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RME ADI-2 FS Version 2 DAC and Headphone Amp Review

I just noticed a significant promotion on the RME ADI 2 DAC at Thomann, now priced at €850, whereas it was still €1100 just yesterday. This sudden change intrigues me, but at this price, it seems very interesting to buy.
 
It’s oddly quiet here all of a sudden — curious, given how lively the debate was when the RME ADI-2 DAC was still proudly sitting at €1100 and I dared to suggest it might have been a little too expensive. Now I see it has quietly dropped to €850. Out of curiosity, I asked Thomann whether this generous discount might hint at a successor; their only reply was a cryptic, “We can’t say anything at the moment.” So I wrote again to RME. We shall see what they say — if indeed they choose to say anything at all.
 
But why would you buy an "outdated" device? ;)

But seriously: It's your decision and your money, no one can decide for you.

BTW: Be prepared for serious RTFM (and read the most recent manual, because they change along with the firmware versions).
If you don't, you won't use the full potential of the device.

Same goes for the RME Remote (DSP) software.
 
But why would you buy an "outdated" device? ;)

But seriously: It's your decision and your money, no one can decide for you.
Rest assured, I would never entertain the absurd notion of asking anyone on ASR to make a decision for me — that would be nothing short of lunacy. I merely pointed out that, while I was once assured €1100 was a perfectly reasonable price, it seems RME themselves have since come to a rather different conclusion.
 
Or, Thomann is emptying their stock in wait for something new.
 
I just noticed a significant promotion on the RME ADI 2 DAC at Thomann, now priced at €850, whereas it was still €1100 just yesterday. This sudden change intrigues me, but at this price, it seems very interesting to buy.

Good catch!
They just started running the $999 ADI-2 DAC FS sale on Amazon as well.

I have seen this sale price 4x over the last 3 years.
 
Then maybe stop contributing vague FUD? This is getting quite annoying. The DACs and headphone amps in the ADI2 are excellent. If you have one of the two or three headphones on the market it might be poorly suited for, then choose accordingly.
BTW: It has no problem driving the Beyerdynamic T1 Mk 2 (de facto closer to 1000 Ohms than the stated 600 in ASR testing).
The only time I once had it at -0 dB was with the Truthear RED IEM (with resistor), and playing it really loud.
 
It’s oddly quiet here all of a sudden — curious, given how lively the debate was when the RME ADI-2 DAC was still proudly sitting at €1100 and I dared to suggest it might have been a little too expensive. Now I see it has quietly dropped to €850. Out of curiosity, I asked Thomann whether this generous discount might hint at a successor; their only reply was a cryptic, “We can’t say anything at the moment.” So I wrote again to RME. We shall see what they say — if indeed they choose to say anything at all.
Rest assured, I would never entertain the absurd notion of asking anyone on ASR to make a decision for me — that would be nothing short of lunacy. I merely pointed out that, while I was once assured €1100 was a perfectly reasonable price, it seems RME themselves have since come to a rather different conclusion.
This price has been available for two weeks at several retailers, including Schluderbacher, a very large retailer that has been established for over 40 years and is known for its aggressive pricing policy.
If you searched for the ADI-2 DAC this past week and didn't see €849, then something went wrong.
It kept showing up for me.
 
Time to expand the block list I guess.

The question of whether the ADI2 is "enough" as a headphone amp essentially comes down to: do you own the Modhouse Tungsten or do you plan to buy one?
Personally, I don't think it is a headphone equipment designer's job to accommodate every harebrained outlier design on the market. These are headphones, not speakers, headphone amps that deliver 20watts are frankly a marketing-driven absurdity when 99.9% of them are well-served by the ADI2. And hell, even with those pathological headphones you'd still get a healthy 105dB peak SPL headroom.
 
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This price has been available for two weeks at several retailers, including Schluderbacher, a very large retailer that has been established for over 40 years and is known for its aggressive pricing policy.
If you searched for the ADI-2 DAC this past week and didn't see €849, then something went wrong.
It kept showing up for me.
In France, only Thomann offers it, and indeed, this promotion wasn’t there yesterday.
 
Beyerdynamic T1 Mk 2 (de facto closer to 1000 Ohms than the stated 600 in ASR testing).
Amir's measurement:
1752850663678.png


https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ds/beyerdynamic-t1-review-v2-headphone.20192/
 
It's sometimes strange with price lists and such. In my situation, the problem is (or rather was), many sellers will deliver only in Germany etc., or have crazy surcharges for "abroad" delivery. Poland is in the Schengen zone, and not since last week, but that doesn't bother some, obviously.
 
Please remember this a review thread. Stick to facts in your posts. A number of posts with personal attacks or snark have been deleted.

For completeness, any replies to those posts have been deleted as well. We appreciate your cooperation in making for a more friendly ASR.
 
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Good catch!
They just started running the $999 ADI-2 DAC FS sale on Amazon as well.

I have seen this sale price 4x over the last 3 years.
Thank you for the heads up, just ordered one (again). I had an RME in the past and regret selling it. My SMSL DACs didn’t hold up, and I like how much less heat the RME generates than Schiit’s comparable products.
 
I've put my second ADI-2 DAC (for the living room) in my signature already, but will have to wait a few days for delivery.
 
I've put my second ADI-2 DAC (for the living room) in my signature already, but wil have to wait a few days for delivery.
Nice, I ordered one for the bedroom setup but I will probably grab a second (maybe used) for the office. The reduced heat output compared to Schiit products will be appreciated.
 
For this price I'd take a new one. Cheaper than my first one 5 years ago.
 
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