RME ADI-2 Pro FS R Black Edition overkill.

[Cyprio]

Hey all hi, first post here!

This is the plan - seems a little overkill but I'm tempted to buy the 'adi-2 pro fs r be' solely to use the analogue inputs for headphone amp duties? The idea is to utilise the Zone 2 rca preouts on my Marantz AV10 preamp and connect to the analogue inputs of the RME . I already use the 'adi-2-dac fs' in a desktop setup and love its sound and versatility.

My question is, I'm concerned that if for example I buy just a stand-alone head/amp, something like a Topping A90D or similar I will have absolutely no control over the sound, whereas with an rme I have bass/treble, eq etc, and a remote control which really means a lot to me. Aside from some of the Chinese gear there doesn't seem to be much else out there that fits the bill, so have I answered my own question?

This is for my main living room audio system and I doubt I'll ever utilize the dac in the rme as the dac/dacs in the AV10 will obviously do any digital conversion (nothing I can do about that).

Also - will the rme reconvert the incoming analogue signal back to digital and then convert back to analogue, or will it be bypassed?

As good as the AV10 preamp is, the headphone stage is nothing special (amirm did mention this in his review of the AV10). Any advise and/or alternative solution would be much appreciated.

 

[JeremyFife]

Hi ... sounds like the definition of overkill to me

I mean, fair enough if that's what you want to do.

What are your music sources, the inputs to your Marantz? I'd look at options for controlling the sound there and using a simple headphone amp.

What else have you looked at? Don't be quick to discount equipment just because of the country of manufacture.

 

[jkim]

If you want to utilize all RME features for headphone output, the best solution in your case seems to be using an HDMI audio extractor to convert AV10's Zone 2 HDMI out to optical PCM audio and feed it to RME ADI-2 DAC FS.

As shown in Amir's test, digital audio from the extractor is a perfect pass-through. This way the signal does not need to go through DAC -> ADC -> DAC processing.

 

[rcstevensonaz]

I own an ADI-2 Pro FS R.

Yes, it will convert the analog into digital domain — AD/DA is its primary function. The volume, auto ref, loudness, bass, treble, etc. are all done in the digital domain; and there is nothing to fear with an added AD/DA cycle.,

Yes, it can be perfect for your use case... if what you want are those capabilities such as volume, auto ref, loudness, bass, treble, etc.; even if you don't use DSP.

Yes, it is overkill for your use case unless you really need the auto ref, loudness, bass, treble, etc. for your headphones.

Yes, you can solve your situation at ~1/10th the cost and have headphone amp audio that is every bit as good as what you would get from the RME.

No, overkill will not kill you — though it might break your bank. For example, I route output from my ADI-2 Pro to separate headphone amps (TOPPING A30Pro, Monolith THX 887) because I want to control the headphone volume using a volume controller that is separate from the volume control for my studio monitors (and sometimes will have both active at the same time, thus necessary to have two separate controls).

 

[Cyprio]

Thanks all for getting back. @JeremyFife , source is Amazon Hi-Res music streaming from AV10 via HEOS audio app.
Secondary usage would be for gaming and watching YouTube vids. Headphones are Audeze LCD3.

I'm open to any good quality headphone amp on condition that I have some kind of sound control. I don't know if using the zone 2 preouts on the AV10 connected to a external headphone amp I would lose the AV1O sound controls i.e. bass/treble.

@jkim ,thanks. Using an audio extractor is a good idea! I never though of that. They don't cost much to buy so at the very least I could get one and try it all out using my adi-2- dac.

 

[jkim]

Personally I would not connect any decent, pricey gear to AV10's analog out. Whether audible or not, AV10's DAC performance does not justify such an investment.

EDIT: I believe there should be an option in AV10 for the digital audio format of each HDMI output.

 

[JeremyFife]

The Marantz (and it's DAC) looks pretty nice: Thread 'Marantz AV10 AV Processor Review' https://audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/marantz-av10-av-processor-review.50041/

This is an interesting problem actually, there doesn't seem to be much in the way of headphone amps with tone controls.

It feels just as odd as going for the RME, but the little Quedelic 5k dongle has full DSP onboard.

I'm really not familiar with AVRs, I feel sure (without actually knowing!) that Audssey should be sofisticated enough to apply EQ to the output you want. Hopefully others here actually know!

There are Frankenstein-like options: e.g. digital output to a WiiM Pro Plus (for EQ/PEQ) then a dedicated headphone amp... but you may be better off with your first thought of the RME to minimise the number of boxes.

Feels like there should be a better solution!

 

[jkim]

Feels like there should be a better solution!

I believe I suggested one. By the way, AV10 does not have a dedicated digital audio out.