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

VintageFlanker

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If all DACs sound the same, i'll choose the cheapest one, correct?
I know... but it's for professional use. I don't want components that "colour" the sound. You get the picture.
I'm 99,99% sure both will sound the same. Meaning: uncolored sound...
...Still, for professional use, I would chose professional gear with professional support. AKA the RME!;)
 

Maxicut

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If all Dac's had the same perfect specs & implementation, they would all be linear, so they would all sound the same. Anything other than linear is a compromise.
 

Hoary

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?
I'm sure they used the same ADC to record the DACs. So you are hearing the differences between the 3 DACs.

In the beginning of this video he is explaining his workflow and clearly saying he will demonstrate a difference between ADCs. I would think (he does not mentions this) he is using the same DAC to demonstrate it.
 

David Silva

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In the beginning of this video he is explaining his workflow and clearly saying he will demonstrate a difference between ADCs. I would think (he does not mentions this) he is using the same DAC to demonstrate it.
So he's playing a digital file from an ADC?
Voodoo
 

Maxicut

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In the beginning of this video he is explaining his workflow and clearly saying he will demonstrate a difference between ADCs. I would think (he does not mentions this) he is using the same DAC to demonstrate it.
Of course they are going to sound different, because they all have different specs. One of them might be pro-level & Linear, the others could have lesser specs which would colour the sound. You can't change an electron, but you can either give it a perfect path to travel or a less than perfect path to travel. Everyone seems to gets confused about something so simple.
 

David Silva

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Of course they are going to sound different, because they all have different specs. One of them might be pro-level & Linear, the others could have lesser specs which would colour the sound. You can't change an electron, but you can either give it a perfect path to travel or a less than perfect path to travel. Everyone seems to gets confused about something so simple.
Which brings me back to my first question, which is very subjective, i know.
 

Maxicut

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Which brings me back to my first question, which is very subjective, i know.
Can't help you there. All I can say is that I personally would get the RME, but I don't buy or use any audiophile gear, only pro gear. It all depends which side of the fence you sit. I've noticed a lot of people here think they are not audiofools, but with some of what they say, it's clear that they are!
 
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David Silva

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Can't help you there. All I can say is that I personally would get the RME, but I don't buy or use any audiophile gear, only pro gear. It all depends which side of the fence you sit. I've noticed a lot of people here think they are not audiofools, but with some of what they say, it's clear that they are!
Can we call Audiophiles as Professional listeners?
I can be on both sides. I enjoy listening music too, but i never do it on earbuds.
 

Maxicut

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Can we call Audiophiles Professional listeners?
I can be on both sides. I enjoy listening music too, but i never do it on earbuds.
Of course you can be both! I class myself as an audiophile, but not in the way that an audiofool does. EG: Having a forum post 100 pages long talking about bloody speaker wire is just ridiculous. Everyone believes you can somehow change the basic science of how things work. A 3-million dollar recording studio doesn't use gold connectors covered in the blood of a virgin, snake oil wiring & all this rubbish that abounds in the audiofool world. In the pro world, wiring costs like 80c a foot, but I have seen the exact same wiring marketed as audiophile grade for $800.00 per foot. I guess what I mean is, be an audiophile, but listen to the pro's. If something says that it's audiophile-grade... run!
 

VintageFlanker

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Can we call Audiophiles as Professional listeners?
Not a chance. There is something called trained listeners. @amirm will love to talk about that.;). The average audiophile will most likely do terrible scores during blind listening sessions vs trained listener.

But we're going far off-topic.
 

David Silva

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Of course you can be both! I class myself as an audiophile, but not in the way that an audiofool does. EG: Having a forum post 100 pages long talking about bloody speaker wire is just ridiculous. Everyone believes you can somehow change the basic science of how things work. A 3-million dollar recording studio doesn't use gold connectors covered in the blood of a virgin, snake oil wiring & all this rubbish that abounds in the audiofool world. In the pro world, wiring costs like 80c a foot, but I have seen the exact same wiring marketed as audiophile grade for $800.00 per foot. I guess what I mean is, be an audiophile, but listen to the pro's. If something says that it's audiophile-grade... run!
Hehehe.
Just for curiosity, do you cut vinyl on a studio or something. Great nickname.
 

DeepSpace57

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You do not mean to be racist, do you?

I believe this is not a topic we can talk about here. I just expressed my observation about the invasion of RME-loving german users in this thread.

Few things:
- You're talking about some State of the Art DAC, probably audibly indistinguishable from all 9038PRO/AK4499 units out there.

This is what i say. You would better purchase a staller DAC (considering how high its SINAD is, THD, jitter, that sort of stuff) with a reasonable price tag, as many ASR users keep underlying discerning audible differences between them is unrealistic. The gaining of status by the possession of something desirable in the eyes their peers that they wish to achieve is not my type. The simple philosophy I hold is `Look measurements, and then price to buy`. RME is clearly not strong against these two habits. You can always find out a better alternative to ADI for less.

Hi.
Since you heard both, witch one is the most neutral, clinical? I'm on the fence for the RME ADI-2 DAC FS for my AKG K701, but i've just found the Sabaj D5, but it seems the headphone output of the later is not as powerful, and i'm afraid of it not being powerful enough for my K701...
Thanks

I am quite happy with Sabaj D5 (v.6). I stacked it with 789. This does not mean RME ADI-2 is a bad choice. I am of the opinion that either way will make you satisfied with what you listen.


Oh please it's one of the most feature-rich devices out there (loudness, crossfeed, parametric EQ, much more) with the most rock-solid drivers. This is studio-grade gear. Other cheaper devices might come close in raw performance but reliability, robustness, support and features matter, too...

Yes, you could be right.
 
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