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

VintageFlanker

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Looking up reviews of the ADI-2, they seem to compare it to the Chord Qtest. In these comparisons they all state that the ADI-2 doesn't have as much of a soundstage or space between instruments... how could the Qtest be that much better with sound staging?

There's no such thing. The Qutest is more expensive. It is made by Chord. It has to be better in audiophile's minds. Look at its cute bubble hole: it has to stage better!:p
IMG_20181025_012815.jpg

I owned both the Qutest and the ADI-2 DAC when I subscribed here back in 2018. I thought they sounded different at the time, and still, my preference went for the ADI-2. Once ASR folks asked me to match level and listen blind, I finally did. So I listened the ADI-2 matched at 1, 2 or 3V, as Qutest settings and surprisingly: no difference whatsoever. So I kept the ADI-2. Both are extremely good and transparent DACs, yet they don't sound different. If someone claims the opposite, he/she has to prove this during a controlled blind listening test.
 

sjeesjie

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@VintageFlanker Although this thread is about the RME, I just have to say that I share your experience with the Qutest! I was about to buy it but decided to have a listen in my own home. Hooked it up: man this sounds great I thought to myself! But then I did some a/b testing... not much difference. Maybe it’s just the weird looks and the mysterious Port hole on the top that makes it psychologically better.

Of course haters gonna hate and say you’d have to listen for an extended period to appreciate. I don’t buy into that though. You either hear difference or you don’t.
 

ZeDestructor

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There's no such thing. The Qutest is more expensive. It is made by Chord. It has to be better in audiophile's minds. Look at its cute bubble hole: it has to stage better!:p
View attachment 81656
I owned both the Qutest and the ADI-2 DAC when I subscribed here back in 2018. I thought they sounded different at the time, and still, my preference went for the ADI-2. Once ASR folks asked me to match level and listen blind, I finally did. So I listened the ADI-2 matched at 1, 2 or 3V, as Qutest settings and surprisingly: no difference whatsoever. So I kept the ADI-2. Both are extremely good and transparent DACs, yet they don't sound different. If someone claims the opposite, he/she has to prove this during a controlled blind listening test.

Eww Posidriv screws! instant 30dB SINAD loss :p
 

maverickronin

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Any special steps to flash it on Linux (Gentoo Linux here)?

You need to do it from Windows or OSX.

If you don't have a physical machine available you can just build a Windows VM in VirtualBox and use the USB passthough to upgrade the firmware from there.
 

Carbu

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Hello RME ! , could we expect a new version of the RME ADI 2DAC S (not pro) with a third digital imput (SPIF or EAS ?) thanks !
 

MC_RME

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Sorry, no. We do not change or update our units constantly, they are designed and build for a longer life and sales time - the DAC won't change anymore. I know this sounds a bit strange seeing the number of ADI-2 Pro iterations we had so far, but the current FS R BE will also not change anymore in the next years - except for features that come with firmware updates.
 

muss3d

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After I posted my last answer, I've reflashed my ADI-2 with v34 firmware and it seems that this noise is gone :)
Btw. this noise is not gone. It still happens, but very rarely.
Since I re-flashed it on 01.09 it happened maybe once a day. On all occasions, the noise appeared at the beginning of playback (usually around 5th second of playback) and after a prolonged period of silence (5+ minutes).
I think this is noise is generated by mpd or ALSA. Because it doesn't happen on Windows.
Will try to figure out in spare time.
 

nerdoldnerdith

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If the RME ADI-2 FS can output 310 mW at 300ohm without distortion, wouldn't that make it a solid option for driving the LCD-4's? I have read mixed reports on how well it would perform on that front. Some way it's too weak. RME themselves say it is sufficient.
 

Colonel Bogey

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A request for RME - why dont you make the ADI-2 DAC and ADI-2 Pro available in your regular blue/silver front panels? Maybe a small market but also a minor cost? The blue/silver front look rational and well engineered.

I have both products at home and would have chosen the blue/silver, had these been available. It would annoy my audiophool buddies even more ;-)
 

maty

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MEASUREMENTS: RME ADI-2 Pro FS R Black Edition as ADC
http://archimago.blogspot.com/2020/09/measurements-rme-adi-2-pro-fs-r-black.html

RME%2BADI-2%2BPro%2BFS%2BR%2BBE%252C%2BPro%2BFS%2B-%2BOppo%2Band%2BTopping.png


RME%2BADI-2%2BPro%2BFS%2BR%2BBE%252C%2BPro%2BFS%2B-%2BTopping%2B16-44.png


[ As alluded to in my Preview post, the real updates for the "FS R BE" are the addition of the remote control and an improvement of the DAC to the AK4493 converter (along with the Black Edition esthetics which matches my listening space better!). The former means I can enjoy using this device in my main soundroom conveniently from the sofa. As for the latter, we'll look at DAC performance in an upcoming post and see what RME has done to improve digital-to-analogue playback resolution... ]
 

dfuller

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I've encountered a rather frustating (and downright strange) issue with my ADI-2 Pro FS. My Schiit Modius, normally connected via AES out, has not been behaving right at 48KHz and multiples thereof - it has some spurious tones that are audible. According to Izotope insight, they're all between 500hz and 1KHz or just above.

Figuring it was more likely an issue with my Modius, I decided to troubleshoot and just connect the AES in and out from the breakout cable together... and if I let AES in dictate the clock, it sits at multiples of 30.05KHz (30.05/60.1/120.2 for single/double/quad sample rates respectively) instead of 44.1 or 48 . This is not something I expected, ever... So what, exactly, is going on here? Anybody got any idea?
 
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