FYI I posted this elsewhere but sharing here for those interested. Included the balanced of the ADI-2 Pro. As usual the manual is awesome.
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RME ADI-2 FS Version 2 DAC and Headphone Amp Review
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AlfieFroud
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How did you get it that cheap?
It has been permanently for 720 pounds / 810 euros / 982 usd (excl. VAT) on Nord. Got mine from them.
https://www.nordacoustics.co.uk/product-page/rme-adi-2-dac
https://www.nordacoustics.co.uk/product-page/rme-adi-2-dac
AlfieFroud
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Okay this DAC sounds amazing! What settings are recommended to get the best sound with headphones. I plan on giving the manual a good read but I’m not clued up on the technical jargon.
I do have a couple of questions. When using auto reference level the music stutters for a second when turning up the volume to when it switches to high powered mode, is this normal?
when using my Beyerdynamic Amiron home I’m finding I need to have the headphones at -18 to get a decent volume. Am I doing something wrong? I’ve tried looking in the manual and had a fiddle with the settings but can’t seem to find anything.
I do have a couple of questions. When using auto reference level the music stutters for a second when turning up the volume to when it switches to high powered mode, is this normal?
when using my Beyerdynamic Amiron home I’m finding I need to have the headphones at -18 to get a decent volume. Am I doing something wrong? I’ve tried looking in the manual and had a fiddle with the settings but can’t seem to find anything.
AlfieFroud
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Ah so that would be £864 with VAT. I got mine for £836 from Scan.
Are you importing it into the U.K?
Scan is awesome for low prices, don’t know how they do it.
Zensō
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I’d suggest researching EQ. Oratory creates some settings specifically for the ADI-2 DAC.
AlfieFroud
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I definitely think there’s an issue with my unit. The music is stuttering randomly and when playing music I have to have it pretty high and when watching films from Netflix and what’s already on my device I can’t get it loud enough at all.
What input are you using? Have you checked the 'State Overview' (see page 30 in the manual)?
What is your volume setting - both on the DAC and the digital source?
Have you tried any other DACs or, if available, the built in analog output of your digital source?
Zensō
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If you describe your full audio chain from the source to the transducers someone here might be able to help you troubleshoot your issue. It’s more likely to be an issue with set up than a faulty unit (though that is always a possibility).
AlfieFroud
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I’m using an iPhone 11 Pro with the camera connection adapter connected to the DAC with the included USB cable. I’m using Qobuz for music and the Netflix app. I’m using the Beyerdynamic Amiron homes headphones connected to the phones output. The volume on the iPhone cannot be adjusted which the manual says is supposed to happen. I have the volume at -18 dBr.
The state overview says USB Sync:conn SR:96 State:2/2.
The state overview says USB Sync:conn SR:96 State:2/2.
What is the clock source?
AlfieFroud
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Is it 'INT'? That is the DAC's internal clock.
AlfieFroud
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Do you have any other digital sources you could try?
Also, based on a previous post of yours, is this affected by you changing the volume? There is a relay being switched between low and high power mode which introduces something that could be described as a stutter during playback.
AlfieFroud
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I have an IPhone 12 Pro that I can try. I don’t have any other devices. When it switches from low to high power it does stutter but it also happens when the phone automatically locks itself and also randomly during music playback. Is it normal to have to set it to -18dBr for it to be loud enough?
Regarding the relation between the stutter and the phone's behaviour, I don't have any good idea how to fix it. I would suggest you contact RME support or sign up to the RME user forum and if you are fortunate enough, maybe @MC_RME can help you here as well.
According to the manufacturer specifications -18 dBr should give about 110 dB peaks at 500 Hz. I would consider that quite loud even for very dynamical content.
At what volume setting do the headphones sound as loud as the iPhone on maximum volume?
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