EXPIRED WTB: RME ADI-2 DAC

[tma]

2 hours ago, pasic007 said:

Just for anyone wanting to order from EU.

 

Border Charges/Fees applicable: Duty $0 GST $136.02 Entry fee $88.00 TOTAL PAYABLE $224.02

 

Outch. 

That's still a better deal than Australian stores isn't it?

[EHT007]

Depends who you ask, some prefer local warranty for that extra $. 

To me, it is better deal. Also to note should you get it from EU Rene mentioned there was 7 week leadtime if you go with postal NL due to covid.  

 

Ill be comparing this RME to Fein II, Node 2i and looking at getting few others.  Would love to see how dCS compares to these lol.  Should have RME by friday

 

Potentially it might have this up for sale 

[tma]

4 hours ago, pasic007 said:

Depends who you ask, some prefer local warranty for that extra $. 

To me, it is better deal. Also to note should you get it from EU Rene mentioned there was 7 week leadtime if you go with postal NL due to covid.  

 

Ill be comparing this RME to Fein II, Node 2i and looking at getting few others.  Would love to see how dCS compares to these lol.  Should have RME by friday

 

Potentially it might have this up for sale 

If it's potentially on sale I am potentially up for buying it 

We'll have to discuss if it ever goes end up in the classifieds

 

I wish it came with a 12v trigger, I think many are using the DAC directly into their power amp so that would be very advantageous

 

 

 

[peppy]

@tma

Dude

If you are not too keen on features RME provides, you might bebetter off purchasing a Schiit Modius.

RME value is due to its Features + AMP, not DAC.

 

Plenty users in US (including purr1n) suggesting that the new schiit modius (using the same AK4493 chip) is providing better sound than RME.

Schiit is a better DAC minus the bells and whistles RME comes with, especially the Amp.

AND

for a change this Schiit product has measured exceptionally well on ASR (if that matters to you).

Schiit Modius is A$375 landed.

 

I sold my RME as I was not using the RME features (EQ etc, instead using sonarworks) and use separate Amps already.

Prefer the discrete amps over the RME built in amp (no competition there, for sure).

 

I replaced my RME with Denafrips R2R and prefer Denafrips DAC, and I know that is subjective.(hence not going there)

 

BUT

Agree with you, chip based DAC, beyond a certain measurement, all sound the similar.

I couldn't really point the difference any major or massive differences between my RME DAC vs a cheaper but similarly very well measuring DAC (when I had both)

R2R though, can easily differentiate in sound signature easily from the chip based DACs.

 

If you are looking at pure DAC, you can definitely do better with your money for 'A DAC' alone.

But if you are looking at one device that can do all, RME it is.

 

 

Edited July 6, 2020 by peppy

[Bengineer]

More like $390 AUD at the moment, and unsure if any tax will be applied, but that's how much it cost me via Paypal.

 

Still, can't wait. Expecting good things

[peppy]

7 minutes ago, Bengineer said:

Still, can't wait.

Me too.

Send it to me for playing, while you still have your Topping.

[idiomatically]

32 minutes ago, peppy said:

@tma

Dude

If you are not too keen on features RME provides, you might bebetter off purchasing a Schiit Modius.

RME value is due to its Features + AMP, not DAC.

 

Plenty users in US (including purr1n) suggesting that the new schiit modius (using the same AK4493 chip) is providing better sound than RME.

Schiit is a better DAC minus the bells and whistles RME comes with, especially the Amp.

AND

for a change this Schiit product has measured exceptionally well on ASR (if that matters to you).

Schiit Modius is A$375 landed.

 

I sold my RME as I was not using the RME features (for EQ etc, instead using sonarworks) and use separate Amps already.

Prefer the discrete amps over the RME built in amp (no competition there, for sure).

 

I replaced my RME with Denafrips R2R and prefer Denafrips DAC, and I know that is subjective.(hence not going there)

 

BUT

Agree with you, chip based DAC, beyond a certain measurement, all sound the similar.

R2R though, can easily differentiate in sound signature easily from the chip based DACs.

 

If you are looking at pure DAC, you can definitely do better with your money for 'A DAC' alone.

 

 

 I would take anything purr1n says with a grain of salt.  I own the RME and the Modius, the Modius is a great DAC for the money and performs very very well, but it’s not as good as the RME, the ADI2 FS (v2) is an amazing DAC and yes that is primarily where it gets its value, the other features just make it even better.

If you want a straight up DAC that’s balanced at a great price,  yep Modius is the way to go.  It’s not without it’s faults and can have the normal Schiit QA issues but at it’s price point certainly hard to pass up.  It’s not an RME ADI2 FS or Topping D90 killer however.

 

[elisiX_]

I’ve been wondering this and I’m glad to hear from an actual user of both devices.

 

Peppy and I have been discussing the Modius and to many it would seem that the only difference is the ‘bells and whistles’ of the RME.

[peppy]

9 minutes ago, idiomatically said:

 I would take anything purr1n says with a grain of salt.  I own the RME and the Modius, the Modius is a great DAC for the money and performs very very well, but it’s not as good as the RME, the ADI2 FS (v2) is an amazing DAC and yes that is primarily where it gets its value, the other features just make it even better.

If you want a straight up DAC that’s balanced at a great price,  yep Modius is the way to go.  It’s not without it’s faults and can have the normal Schiit QA issues but at it’s price point certainly hard to pass up.  It’s not an RME ADI2 FS or Topping D90 killer however.

 

Interesting @idiomatically....I think , the 1st Modius vs RME feedback on the forums (may be 1st Modius feedback alone)

BTW, never suggested X DAC is a , Y DAC killer....will leave that to the youtube advertisers (reviewers)

 

@Bengineer - Will do the same DACs blind test with @elisix_ .

Again , I believe results will be surprising between Modius vs RME vs Denafrips vs AGD

As surprising it was last time , between RME vs Hugo2 vs AGD.

 

Our perception definitely changes by knowing what DAC we playing , realised that in the last blind test RME vs Hugo2 vs AGD.....Was an eye opener!!

 

Edited July 6, 2020 by peppy

[peppy]

1 minute ago, elisix_ said:

I’ve been wondering this and I’m glad to hear from an actual user of both devices.

 

Peppy and I have been discussing the Modius and to many it would seem that the only difference is the ‘bells and whistles’ of the RME.

I decide to buy once @Bengineer receives his & we can do a blind test.

Not buying chip based DACs anymore without blind testing.

[Bengineer]

Yeah, hoping its good. I'd imagine its adequate for my purposes.

 

Now to sell the other stuff, and find a good SS amp to match!

[tma]

5 hours ago, peppy said:

@tma

Dude

If you are not too keen on features RME provides, you might bebetter off purchasing a Schiit Modius.

RME value is due to its Features + AMP, not DAC.

 

Plenty users in US (including purr1n) suggesting that the new schiit modius (using the same AK4493 chip) is providing better sound than RME.

Schiit is a better DAC minus the bells and whistles RME comes with, especially the Amp.

AND

for a change this Schiit product has measured exceptionally well on ASR (if that matters to you).

Schiit Modius is A$375 landed.

 

I sold my RME as I was not using the RME features (EQ etc, instead using sonarworks) and use separate Amps already.

Prefer the discrete amps over the RME built in amp (no competition there, for sure).

 

I replaced my RME with Denafrips R2R and prefer Denafrips DAC, and I know that is subjective.(hence not going there)

 

BUT

Agree with you, chip based DAC, beyond a certain measurement, all sound the similar.

I couldn't really point the difference any major or massive differences between my RME DAC vs a cheaper but similarly very well measuring DAC (when I had both)

R2R though, can easily differentiate in sound signature easily from the chip based DACs.

 

If you are looking at pure DAC, you can definitely do better with your money for 'A DAC' alone.

But if you are looking at one device that can do all, RME it is.

 

 

Thanks peppy, I think you are right but it is hard to find a product for what I am looking for, which is a DAC capable of just acting as a pre-amp directly into a power amp (I see no need for preamp, adding distortion and taking up space, as I only use digital inputs), which the RME is meant to be exceptionally good at. The RME hybrid digital/analogue volume control was very attractive for that reason. I also need something with a volume control/remote and 12v trigger for power amps.

 

I agree, most DACs sound the same. I only listen to CD quality music so hi-res/DSD etc. isn't required--but a good signal-to-noise ratio is important.

 

The other thing the RME has is a loudness controller (fletcher-munson curves), which MiniDSPs seem totally incapable of implementing, even though it ought to be very easy to implement in the digital domain. Since I listen at a low volume, loudness correction would be a good thing, in my mind. ~85dB is the standard at which most tracks are mastered, and if you listen above/below that, then you are getting a different frequency response to what was in the studio--hence the need to add correction

Edited July 6, 2020 by tma

[MooneeBeach]

1 minute ago, tma said:

The RME hybrid digital/analogue volume control was very attractive for that reason. I also need something with a volume control/remote and 12v trigger for power amps.

I agree - better than any dac/amp combo I have tried.

[Mr_B]

As this has turned to somewhat of a discussion, I’m curious as to the value of eq in these Dacs.

Is it a significant benefit to tuning the sound to your preference?

 

Does it help with getting ‘nice sound’ across the volume range (I.e good impact at lower headphone volumes)?

[lebowski]

On 25/07/2020 at 6:16 PM, Mr_B said:

As this has turned to somewhat of a discussion, I’m curious as to the value of eq in these Dacs.

Is it a significant benefit to tuning the sound to your preference?

 

Does it help with getting ‘nice sound’ across the volume range (I.e good impact at lower headphone volumes)?

Parametric EQ is a good feature to have if you like tweaking your sound to suit - room, speakers, playback, personal taste.

Once you’ve had it, it’s difficult to go without.

 

[tma]

On 25/07/2020 at 6:16 PM, Mr_B said:

As this has turned to somewhat of a discussion, I’m curious as to the value of eq in these Dacs.

Is it a significant benefit to tuning the sound to your preference?

 

Does it help with getting ‘nice sound’ across the volume range (I.e good impact at lower headphone volumes)?

https://www.dropbox.com/s/iv3tq05k99e3cjv/Focal Elear.pdf?dl=0

 

This is an EQ curve for the Focal Elear, which equalises it to the Harman curve (a target curve designed for headphones at Harman's research lab, which tries to emulate how flat speakers in a reference room sound; in other words equalising headphones to a similar frequency response to to what audio professionals/'trained listeners' tend to like). You can see in the top two boxes the discrepancy between the un-EQ'd Focal and the EQ'd version in terms of corresponding to the target.

 

So this is a good starting point; you can then tune to personal taste (for instance older people generally prefer more treble in the higher register as our hearing naturally degrades with age; interestingly young people, especially men, will want more bass. Having played in the double bass section in my day, and anything other than a blast of energy in that region simply sounds wrong!). You can use any computer to apply a parametric EQ; the software Equalizer APO seems to work well for Windows; various other solutions exist for phone/Apple mac. See what you think

 

In terms of making an even sound across the volume range EQ can do this, but it is difficult to implement--this RME unit is the only easy way of doing it. You can theoretically do it for free with the computer you already have, but it's not automatic, as the PC has no way to know the volume level of the amplified signal, while the RME has a built-in volume control thus it can adjust automatically. However you can do a very basic version of Fletcher-Munson correction by just increasing the bass and treble at low volumes, lessening the increase the louder it becomes. Basic yes but it may work for your needs seeing as you are not producing music but only listening

 

In my experience EQ is an extraordinarily cheap way to increase the fidelity of your system. Sadly it has low penetration in the market as it involves the consumer inputting a bunch of numbers, made doubly difficult with speakers, as he has to measure himself the frequency response (as each individual's room will change the sound quite dramatically you cannot use generic measurements as found in magazines).

 

It also is ego-dystonic for audiophiles who can't accept $250 and $2500 pairs of IEMs can be equal, so long as EQ is used

Edited July 27, 2020 by tma

[Mr_B]

Great responses, thanks.

 

It would be very interesting to try, have a eye out for a balanced dac to try the balanced aspect, and eq seems like the icing on the cake. The ADI-2 seems like a great option, will see if one comes up within budget.

 

Not using a pc for this system, so those options are unfortunately out (but of course interesting).

 

Ive browsed the eq settings docs, great how flexible this dac is in fitting the curve for various output options. I could cheerfully spent time exploring that further

[tma]

1 hour ago, Mr_B said:

Great responses, thanks.

 

It would be very interesting to try, have a eye out for a balanced dac to try the balanced aspect, and eq seems like the icing on the cake. The ADI-2 seems like a great option, will see if one comes up within budget.

 

Not using a pc for this system, so those options are unfortunately out (but of course interesting).

 

Ive browsed the eq settings docs, great how flexible this dac is in fitting the curve for various output options. I could cheerfully spent time exploring that further

You won't experience much of a benefit from balanced in a home environment. Plus, it's the Pro version which has balanced headphone output and an analogue input

 

My recommendation would be to get a MiniDSP if you are using speakers, as these have a much more advanced equalisation process that can "remove the room". It works with both analogue and digital systems. I would generally look towards upgrading speakers/TV before my DAC--what speakers do you have?

Edited July 27, 2020 by tma

[Mr_B]

The main use for something like this would be listening to headphones for tv. Currently using Focal Elears with an audio lab q-dac and Shiit Asgard 2, but will soon receive a Shiit jotenheim. 
 

Will see if the different amp makes a difference (maybe not), and make up a balanced cable to see if that makes a difference. I think I could get better dynamics with a change, but it might, or might not be significant. 
 

Last thing is to try a different dac, which may or may not make a difference.

 

Ill probably end up putting the q-dac on the pc, so this is both for interest, tv and pc improvement. Might also put something better on the living room tv, so the q-dac could also end up there feeding amp/speakers.
 

It’s all for interest and fun really, looking to test a couple of things for potential sound improvement and learning. I can’t really audition different gear, so it’s all about reading and trying to make hopefully informed decisions. Don’t mind tweaking settings, so the eq aspect piqued my interest, as well as the good reputation of the adi-2.

 

edit: Amp feature might be extraneous with one of these, depending on how it sounds. There are also other options, but the eq is the interesting bit. Anyway, enough TC from me

Edited July 27, 2020 by Mr_B

[tma]

2 hours ago, Mr_B said:

The main use for something like this would be listening to headphones for tv. Currently using Focal Elears with an audio lab q-dac and Shiit Asgard 2, but will soon receive a Shiit jotenheim. 
 

Will see if the different amp makes a difference (maybe not), and make up a balanced cable to see if that makes a difference. I think I could get better dynamics with a change, but it might, or might not be significant. 
 

Last thing is to try a different dac, which may or may not make a difference.

 

Ill probably end up putting the q-dac on the pc, so this is both for interest, tv and pc improvement. Might also put something better on the living room tv, so the q-dac could also end up there feeding amp/speakers.
 

It’s all for interest and fun really, looking to test a couple of things for potential sound improvement and learning. I can’t really audition different gear, so it’s all about reading and trying to make hopefully informed decisions. Don’t mind tweaking settings, so the eq aspect piqued my interest, as well as the good reputation of the adi-2.

 

edit: Amp feature might be extraneous with one of these, depending on how it sounds. There are also other options, but the eq is the interesting bit. Anyway, enough TC from me

Such phrases as "better dynamics" are extremely dubious. Audio is simply electricity down a wire and it's hard to see how, looking at how a balanced cable works, it could significantly change the sound unless you had problems with interference 

 

I would be interested to see whether your existing setup and the Jotunheim could be differentiated through blind testing

 

You can EQ right now if you like, any computer/phone can do it, no need to purchase a $2000 machine to do it. Find an MP3 of a song you like and play it while flicking EQ on and off. There is your test

Edited July 27, 2020 by tma

[Grindog]

I have the Nod2i connected directly to my power amp  and just recently upgraded the NAD C658 since I was largely happy with the sound, the big brother would logically be better plus has a dedicated pre. As an all in one keeps the box count down. which I like. 

 

I am how however considering keeping the Node and getting an REM ADI2 to compare that to the C658. Has anyone had any experience with these two?  What would I gain SQ wise on moving to the RME?  I'm trying to work out how good these DAC/Pre combo's are, the C658 I am still burning in but so far very happy but for about the same money the RME could be a step up (if you put stock in the online reviews).

 

Thoughts welcome.

Crannie