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

[dBiz]

When you say “locked” volume, do you mean variable or fixed? If fixed, which to me means locked, wouldn’t that cause maximum output that could do damage to both my hearing and speakers? The manual of the Navis says to make sure the preamp has variable output, which makes sense.

My bad. I should have double checked before hitting reply. You want the "variable" output of the DAC, which means you can control the analog output of the DAC with the volume control on the DAC. You are basically using the DAC as a "pre-amplifier". Not sure which model speakers you have but on Page 6 ELAC Navis Speakers manual shows the connection.

https://www.elac.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Navis-Manual-All-Language-6.17.19.pdf

 

[Svperstar]

The "tube" effect, as such, is pretty modest, if any. In your case, knowing what I know now after buying the MT-604, I would either go for a proper tube amp, or will forget about connecting hybrids to the RME.

Thats what I read. Since the RME and my SMSL THX are both super clean solid state I wanted the option of a really warm tube amp to compliment my setup, I haven't owned a tube amp since I threw away my old Little Dot like 10 years ago. Its not anything a true objectivist would want. Just for fun.

 

[Jimbob54]

When you say “locked” volume, do you mean variable or fixed? If fixed, which to me means locked, wouldn’t that cause maximum output that could do damage to both my hearing and speakers? The manual of the Navis says to make sure the preamp has variable output, which makes sense.

You can lock it at any level below max or keep variable. Not sure what other poster was saying.

 

[Svperstar]

So this is interesting.

My Koss 95X just got delivered back from Koss today after being serviced(excellent customer service from Koss btw, $9 and they will fix anything)

I set the Line Out level to +1/0 and started listening but the meter on the RME kept maxing out and I got a "DC warning" I have yet to see that. It kept happening. So I dropped the level on the Line Out to -10 and now it has stopped doing that and the meter on the RME isn't going past half way. I don't understand why it would max out and trip a warning at +1/0.

Also the 95X sounds great but I assume -10 db is costing some bit depth or something

 

[Trell]

So this is interesting.

My Koss 95X just got delivered back from Koss today after being serviced(excellent customer service from Koss btw, $9 and they will fix anything)

I set the Line Out level to +1/0 and started listening but the meter on the RME kept maxing out and I got a "DC warning" I have yet to see that. It kept happening. So I dropped the level on the Line Out to -10 and now it has stopped doing that and the meter on the RME isn't going past half way. I don't understand why it would max out and trip a warning at +1/0.

Also the 95X sounds great but I assume -10 db is costing some bit depth or something

Have you looked in the ADI-2 DAC manual?

 

[soundtrane]

...based on your review as well as VintageFlanker, i went in and got this DAC. Very happy. And with an RME unit i know what i can get for support if i ever need it in the future.

Many thanks Amirm, VintageFlanker!

 

[Ralph_Cramden]

 

[MC_RME]

There has been another review on the ADI-2 DAC that deserves mentioning - for the sole reason that measuring a unit in all details is still very seldom found, and is absolutely unique in HiFi. Yet exactly that happened as you can read here:

SoundStageNetwork.com | SoundStage.com - RME ADI-2 DAC FS Digital-to-Analog Converter Measurements

www.soundstagenetwork.com

Kudos to SoundStage! HiFi and their man behind the AP, Diego Estan!

 

[HarmonicTHD]

There has been another review on the ADI-2 DAC that deserves mentioning - for the sole reason that measuring a unit in all details is still very seldom found, and is absolutely unique in HiFi. Yet exactly that happened as you can read here:

SoundStageNetwork.com | SoundStage.com - RME ADI-2 DAC FS Digital-to-Analog Converter Measurements

www.soundstagenetwork.com

Kudos to SoundStage! HiFi and their man behind the AP, Diego Estan!

Remarkable.
Was it also a random production unit of the shelve as in Amir’s case? Sorry if I missed this in this brief article ;-)

 

[Rja4000]

Is it possible to connect my ELAC Navis bookshelf speakers to the ADI-2 balanced out and not be in danger of blowing the speakers out?

To make sure, we'd need to know the input specifications of the Navis speakers.
Unfirtunately, ELAC doesn't care prividing such "detail", not even in the owner manual.

My guess is that there is no risk.
But the easiest is to try from lowest range at low level and to progressively increase the level.
Then change to higher output range only if you need more volume.

 

[Rja4000]

There has been another review on the ADI-2 DAC that deserves mentioning - for the sole reason that measuring a unit in all details is still very seldom found, and is absolutely unique in HiFi. Yet exactly that happened as you can read here:

SoundStageNetwork.com | SoundStage.com - RME ADI-2 DAC FS Digital-to-Analog Converter Measurements

www.soundstagenetwork.com

Kudos to SoundStage! HiFi and their man behind the AP, Diego Estan!

That is indeed an impressive set of measurements !

 

[MC_RME]

Remarkable.
Was it also a random production unit of the shelve as in Amir’s case? Sorry if I missed this in this brief article ;-)

Yes, they received that unit from the stock of Synthax US.

 

[Atanasi]

SoundStageNetwork.com | SoundStage.com - RME ADI-2 DAC FS Digital-to-Analog Converter Measurements

www.soundstagenetwork.com

Kudos to SoundStage! HiFi and their man behind the AP, Diego Estan!

IEM output Noise level (A-weighted, 16/44.1)

<8.4uVrms

So in this case the noise level is limited by the 16-bit signal.
Does the device's own volume knob still attenuate at higher resolution even if the input has 16 bits?

 

[HarmonicTHD]

Yes, they received that unit from the stock of Synthax US.

Cool. Thanks for confirming. You guys are just great and an industry role model in that respect (and others ;-))

 

[MC_RME]

Of course. See manual, there is a whole chapter about it.

 

[Count Arthur]

There has been another review on the ADI-2 DAC that deserves mentioning - for the sole reason that measuring a unit in all details is still very seldom found, and is absolutely unique in HiFi. Yet exactly that happened as you can read here:

SoundStageNetwork.com | SoundStage.com - RME ADI-2 DAC FS Digital-to-Analog Converter Measurements

www.soundstagenetwork.com

Kudos to SoundStage! HiFi and their man behind the AP, Diego Estan!

The measurements look excellent, as expected, but what do you think about the conclusion in the written review:

The DAC I had on hand to compare against the ADI-2 DAC FS was the substantially less expensive S.M.S.L D300, which clocks in at $399. It might seem like an inappropriate comparison at first, but it might not be unusual for a budding audio nut to step up from something like the S.M.S.L to the RME. How did the two compare? While the ever-so-slightly warmer S.M.S.L flatters my uber-high-grade recordings a bit more (Jones, Merchant, Dire Straits, et al.), the RME’s wider, more spatial soundstage gives it the edge on virtually all other source material, to say nothing of its features list.

SoundStage! Hi-Fi | SoundStageHiFi.com - RME ADI-2 DAC FS Digital-to-Analog Converter

www.soundstagehifi.com

If I've understood things correctly, Amir suggests that DACs and amplifiers with a flat frequency response between 20Hz and 20KHz and a SNR in excess of 115dB, and possibly lower, should essentially be indistinguishable from one another in a level matched, blind listening tests.

The D300 measurements look fine: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/smsl-d300-review-balanced-dac.28919/

Is the added warmth of the D300 and the more spatial soundstage of the RME imagined, or is there some mechanism by which they are real traits?

 

[Trell]

Is the added warmth of the D300 and the more spatial soundstage of the RME imagined, or is there some mechanism by which they are real traits?

My guess is that it’s in his mind only as long as he used proper filters.

 

[HarmonicTHD]

The measurements look excellent, as expected, but what do you think about the conclusion in the written review:

The DAC I had on hand to compare against the ADI-2 DAC FS was the substantially less expensive S.M.S.L D300, which clocks in at $399. It might seem like an inappropriate comparison at first, but it might not be unusual for a budding audio nut to step up from something like the S.M.S.L to the RME. How did the two compare? While the ever-so-slightly warmer S.M.S.L flatters my uber-high-grade recordings a bit more (Jones, Merchant, Dire Straits, et al.), the RME’s wider, more spatial soundstage gives it the edge on virtually all other source material, to say nothing of its features list.

SoundStage! Hi-Fi | SoundStageHiFi.com - RME ADI-2 DAC FS Digital-to-Analog Converter

www.soundstagehifi.com

If I've understood things correctly, Amir suggests that DACs and amplifiers with a flat frequency response between 20Hz and 20KHz and a SNR in excess of 115dB, and possibly lower, should essentially be indistinguishable from one another in a level matched, blind listening tests.

The D300 measurements look fine: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/smsl-d300-review-balanced-dac.28919/

Is the added warmth of the D300 and the more spatial soundstage of the RME imagined, or is there some mechanism by which they are real traits?

I am not RME obviously. I would find it hard to believe that one can reliably distinguish (you know blind and all) between the two DACs.

However RME is IMHO bringing more to the table than just competing on price eg support, features, quality, repair etc. Sure everyone must decide if it’s worth the difference.

If I where in the market I would buy RME.

 

[Svperstar]

I've been using the NOS filter because it seems more natural to have a slow fall off. What is the point of the brickwall filter on the ESS model? Like sonically how would it differ from NOS?

 

[Willem]

Use the shap filter for accuracy, or the NOS for colouration