RME ADI-2 Pro FS R vs. MOTU M2

[Blumlein 88]

Same... really like the Motu but its forward and harsh but dynamic and exciting.
The RME has a richer darker sound and better timbre.

So have you tried to dump two files in Foobar ABX and see if you can pick one vs the other?

 

[outerspace]

But the filters will sound different. Why?

Did they sound different in correct double blind test? Because you can clearly hear the difference while there is no difference in sound at all.

 

[SoZo]

So have you tried to dump two files in Foobar ABX and see if you can pick one vs the other?

Did it in Cubase back to back blind can pick it every time....

 

[outerspace]

Did it in Cubase back to back blind can pick it every time....

These are the same but just aligned files: download link. Can you share you ABX log from foobar with foo_abx plugin? And can you tell which one is RME recording?

Spoiler: ABX log

foo_abx 2.0.6d report
foobar2000 v1.4
2020-09-08 05:59:14

File A: (2) ABX.flac
SHA1: f6a6647247a677bba3155a8acb1b8c23aa0fc04b
File B: (3) ABX.flac
SHA1: 0874120e29be23db61324e51062a341059528ea0

Output:
DS : DAC (3- CA DacMagic XS)
Crossfading: NO

05:59:14 : Test started.
05:59:23 : 01/01
05:59:35 : 02/02
06:00:01 : 03/03
06:00:14 : 04/04
06:00:24 : 05/05
06:00:35 : 06/06
06:01:16 : 07/07
06:01:40 : 08/08
06:02:19 : 09/09
06:02:29 : 10/10
06:02:29 : Test finished.

----------
Total: 10/10
p-value: 0.001 (0.1%)

-- signature --
6eb78dcc05f21aca693984bbb940b453d3b3339f

I'm interested because I need concentration and instantaneous A/B'ing to catch the difference. I can't spot it by just relaxing listening. And it's not about "hard glare on the high mid" or "highs were too high and separated". It's just subtle additional harshness on one very short (0.5 sec) fragment caused by recording issues/variations. Maybe it's just another subtle masked click.

 

[Tks]

I know folks and I have been a bit harsh. But I do think there is value in using a higher end interface for something like archival purposes especially for something like vinyl that's already somewhat lower in recorded quality than digital recordings(so a higher end ADC does less to mar the recording itself further). But of course this would only matter if you are deathly serious about getting the best quality possible and having one less thing to worry about perhaps. So something like a company should use an RME instead of a M2.

But I still echo sentiments about recording procedure being paramount by comparison.

 

[bennetng]

So have you tried to dump two files in Foobar ABX and see if you can pick one vs the other?

A waste of time to talk about these things after revealing the answers anyway.
That's why I said this:

Take the quiz or not is up to you, but any answers you provided will be considered as final and I will not accept any excuse after I disclosed the passwords.

 

[AnalogSteph]

As I had difficulty identifying repeatable differences after ReplayGaining the test files (btw - WAV? srsly? FLAC is just over half the size to download!), I fired up DeltaWave. Man, it sure didn't like C, I'm guessing that was from another run? The delta keeps fading in and out, suggesting some wow on part of the TT drive mechanism that obviously isn't repeatable. A and B matched up much better, with most differences >18 kHz as expected, and I think there's a slight difference in frequency response towards the low mids and bass.

So, not sure about C, but I guess some measurements of A and B would turn up the differences in frequency response that once EQ'd out, would eliminate the majority of remaining delta. If I can just EQ it, it's not a substantial difference, now is it?

 

[turbotuff]

I'd be interested in the ADI-2 if it had phantom power. Looking for a very high quality ADC with optical inputs and XLR outputs.

 

[Blumlein 88]

I'd be interested in the ADI-2 if it had phantom power. Looking for a very high quality ADC with optical inputs and XLR outputs.

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...yface-pro-fs-portable-interface-review.12313/

Not quite as good a performance as the ADI-2, but not bad. RME Babyface has ADAT and mic preamps with phantom power. Unlike some ADC's the BabyFace will accept both optical ADAT and optical SPDIF inputs.

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/motu-624-audio-interface-review.9824/

This MOTU 624 is a bit less expensive with better test results than the Babyface. It also will accept either ADAT or SPDIF optical.

 

[AnalogSteph]

ADI-2 (Pro) is a pure line-level device and as such does not even have an integrated mic pre. It seems that adding some may be a challenge - I suppose you could just about still squeeze in two XLR jacks on the front, but I doubt there'd be enough space for some level controls as well.

I imagine RME could combine e.g. the ADI-2 fs with two mic channels from one of their pres in a double-height 9.5" case if they wanted, but maybe they're not seeing the market for something like this. Let's face it, the Babyface Pro FS is much more polished and very good already, all the more impressive in light of it being bus-powered.

 

[MechEngVic]

Just use these:

A
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dDSQY8RiUoxJnN31Pyyi_rPclXHCogld/view?usp=sharing

B
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1j8oxgVGg6c94rVjHGBTyAmt5NtAbgtCO/view?usp=sharing

C
https://drive.google.com/file/d/11bx8uYOY9LdJkf7jp20QR62AJAU2tUsF/view?usp=sharing

A has the lowest level, C the next lowest, and B the highest. But they're within 0.5dB of each other.

Mani.

Thanks for turning me on to Ralf Illenberger!

 

[manisandher]

Thanks for turning me on to Ralf Illenberger!

You're welcome.

It just occurred to me that I didn't actually mention who the guitarist and femaile vocalist were on the respective tracks. Well done for figuring out the guitarist. The female vocalist was Katja Werker.

Mani.

 

[manisandher]

I can't believe how much HF content there is above 20 kHz on the acoustic guitar track:



Mani.

 

[MechEngVic]

I can't believe how much HF content there is above 20 kHz on the acoustic guitar track:

View attachment 82294

Mani.

It's all overtones, harmonics generated by the ringing in the bridge and neck. It's what we hear as the "chiming" sound in steel string guitars.

 

[MarkyM]

You're welcome.

It just occurred to me that I didn't actually mention who the guitarist and femaile vocalist were on the respective tracks. Well done for figuring out the guitarist. The female vocalist was Katja Werker.

Mani.

I'm really liking the Ralf Illenberger too. Thanks!
What is the name of the song & album. I can't seem to find it on Tidal.

 

[manisandher]

I'm really liking the Ralf Illenberger too. Thanks!
What is the name of the song & album. I can't seem to find it on Tidal.

It's called 'Frogs'. I couldn't find it on Tidal either.

Mani.

 

[MarkyM]

It's called 'Frogs'. I couldn't find it on Tidal either.

Mani.

Cool, thanks.

 

[AndrewHacket]

This is such a great test thanks for doing it, I've spent quite some time on this and find if I analyzed it in microscopic detail I ended up confusing myself. Sitting back and enjoying the music through feelings I found A: To have a smoothness that I could enjoy for eternity. C Was fatiguing and harsher didn't really have any time for it and B: Was also good somewhere in the middle. I will now be doing everything I can to one day own an RME ADI 2 PRO FS it has a really special sound quality. Thanks for the test !! Happy Days.

 

[AnalogSteph]

A comparison would really have to be substantially more rigorous than this for meaningful results.

Besides, while the ADI-2 Pro FS is a great piece of kit with a substantial degree of flexibility, you should be able to get very close (which is to say, probably indistinguishable) at a fraction of the price. Think RME's own Babyface Pro FS, Audient iD22 or Focusrite Clarett 2Pre, for example.

Or if you don't mind wrestling the EMU drivers on an older machine in exchange for getting by on a shoestring budget, there's still the 0404 USB (ADC = AK5385A) or the 1212M or 1616M (ADC = AK5394A) for a pure line-level interface based on a PCI card. ESI Juli@ (ADC = AK5385A) is another good PCI card (apparently best used in Linux, the Windows drivers kinda stink). 0404 USBs and Juli@s tend to go for about one twentieth of an ADI-2 Pro FS BE, the others may not pop up very often but don't generally cost an arm and a leg either.
You will find a number of mods for the 1212M from back in the day though it is unclear which ones actually did anything. There are more low-level gremlins in the spectrum than there should be, if that could be cleaned up (and opamps replaced by higher-performance ones to bring the distortion down) these 15-year-old cards would still be very high up the food chain. The AK5394A remained the best ADC chip you could buy for over a decade, I don't think it was ever used in anything cheaper (and hence more common) than the 1212M.

We have been able to take very good recordings for quite a while now.

 

[L5730]

Not that my comments can be accepted as unbiased listening now that the results are published, I will just say that I hadn't read through the entire thread while I was listening to the acoustic guitar, and at the point of listening I didn't know which was which.
I listened in Reaper, quick switching between tracks, using my preferred EQ DSP for monitor output, and on headphones.

B: I adjusted gain -0.4 dB.
I preferred the duller/softer/warmer sound compared to the others, on the breathy swells. Not sure how accurate that is.

C: I inverted phase as it made life easier to sync them in the DAW.
The finger 'screech' on the strings sounded that tiny bit sharper and edgy. I mean a tiny bit.
Maybe it sounds a fraction more dynamic in that the aggressive loud parts seemed to kick out a bit more.