this is more than a simple dac. It's a precision tool to handle digital music. Made by real engineers, without vanity. They No need to wright their names on the mainboard. Great review and DAC indeed!. No marketing hype nor unreasonable fancy materials. Just pure real technology. Congrats RME
Thank you for your nice review. It helped my to decide to buy the latest black version with remote (used item on ebay). All I really needed was a good DAC with analogue input (turntable) and built-in pre amp. The room correction might be useful too. All the other facilities will be too complicated for me! I hope that I will be able to set it to Default when it arrives. R.
Enjoyable review thanks. The headphone outs' are also a sophisticated hearing aid. You can set both channels so radically differently that you can customise for differences between your hearing needs separately in each ear. Personally I'm a speakers man. I chose the FS 2 despite thinking I might find better sound at the price (the cheaper Bifrost 2/64 in particular). I still feel as I thought then that with a DAC this good if I could not get a sound I liked then the fault would be mine not the DAC's. After initially experimenting with some of the settings over the first two months, I managed to ruin my set up, so reverted to finding "Factory reset" and for the next year I was listening to it as it came, out of the box. In the mean time my sound system has just finished reaching the £8K+ spend and for the first time I define it as "Sophisticated". So far any small changes I have just restarted trying in the EQ, I think I like less than "out the box". I aimed for cristal clarity and having achieved it, ironically one of the first things you notice is the draw back; Many of the iconic albums are littered with "Sound Bombs"(Like photo bombing) people tapping on stuff etc. Between my RME and "Tube rolling" I have all I need to keep this "Hobbyist" happy.
Great review! So good to get some insight on the preamp performance of these units. I was going to fund it by selling my existing pre (Cyrus 8 with PSXR). Great job 👍
Greetings from Manchester, England. I have the ADI-2 fs waiting for me at home and can't wait to finish work to get back to start tinkering with it. 😊 I'm 41 years old and feel like a kid I'm that excited! A little daunted by the menu system but I'm sure a good read of the "Bible" will soon get me up and running. Anyway, great video.. New sub definitely. 👌 Mike.
@@seltzertronics2538 I think I might be 41....😂😂😂. You can't have a worse memory than me mate! Anyway, once I've had a play with it, if I come across any issues I'll ask you. Thanks. 👌
@@seltzertronics2538 The RME is absolutely amazing! I'm genuinely hearing things I've not heard before in my music. Even on my PS4, the sound is just incredible! Would you consider doing a video on how to use and apply a good parametric EQ or is that not on the horizon? Mike.
@@seltzertronics2538 have you had a chance to listen and compare this with the Denafrips Ares ii or the chord qutest? I know those fall under different categories, yet they're in the same price range
Just wait till you get some practice in on doing tiny eq on the headphones, I am talking .01 to .1 db adjustements. You might find any advantages of the GD headphone amps vanishing! It's a rabbit hole you can go down for months. Don't just think in terms of room correction, but in terms of correcting for cartridge AND the tonal flavor of the input ADC too. You will be shocked at what you can achieve.
Hey nice review. Did you end up buying yourself an RME ADI-2 PRO? Nice that the newer RME ADI-2 PRO FS comes with a remote. I actually have a PRO and a DAC. PRO for home office, DAC for work. Love these things.
Great review, thanks. You are mentioning digital room correction using the parametric eq of these devices. But isn't that a limited form of room correction? It can only change the amplitude at certain frequencies. e.g. there is no correction in the time domain.
Thank you for your detailed and informative review. I’m thinking getting the DAC and use the eq to fix acoustic issues I have in my attic home office setup. Also, I’m curious to see how well it performs against my Yggdrasil in my main system.
The ADI fs is one of the DACs I have had my eye on. I use an integrated tube amp (Rogue Audio Cronus Magnum 2, incl. phono input) feeding a pair of KEF LS50 and dual REL T9i subs. I intend to use ROON in the future and I mainly stream from Spotify and TIDAL Masters. Neither of the 2 DACs (RME or Schitt) do MQA though I believe ROON does the 1st MQA unfold. Have you any idea how this RME ADI would compare to the latest Schitt Yggdrasil? Both are within my budget.
I've heard the Yggy a few times, but never in my own system. However, I've done lots of ABXing with the Gungnir Multibit and the ADI-2. The Gumby may be said to have a somewhat more "analog" sound, but imho the ADI-2 is the better DAC. Slightly better separation and imaging, especially in the Z-dimension. A bit cleaner, perhaps. I was doing some blind testing between the two and having some trouble. Turns out the A/C was on. I turned it off and suddenly was able to discern them again. Even though I can't really *hear* the noise floor, in some sense I could. Yggdrasil is certainly a better DAC than the Gungnir. If I had to hazard a guess, the ADI-2 and Yggy are comparable, at least playing in the same league. If all you want is a DAC, the ADI-2 DAC is a steal at $1100 though.
@@seltzertronics2538 thanks for your (very fast) feedback. It's a real pity I can't trial the ADI unit here in Singapore. So you think you might put up an Idiot's Guide to using the PEQ of the ADI for Room correction? This seems like the killer feature as sound differences between DACs can be very much down to individual preference. $1000 is still a lot of coin to drop on a hope and a prayer especially when I never use headphones and don't game at all.
On the Pro, at 5:25- Are you sure that you can use a 1/4" instrument input device, like a guitar? The manual says no. I hope you are right and it is wrong. Can you test it?
Well, it does have quarter-inch inputs and they do take a line-level input. I don't believe it does any phantom power or anything if the input device requires it.
Please make a correction in your review. An instrument input is different than a line input. In the manual it states that you can not use the input for instrument in. You would need a D.I. converter between your guitar or bass for this. I sure wish it would but it won't.
I have a Rme Adi-2 DAC FS which has unbalanced headphones output. Is there any way to make it balanced somehow by connecting any external device? If yes, can you recommend any make and model and how can I connect it ?
lol...I have the Original UFX...and yes you will hear a difference but if you are listening or printing at 192khz then you will already be monitoring at a very high level.
I have read that audiquest Cables like Cinnamon or Carbon for pc to the DAC is a good solution and bring a bit better sounding and a massiv granit or marble plate with rubber foots (half balls like) to eliminate vibration and some means it‘s hear far better. I think with the cable thats right but with the stand maybe by high volumes or is it like very expensively turntables which have don’t like any vibrations and those Hifi Plate gives Advantages Step? Nice Video like it , my rme with ess dac chip comes tomorrow on saturday or on monday; Greetings from Germany
seen on several websites this is advertised as an audio interface , can this work as a medium between a PC Daw (optical spdif or adat depending on variant) & a set of monitors? I'm perplexed by RME's options & I'm done with pci express cards & I'm in a position & mindset whereby i don't want to upgraded again. even if the seen on several websites this is advertised as an audio interface , can this work as a medium between a PC Daw (optical spdif or adat depending on variant) & a set of monitors? I'm perplexed by RME's options & I'm done with pci express cards & I'm in a position & mindset whereby i don't want to upgraded again. optical connection to the "cheaper" non pro & then to a mixer (4-8 channel analogue mixer - like a mackie or better). I'd use this for listening & entertainment , mild gaming & i mean mild! great video , I've wanted an rme card for years , over 2 decades 😂
I'm a bedroom Vinyl DJ and I'm not sure I need this or not. So I can adc in really high quality then record that on to my computer somehow? I'll figure that part out but would this be an advantageous purchas?
Will a Pro FS be a good enough to record a violin at home with dpa d.vote 4099 mic, and then listen it through Shure SRH 1840 headphones or Genelec 8040 monitors? Or it will be better to buy a separate adc for recording and a more convient dac/preamp/headphone amp like matrix element i or m and listen through it also enjoying Tidal Hi-Fi?
Great Review ! Just wondering if someone can help? can i connect the RME ADI-2 DAC to a sub woofer while connected to active speakers ? So if im using the XLR's outs to the active speakers and the RCA out to the sub woofer ? if this possible? Can this be done ?
Hi.. is there a difference as a dac through XLR between them ? it the Pro true balanced dac or both are the same ? Thanks . i really enjoyed your review
Thanks for your detailed review. What do you think about the harmony of ADI-2 DAC with HD800S? Do you have a chance to compare with HDV820 in terms of harmony?
Can I have an invite link to your discord server. I'm unable to check your links. We apparently hear the same way and have similar preferences, so you're a reliable source for me to choose stuff to try out 😅.
The Monoprice Monolith THX AAA DAC/Amp also has a 5 band user definable parametric equalizer, a host of analog and digital inputs, DIRAC II surround, Dynamic Range Control/compression, several digital filters(5 or 6) , and both 4 pin XLR and unbalanced 6.5 mm headphone jacks and costs only $500. No remote or Bluetooth functionality. But I would love to see you compare it against the RME ADI DAC2.
Also, if you like to fiddle about, you'll read the - highly recommendable - manual AFTER you've found out all about how the UI works. There's SO MUICH non-audial entertainment in this package, unbelievable. ^^
He means, one can apply the room corrections graph values which you run on separate software, by using the rme's parametric equalizer to match the same patern.....
this is more than a simple dac. It's a precision tool to handle digital music. Made by real engineers, without vanity. They No need to wright their names on the mainboard. Great review and DAC indeed!. No marketing hype nor unreasonable fancy materials. Just pure real technology. Congrats RME
Thank you for your nice review. It helped my to decide to buy the latest black version with remote (used item on ebay). All I really needed was a good DAC with analogue input (turntable) and built-in pre amp. The room correction might be useful too. All the other facilities will be too complicated for me! I hope that I will be able to set it to Default when it arrives. R.
You need to do more videos, just continue please
Yeah, listening to this via my ADI-2 DAC and couldn't be happier. ^^
Looks like you get your wish RME ADI-2 Pro FSR BE is the new PRO Version coming in black with a REMOTE included
Enjoyable review thanks.
The headphone outs' are also a sophisticated hearing aid. You can set both channels so radically differently that you can customise for differences between your hearing needs separately in each ear. Personally I'm a speakers man.
I chose the FS 2 despite thinking I might find better sound at the price (the cheaper Bifrost 2/64 in particular).
I still feel as I thought then that with a DAC this good if I could not get a sound I liked then the fault would be mine not the DAC's.
After initially experimenting with some of the settings over the first two months, I managed to ruin my set up, so reverted to finding "Factory reset" and for the next year I was listening to it as it came, out of the box.
In the mean time my sound system has just finished reaching the £8K+ spend and for the first time I define it as "Sophisticated".
So far any small changes I have just restarted trying in the EQ, I think I like less than "out the box".
I aimed for cristal clarity and having achieved it, ironically one of the first things you notice is the draw back; Many of the iconic albums are littered with "Sound Bombs"(Like photo bombing) people tapping on stuff etc.
Between my RME and "Tube rolling" I have all I need to keep this "Hobbyist" happy.
Great review! So good to get some insight on the preamp performance of these units. I was going to fund it by selling my existing pre (Cyrus 8 with PSXR). Great job 👍
been watching information on DAC's for a full two days, and your video stands out in practicality and reality, very helpfull
Thank you very much for your extensive review, it's been on my radar for a while, I'm convinced.
Greetings from Manchester, England.
I have the ADI-2 fs waiting for me at home and can't wait to finish work to get back to start tinkering with it. 😊
I'm 41 years old and feel like a kid I'm that excited!
A little daunted by the menu system but I'm sure a good read of the "Bible" will soon get me up and running.
Anyway, great video.. New sub definitely. 👌
Mike.
Awesome! Glad to hear it. I think I might also be 41. That could have been last year though. I can't remember. Let me know if you have any questions!
@@seltzertronics2538 I think I might be 41....😂😂😂.
You can't have a worse memory than me mate!
Anyway, once I've had a play with it, if I come across any issues I'll ask you. Thanks. 👌
@@seltzertronics2538 The RME is absolutely amazing! I'm genuinely hearing things I've not heard before in my music.
Even on my PS4, the sound is just incredible!
Would you consider doing a video on how to use and apply a good parametric EQ or is that not on the horizon?
Mike.
@@seltzertronics2538 have you had a chance to listen and compare this with the Denafrips Ares ii or the chord qutest? I know those fall under different categories, yet they're in the same price range
@@niyantx th-cam.com/video/D5en5tHb3bc/w-d-xo.html
Cristal clear explanations, thank you!
This is the best dac in the world right now - regardless of price.
Just wait till you get some practice in on doing tiny eq on the headphones, I am talking .01 to .1 db adjustements. You might find any advantages of the GD headphone amps vanishing! It's a rabbit hole you can go down for months. Don't just think in terms of room correction, but in terms of correcting for cartridge AND the tonal flavor of the input ADC too. You will be shocked at what you can achieve.
I need this aid-2 dac!!!! thanks for the great Review!!!!
Hey nice review. Did you end up buying yourself an RME ADI-2 PRO? Nice that the newer RME ADI-2 PRO FS comes with a remote. I actually have a PRO and a DAC. PRO for home office, DAC for work. Love these things.
I am 4 uears later than this uet a great video showing the differences and pros and cons. I love my RME ADI-2 PRO FS BE and it is awesome in line.
Great review, thanks. You are mentioning digital room correction using the parametric eq of these devices. But isn't that a limited form of room correction? It can only change the amplitude at certain frequencies. e.g. there is no correction in the time domain.
Thank you for your detailed and informative review. I’m thinking getting the DAC and use the eq to fix acoustic issues I have in my attic home office setup. Also, I’m curious to see how well it performs against my Yggdrasil in my main system.
The ADI fs is one of the DACs I have had my eye on. I use an integrated tube amp (Rogue Audio Cronus Magnum 2, incl. phono input) feeding a pair of KEF LS50 and dual REL T9i subs. I intend to use ROON in the future and I mainly stream from Spotify and TIDAL Masters. Neither of the 2 DACs (RME or Schitt) do MQA though I believe ROON does the 1st MQA unfold. Have you any idea how this RME ADI would compare to the latest Schitt Yggdrasil? Both are within my budget.
I've heard the Yggy a few times, but never in my own system. However, I've done lots of ABXing with the Gungnir Multibit and the ADI-2. The Gumby may be said to have a somewhat more "analog" sound, but imho the ADI-2 is the better DAC. Slightly better separation and imaging, especially in the Z-dimension. A bit cleaner, perhaps. I was doing some blind testing between the two and having some trouble. Turns out the A/C was on. I turned it off and suddenly was able to discern them again. Even though I can't really *hear* the noise floor, in some sense I could. Yggdrasil is certainly a better DAC than the Gungnir. If I had to hazard a guess, the ADI-2 and Yggy are comparable, at least playing in the same league. If all you want is a DAC, the ADI-2 DAC is a steal at $1100 though.
@@seltzertronics2538 thanks for your (very fast) feedback. It's a real pity I can't trial the ADI unit here in Singapore. So you think you might put up an Idiot's Guide to using the PEQ of the ADI for Room correction? This seems like the killer feature as sound differences between DACs can be very much down to individual preference. $1000 is still a lot of coin to drop on a hope and a prayer especially when I never use headphones and don't game at all.
Can you show us .. how to use it with Any DAW( recording software ) plzzzz ....record some stuff .. thanks 🙏
Yeah it would be perfect to see this thing "in action"
Great review! Thanks :)
Is it true that the RME ADI 2 Dac, has a tweeked analog headphone circuit that is different then/from the "studio" Pro FS?
On the Pro, at 5:25- Are you sure that you can use a 1/4" instrument input device, like a guitar? The manual says no. I hope you are right and it is wrong. Can you test it?
Well, it does have quarter-inch inputs and they do take a line-level input. I don't believe it does any phantom power or anything if the input device requires it.
Please make a correction in your review. An instrument input is different than a line input. In the manual it states that you can not use the input for instrument in. You would need a D.I. converter between your guitar or bass for this. I sure wish it would but it won't.
I have a Rme Adi-2 DAC FS which has unbalanced headphones output. Is there any way to make it balanced somehow by connecting any external device? If yes, can you recommend any make and model and how can I connect it ?
The question is; Have the UFX II, will this give any hearable difference?
lol...I have the Original UFX...and yes you will hear a difference but if you are listening or printing at 192khz then you will already be monitoring at a very high level.
Can you use this device to stream tidal roon please where does these units fit in looking at a Matrix M ...
I have read that audiquest Cables like Cinnamon or Carbon for pc to the DAC is a good solution and bring a bit better sounding and a massiv granit or marble plate with rubber foots (half balls like) to eliminate vibration and some means it‘s hear far better. I think with the cable thats right but with the stand maybe by high volumes or is it like very expensively turntables which have don’t like any vibrations and those Hifi Plate gives Advantages Step? Nice Video like it , my rme with ess dac chip comes tomorrow on saturday or on monday; Greetings from Germany
Did you end up purchasing one of these? If so, which?
Best review ever on the RME
Can you adjust how fast the volume knob changes the volume? I want to be able to crank it up quickly but it looks like it takes a while on this dac
Would be a THX 789 better then the amp built in the RME?
just confirming that this dac can be a pre-amplifier for active speakers
Yes, it can. Uses digital volume attenuation.
What about Audiolab M-DAC plus ?
Melvin Mansatainday
Audiolab M Dac Plus is Great especially used as a Preamp with a pair of Adam Audio T5V Active Monitors
seen on several websites this is advertised as an audio interface , can this work as a medium between a PC Daw (optical spdif or adat depending on variant) & a set of monitors? I'm perplexed by RME's options & I'm done with pci express cards & I'm in a position & mindset whereby i don't want to upgraded again.
even if the seen on several websites this is advertised as an audio interface , can this work as a medium between a PC Daw (optical spdif or adat depending on variant) & a set of monitors? I'm perplexed by RME's options & I'm done with pci express cards & I'm in a position & mindset whereby i don't want to upgraded again.
optical connection to the "cheaper" non pro & then to a mixer (4-8 channel analogue mixer - like a mackie or better). I'd use this for listening & entertainment , mild gaming & i mean mild!
great video , I've wanted an rme card for years , over 2 decades 😂
Excellent review!
Your audio volume on this video is rather quiet. Otherwise nice review.
I'm a bedroom Vinyl DJ and I'm not sure I need this or not. So I can adc in really high quality then record that on to my computer somehow? I'll figure that part out but would this be an advantageous purchas?
Hi the preamp section is the same quality compared when connecting to speakers if you can help me please
Hello, great video! Is upgrade from Ifi micro Black Label to this good option? Thanks.
Did you buy the device or have you received it from manufacturer ?
12:03 mark: "in sum, they're.... " what? unstoppable? couldn't tell what you said
I think it's 'outstanding', could be wrong though.
Will a Pro FS be a good enough to record a violin at home with dpa d.vote 4099 mic, and then listen it through Shure SRH 1840 headphones or Genelec 8040 monitors?
Or it will be better to buy a separate adc for recording and a more convient dac/preamp/headphone amp like matrix element i or m and listen through it also enjoying Tidal Hi-Fi?
I strongly believe that for your recording it will not get much better than using the RME pro. Of course, Tidal has to come from somewhere else.
What cabling did you use for I/O? Did you use balanced output from the DAC to the amplifier?
Great Review ! Just wondering if someone can help? can i connect the RME ADI-2 DAC to a sub woofer while connected to active speakers ? So if im using the XLR's outs to the active speakers and the RCA out to the sub woofer ? if this possible?
Can this be done ?
How do these stack up against chord Qutest, do you know??? I'm quiet torn between these two and would appreciate your feedback. Thanks
Uhhh fast forward to ADI-2 FSR Black Edition... Your choice just got easier...
I have one; the sound is amazing, but the menu system is daunting.
I'm torn between ADi-2 and Chord qutest for my Yamaha AS3000 with Dali opticon 6 speakers, any suggestions? I would appreciate your help
The RME ADI-2 PRO FS R Black Edition does have a remote! Not the Pro FS though...
I got the grace design m903, is the RME better?
You can not do proper room correction with 5-band eq, i wish it was possible because the pro fs is on the way
adat allows both to have 8 channels of audio in.
Hello, great content. I just got the RME ADI2 ...can you suggest a few headphones under $1000 that would be best for this DAC. Thank you.
Focal clear.
(adi-2 pro fs) can you patch an external compressor using this ad/da? adi-2_out>com In>com out > adi-2 in>back to your laptop/pc? thanks
any experience with some more difficult/lower sensitivity iems on the Dac?
How would you compare it to the Benchmark Dac3?
What is this? This is audio interface like Babyface Pro? whats difference? Thanks
nice review, but you should bump up the volume on the videos you make. I don't like to have too high settings on my volume.....
Hi..
is there a difference as a dac through XLR between them ?
it the Pro true balanced dac or both are the same ?
Thanks . i really enjoyed your review
Thanks for your detailed review. What do you think about the harmony of ADI-2 DAC with HD800S? Do you have a chance to compare with HDV820 in terms of harmony?
Can the ADI-2 pro FS screen be dimmed or turned off ?
Yes it has an auto dimming function.
Can I have an invite link to your discord server. I'm unable to check your links. We apparently hear the same way and have similar preferences, so you're a reliable source for me to choose stuff to try out 😅.
Welcome! It's a good group of folks. Here, try this one: discord.gg/J6zRVs9
Does the pro convert between usb audio and aes?
I assume so. However, I wasn't able to test that as I don't have any other AES devices.
What USB cable
did you use?
I have the Schiit Pyst USB cable. ADC tests were done with the stock cable.
Can the display be turned off when in use? I can’t seem to find the answer to this.
The Monoprice Monolith THX AAA DAC/Amp also has a 5 band user definable parametric equalizer, a host of analog and digital inputs, DIRAC II surround, Dynamic Range Control/compression, several digital filters(5 or 6) , and both 4 pin XLR and unbalanced 6.5 mm headphone jacks and costs only $500.
No remote or Bluetooth functionality.
But I would love to see you compare it against the RME ADI DAC2.
excellent review, thanks!
Also, if you like to fiddle about, you'll read the - highly recommendable - manual AFTER you've found out all about how the UI works. There's SO MUICH non-audial entertainment in this package, unbelievable. ^^
How extend ADI-2 DAC with aprox 8 analog inputs ?
Can‘t hear you very well
WTF... Did you say "Re-Clocker"?!
Yeah, german precision hasn't been made for everyone. Definitely not for the "make it simple" guys.
32:57 I am a "gamer" and I plan to get the DAC. With my HD 800S on balanced from the THX 789 should be good enough for eternity.
That's what I had thought until I met Stax.
@@tonyleungnl yea.. stax... if they not had such shitty casing and where comfy, i allready would have them. but for 8h sessions no way
It doesn't have native room correction. That's misleading
He means, one can apply the room corrections graph values which you run on separate software, by using the rme's parametric equalizer to match the same patern.....
Yep... I'm taking advice from someone who can't set their mic levels correctly.