RME ADI-2 DAC PCB version differences

[dazzerfong]

To truly demonstrate your support and devotion to RME, show us a good photo of your "clean" ESS DAC with no patch wires on board. It will get them off the hook, at least half way and confirm the best scenario in which they've updated the PCB. Your knowledge and expertise qualifies you for a basic repair, in case you lose your warranty...

Uh huh, I'm going to break my warranty just to settle an online debate........

Also, in the original screengrab from the YouTube video, there's another difference I can see already: there's no ESD stickers on that one. On the MCU and DAC chips, I can see yellow ESD stickers on mine. Starting to think that PCB is indeed a prototyping board.....

Anyways, for anybody else who's actually curious, took some better shots from the Kensington lock. From my perspective it's pretty conclusive: there really is no strap.

 

[jamca]

I made another effort for better photo using camera with stand. However it is difficult (perhaps impossible) to catch the other side of the cable... To sum up, it seems like there is some king of abnormality in there (compared with previous versions) and we have serious doubts that this abnormality could have also passed to the device measurements. As long as we have not measurements or official reply from RME (MC), (in order to compare this version with the AKM one), i see no reason for anyone to rush and buy it. Perhaps it is better, perhaps it is not. Perhaps the wire is normal, perhaps it is not. Perhaps the manual soldering is fine, perhaps it is not. Perhaps there is ess hump, perhaps not. There are many "perhaps" , many doubts, foggy situation for something really expensive so... what else to say.

Also @dazzerfong you surely have ess version? With C letter at the end of the serial? Yours does not seem to have the wire. If in yours there is no strap and there is on mine it means that RME used prototyping device for retailing purposes. Is that correct? If this is the case would it be acceptable from a serious company or not?

 

[dazzerfong]

I made another effort for better photo using camera with stand. However it is difficult (perhaps impossible) to catch the other side of the cable... To sum up, it seems like there is some king of abnormality in there (compared with previous versions) and we have serious doubts that this abnormality could have also passed to the device measurements. As long as we have not measurements or official reply from RME (MC), (in order to compare this version with the AKM one), i see no reason for anyone to rush and buy it. Perhaps it is better, perhaps it is not. Perhaps the wire is normal, perhaps it is not. Perhaps the manual soldering is fine, perhaps it is not. Perhaps there is ess hump, perhaps not. There are many "perhaps" , many doubts, foggy situation for something really expensive so... what else to say.

Also @dazzerfong you surely have ess version? With C letter at the end of the serial? Yours does not seem to have the wire. If in yours there is no strap and there is on mine it means that RME used prototyping device for retailing purposes. Is that correct? If this is the case would it be acceptable from a serious company or not?

Interesting!

100% sure it's the ESS version - it has the brickwall filter. I'm currently out right now but will take a pic of the serial later.

If it's used like that in your case, there's probably a silent revision that corrected this problem. These boards are printed on panels which are limited in size, so maybe you got one of the very early ones?

That being said, the fact that your unit still functions normally means that it's not abnormal. Abnormality compared to mine, maybe but until we see the board revs I can't confidently say what's what.

Take that picture over to the RME forums and see what's actually going on. You have a much better reason for concern compared to grgppsc. That being said, they already claimed its extremely similar to the AKM one - whether you believe them or not is another story.

 

[grgppsc]

Interesting!

Really now?

until we see the board revs I can't confidently say what's what.

And how do you expect this without crazy customers like me to dig them up? I'm the patchwork police from now on!

Take that picture over to the RME forums and see what's actually going on.

I've started this on both forums but how can I fight them on their territory?

You have a much better reason for concern compared to grgppsc.

Mesmerising!! Is that all you got? I'm the one who started this in the first place! Without me, nobody would have noticed the "non-issue"!

Other than that, what can we say about "closing the thread or leave it alive for my sanity", or "you being let down by RME for those stickers on the chips that could melt down" from your pre-edited post??

Your integrity is dazzling, Mr. Fong...

 

[grgppsc]

I made another effort for better photo using camera with stand. However it is difficult (perhaps impossible) to catch the other side of the cable... To sum up, it seems like there is some king of abnormality in there (compared with previous versions) and we have serious doubts that this abnormality could have also passed to the device measurements. As long as we have not measurements or official reply from RME (MC), (in order to compare this version with the AKM one), i see no reason for anyone to rush and buy it. Perhaps it is better, perhaps it is not. Perhaps the wire is normal, perhaps it is not. Perhaps the manual soldering is fine, perhaps it is not. Perhaps there is ess hump, perhaps not. There are many "perhaps" , many doubts, foggy situation for something really expensive so... what else to say.

Sorry for giving you the bad news but thank you for your contribution! Your work with the camera was outstanding! You did it without breaking the seal...

You should ask for a replacement, even if it works properly (assuming it does, without intensive testing and complex measurements). No one should pay the full price for a patchwork or a prototype! They should pay you for beta-testing their products!

Don't forget to let us know if you succeed! Good luck!

 

[dazzerfong]

Here's my serial number (censored the middle bits):

 

[jamca]

Rme has already 4-5 revisions… and mine is just one of them… it is approved for selling and i doubt my retailer will accept any exchange for a newer one. However just for the story i will sent an email today and i will inform you what will happen. The one that bothers me more is the fact that mc said nothing, like trying to hide it. If he had contributed somehow i would say ok… it was a matter of the production line that maybe has not influence in its general audio quality. Now i have doubts and this is the worse…

 

[Kuba]

MC did the right thing. YOU DO NOT FEED THE TROLLS!

You two should bond together with this guy seeing non existing cracks in Genelec woofer and set up new forum for investigations like this one. It would be awesome echo chamber for sure!

 

[jamca]

MC did the right thing. YOU DO NOT FEED THE TROLLS!

You two should bond together with this guy seeing non existing cracks in Genelec woofer and set up new forum for investigations like this one. It would be awesome echo chamber for sure!

Feel free to share more ironical suggestions that contribute to the conversation... ;-)

 

[Music1969]

Uh huh, I'm going to break my warranty just to settle an online debate........

Also, in the original screengrab from the YouTube video, there's another difference I can see already: there's no ESD stickers on that one. On the MCU and DAC chips, I can see yellow ESD stickers on mine. Starting to think that PCB is indeed a prototyping board.....

Anyways, for anybody else who's actually curious, took some better shots from the Kensington lock. From my perspective it's pretty conclusive: there really is no strap.

I feel so naughty looking at these pics of the inside

Like we shouldn't be looking... MC will be giving anyone that looks a spanking !

Thanks for sharing though. There is no wire in latest production units - that part is closed.

But what about the ESS hump !

 

[jamca]

Now also arises another question. If the version with the strap and without it differ sonically…. It would be nice to have measurements, to see also the hump and if it exists. I also have heard aune s16 (side by side) and i can definitely say it is smoother, more musical, and less “piercing” than adi 2 fs. So to sum up @Amir we need measurments from each version from adi 2 and we need at a live talk @Mc to answer all our questions

 

[alanegruderespiragreu]

After the very interesting growth of the topic, it seems to me that grgppsc's assumption was visionary and has all the credit and everything.

I may now admit that I've postponed my RME's aquisition (for an indefinite period of time) and these things fired me a bit about the possibility of other weird patches/improvisation too. God knows if there are other on the software/firmware side
I'll keep closely watching for this thread
Thanks to those vigilent eyes

 

[Music1969]

@Amir we need measurments from each version from adi 2

If you send him each version he will probably do it.

Just don't expect him to have any motivation to go seeking different versions.

The motivation needs to be from an end user that is happy to send him units.

 

[jamca]

After the very interesting growth of the topic, it seems to me that grgppsc's assumption was visionary and has all the credit and everything.

I may now admit that I've postponed my RME's aquisition (for an indefinite period of time) and these things fired me a bit about the possibility of other weird patches/improvisation too. God knows if there are other on the software/firmware side
I'll keep closely watching for this thread
Thanks to those vigilent eyes

I will say it once again. If MC had replied nothing would be suspicious. If i had reassurance of its audio and construction rigidness i would accept deviations through production line and the thread would have stoped. None of us have ever investigate the rest of our gadgets thoroughly to compare every serial number..i am sure there are many variations also in other dacs ect. BUT as we have noticed THIS OBVIOUS ONE, i see no reason for not replying, unless something suspicious is happening there...we are just questioning, not demanding...

 

[Kuba]

I will say it once again. If MC had replied nothing would be suspicious. If i had reassurance of its audio and construction rigidness i would accept deviations through production line and the thread would have stoped. None of us have ever investigate the rest of our gadgets thoroughly to compare every serial number..i am sure there are many variations also in other dacs ect. BUT as we have noticed THIS OBVIOUS ONE, i see no reason for not replying, unless something suspicious is happening there...we are just questioning, not demanding...

Please say it once again, no one got the memo...

 

[jamca]

Please say it once again, no one got the memo...

 

[grgppsc]

MC did the right thing. YOU DO NOT FEED THE TROLLS!

You two should bond together with this guy seeing non existing cracks in Genelec woofer and set up new forum for investigations like this one. It would be awesome echo chamber for sure!

This is my first online "adventure" and I'm not aware of the Genelec case, but if you're talking about some thin/minor cracks in one of the MDF walls of the 7050 subwoofer, it happened to me also! My initial order of two 8030 monitors, included two 7050 subwoofers and that was the reason to return one of them. I can't call that a patchwork as this is an off-topic discussion but quality control could have been better...

This was TROLL talking to water pistol...

 

[Trell]

This is my first online "adventure" and I'm not aware of the Genelec case, but if you're talking about some thin/minor cracks in one of the MDF walls of the 7050 subwoofer, it happened to me also! My initial order of two 8030 monitors, included two 7050 subwoofers and that was the reason to return one of them. I can't call that a patchwork as this is an off-topic discussion but quality control could have been better...

This was TROLL talking to water pistol...

If you ever owned the Genelec 7050 subwoofer as you claim then you would know there is no MDF used at all in its construction.

 

[grgppsc]

If you ever owned the Genelec 7050 subwoofer as you claim then you would know there is no MDF used at all in its construction.

It's an aluminium spiral enclosure between two MDF (wooden) panels... Do your homework!

 

[caught gesture]

If you ever owned the Genelec 7050 subwoofer as you claim then you would know there is no MDF used at all in its construction.

Genelec LSE (Laminar Spiral Enclosure) sub-woofers are bass-reflex cabinets made of sheet metal rolled into a spiral shape and clamped between thick MDF side panels from my understanding of their construction.