behemoth! But as you mentioned, will it be useful so I would trade the RME's reliability for its power?

The PRO FS R (black edition) doesn't have the usual balanced configuration, and IMO is pointless to even buy the cables to try it. It could drive my hungry planars to ear-bleeding levels on just the SE port alone.

I also vote RME mainly because of build quality, customer support, feature set, sound, software, etc. The analog in is transparent enough for any analog source. If you don't need analog in, I'd just get the ADI-2 DAC FS and be done.

That said.. that Fiio looks pretty sweet. Would love to see it on the test bench and maybe try it in a year to see longevity reports.

 

[Verig]

RME, easily. Perhaps FS if this comes only for listening music and not making it etc.

 

[MAB]

The Pro FS (currently FSR) has a balanced headphone out, but the DAC FS doesn't. Correct?

I believe even the unbalanced out on the DAC FS can handle most of the headphones, including the HD 800 S..

@MAB. Certainly, the K19's headphone section is a behemoth! But as you mentioned, will it be useful so I would trade the RME's reliability for its power?

My experienced is based on my headphones that in no way can take advantage of all of that power! I also tend to listen to headphones at low volume, and get the heebie-geebies trying to push the volume, so my experience may not be useful for you... 8 Watts is awesome and would leave no doubt about power for almost any application!

The DSP features on the FiiO look fantastic. All of those features need a good stable user interface, I hope FiiO delivers but don't know. The advertisements look great. Maybe this is one of the (few) times it is worth looking for YouTube videos or reviews that go over the features and interface so you can get a feeling for the UX.

No comment on reliability, I hope FiiO nails that.

The F19 looks gorgeous. I hope you get the F19, and it meets your expectations, but first you drop ship it to Amir for review!

 

[Leeken]

They’ll sound the same,so your down to features/warranty/ease of contacting the company.
That all said which obviously points to the Rme,and I own one myself,the Fiio is one impressive bit of kit,be nice to see it measured,if it had a inbuilt streamer I’d be well tempted.

 

[Joachim Herbert]

RME, if only for their continuing work on firmware and features. Amazing product, amazing company.

 

[jhaider]

I looked up that device and don’t understand it. 31 bands of PEQ for just 2 channels? Did not see any reference to crossfeed or loudness compensation.

RME still seems top of the heap in terms of features and adjustments that matter.

 

[johny_2000]

RME for sure. Proven technologies, reliable specifications, great manual / software / driver / firmware / community support.
Best of all, device self-protection is built into all Inputs/Outputs/Power corners.
There are many scenarios where the owner's actions lead to unexpected results that would certainly kill another normal device. Not RME.

 

[johny_2000]

I like the RME control software. I actually don't like the RME physical interface, too many features for the control-count on the front panel, and as a result the controls are too small, too cramped, and too multifunctional to be easily useful. The RME control software fixes all of that and is a dream to use.

That's true. But imagine you're trying to better package all these customizable options into a dial and button interface. I haven't seen any other DAC do anything better in this regard. Many companies simply set most of them to default (manufacturer recommended) settings and hide it inside the firmware. RME is probably the most complete implementation of the hardware capabilities of modern DSP / FPGA / USB / ADC / DAC chips. With the new RME Remote software everything is organized perfectly.

 

[Zathras]

I know RME is a favorite of this forum, but I'm not sure why everyone is so quick to dismiss the K19. If it truly delivers on the advertised specs, then it bests the ADI-2 in just about every way.

I owned an ADI-2 (sold recently) and I always found the EQ limited (5 bands) and painful to adjust using the tiny knobs on the front. The remote app improved things a lot, but then you need to have it connected to your PC. Looks like the K19 can be adjusted via the Fiio control app on your phone. Unless you really care about the crossfeed and loudness features, I would wait and see how the K19 fares in reviews before writing it off. Regardless, it's great to see more DACs arriving with built in DSP functionality.

 

[oleg87]

Checking feature bullet points is one thing, implementation quality and polish on both the hardware and software side for a device of this complexity is another. The RME is by no means a user interface masterpiece but it's been around a while and is generally polished, bug-free, and reliable. The K19 is a relatively new product and not well-charted territory for FiiO, I would only consider buying it from somewhere with a generous return policy.

 

[amper42]

RME is the winner hands down. If you use the Loudness function on the RME you realize the bass and treble setting are totally customizable along with the volume where it kicks in. There is nothing out there like it. This custom tool can kick your music into overdrive. Nothing else comes close. Add the new software control for easy access to all the RME ADI-2 features and it's a dream come true. I connect an old spare MacBook Pro to the RME USB port and then use my every day MBP to control all the RME features wirelessly using Apple Screen sharing. It's a fantastic setup. Someone trying to compare the Filo to the RME ADI-2 can't possibly understand how great the Loudness feature really is on RME.

 

[Da Capo]

I thought about waiting for the Fiio K19, but decided to go with the RME ADI-2 DAC FS. My decision was influenced by several factors: mature product, company's reputation for quality hardware and customer support, and the extensive feature set. I was particularly impressed by the attention given to features that protect attached headphones or other downstream components: DC detection and muting, volume ramp-up, etc. As noted elsewhere in this thread, the front panel controls run a very complex menu-based user interface. It's easy to make errors by forgetting which mode or menu you are in. The device is much easier to configure via the virtual interface in the ADI-2 Remote software, which runs on macOS, iPadOS, or Windows. The 70-page User Guide (spiral bound hardcopy or download) covers all aspects of the product in great detail. But the text is targeted at professional or experienced users. The Quick Start section could be improved for non-pros, since some of the terminology is not defined until later in the document.

The unit comes with a 2m USB-A to USB-B data cable. Since I am running it next to a Macbook Pro with USB-C ports, I decided to use a short USB-C to USB-B cable I found on Amazon. No dongle required.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C7ZQ1QPN?th=1

 

[johny_2000]

The 70-page User Guide (spiral bound hardcopy or download) covers all aspects of the product in great detail. But the text is targeted at professional or experienced users.

Oh, I thought that was just a reasonable level of information provided compared to the component datasheet documents.
Perhaps this is my engineering point of view.

 

[Jimbob54]

The only headphone I've got /tried on the standard rme adi 2 dac that it struggles remotely with is the hifiman HE6 (the se v2 version). So unless you are looking at those, Susvara or some of the other ludicrously insensitive models (other standard Hifiman etc are fine) then the dac fs is the perfect device .

More than enough for 300/600 ohm dynamic headphones like the 800s, beyers etc.