RME ADI-2 FS DAC Review

Can you make sub 1000£ dac chart?

I feel very blessed to have the RME ADI-2 in my life, I just made a video about my journey as a producer, from low to high-end converters.

DACs are snake oil like cables in the 'audiophile' world. Technology has evolved so much even the most inexpensive dacs will be true to source. Just buy a dac based on its features and stop worrying about it.

How come mine does display the frequency analyzer and meter?

Really loved the review but disappointed with the lack of mention of the build in amp

Absolutely fantastic review! Up there with the best I’ve ever seen of anything. Bravo.

I want to listen to the hi resolution Apple Music on my marantz av receiver. Can I use it along with the avr? If yes, how should I use it? I heard, no matter what external DAC I use, the avr will use an internal DAC to process the music. Thanks in advance

i have this dac , i love this dac , i dont mess with it as it seem complicated .
i just switch on put my focal clear phone on and bliss ....

Was this review about the ESS or AKM version?

I want it just for the display

I bought this based on your review. Arriving this Friday. This is the second purchase based on your reviews. The first being the Q Acoustics M20 HD. You keep making me spend money….kebabs! And again, no tap-dancing and I still spent the money….

Thank you Tarun. Because of your review, I have now purchased this item. I put the purchase through last night. Can't wait for it to arrive!

How much is the headphone power output at 300ohms?

This baby is about the same price as the Mytech Liberty 11 ……hint hint hint

The smsl in reality measures objectively worse than the adi2.

All things concidered RME is a bargain . You get in 1 box dac+ pre amp+ headphone amp + parametric eq + looks . Maybe a better power supply is the only missing detail . For its price is a winner

Excellent review. Very concise, straight to the nuts and bolts without over inflated jargon. Thank you kindly sir.

This RME DAC is made & designed in Germany whilst the SMSL VMV D1 DAC is Chinese. I purchased the RME & it's great.
I wish these audio manufacturers would simplify their product names instead of assigning names that are a long list of letters & numbers. Chord has the right idea - eg naming a DAC Dave. Mega!

Hi Taran! You said something about a linear power supply. I have this DAC so would you recommend upgrading ps. Many thanks.

In the beginning of the video I had an odd feeling that I'm looking at the bold version of Javier Bardem, speaking with higher pitch voice and thick British accent 😄
Great review, thanks!

I have the RME and really like it. I chose it for the functionality. I use it as a pre-amp, so the control functions are necessary for me. I also like to be able to mess with the sound a little, especially with rock and metal music, which I listen to a lot. Sometimes the production value isn't the greatest in those genres, and this DAC will expose that, so it is nice to be able to "clean it up" a little. My room isn't great either so sometimes you have to mess with the bass. I haven't watched in a while, another great video. Thank you, you do such an excellent, professional job on all of your videos. I watched this to possibly learn something I didn't already know or help me understand a couple things better about my DAC. There is a lot of noise out there in this hobby, but you are a trusted source of information for me.

Will an XLR microphone work with this? If I plug a Shure SM7B into this, will it function?

Denafrips camp

wonderful review!

i am hoping to acquire this during the upcoming holiday season. i have been doing my research, but haven’t yet been able to answer this—

for my music production work, i like to quickly and frequently switch between my headphones and speakers to get alternative perspectives on sound design. is it possible to keep headphones plugged into the front jack, with speakers going out through the back, and to quickly mute the speakers while raising the volume of the hp jack?

Typo oil

How does this sound compared to the Apogee Symphony?

This dac/amp is the only thing I have in my mind during every second of every extra hour I work..

can anyone tell me how the DA quality of this compares to the Apogee Symphony Desktop? I need it mainly for mixing and mastering.

And in your opinion, how does it compare to the Chord Qutest DAC ? 😉

Are you going to review the Buchardt i150 some time soon please.

Have you ever thought to review the ifi Audio Pro iDSD? I’ve been wanting to add it to my system for years and am still saving up for it. I’d love to know your opinion before I take the plunge and purchase it.

Thanks for this review and some of the info about pre ringing, aliases etc. it would be great if you could do a vlog specifically about DACs in general and explain all these things in detail for the layman. I still don’t understand fully about the filters and upsampling despite watching dozens of these reviews, many of which seem to assume quite a bit of knowledge - although I often feel unconvinced that the reviewers really know their stuff here.
An explanatory vlog from you would be much valued!

Who said it was the benchmark. Where do people get that idea?

I have it. Its harsh sounding

Does it have the AKM or ESS chips?

In my case, in terms of functionality, I would prefer the Cambridge CXN V2, because I need a preamp, DAC and a streamer - so this is the perfect solution.

RME were hit hard with the AKM fire since they used AKM DACs in almost their whole audio interface range, so they were forced to compromise and chose chips from ESS. For those who do not know who RME are, they made some of the best Audio Interfaces you can buy for recording studios so chances are the digital music you listen to might have been recorded on a RME interface. For me I never understand why people buy a DAC box rather than a proper audio interface and plug into a computer? If you want more bass/mids/highs or wider stage imaging or add some colour (Valve or tape emulation - harmonics) just use plugin.

I,d buy anything made in Germany before buying anything made in UK, the sole reason I avoided any Chord products.

Very good, sir. The discussion of digital filters was very informative. I just received a Denafrips Ares 2, but the ADI-2 looks like a solid performer with many settings options. The Parametric EQ certainly adds some value. Thank you, for the review.

Did you try it with a good quality linear PSU ? I suspect there would be a big improvement

Is this 32 Bit Linear or Floating Point?

Beautifully explained and well reviewed, as always. Thank you so much for this review.

Torn between the ADI-2 and perhaps other dac/amp stack (Schiit). I'm trying to justify the lack of balanced headphone out on this unit, compared to other offerings.

Great review! I love your content, I really enjoy your calm yet precise manner of speech. You're able to cover complex topics easily without delving too deep into the weeds of very technical details, I think you strike a great balance between the two that therefore appeals to a wider audience.

I've had this DAC for almost a year now and I couldn't be happier with it. It seems to pair well with different amp and speaker setups, and on my Elac Vela 407s it sounds best with the slow filter which seems to provide clarity while still sounding very neutral. The sharp filter at least to me sounds a bit too bright, and can be a bit fatiguing in comparison. But using the parametric EQ to boost the highest frequencies slightly works well and also let's me take full advantage of the AMT tweeters on the Vela's.

Keep up the great work! I'd also highly recommend that you audition some of Elac's higher end speakers like the Vela's as they are woefully ignored by a lot of audiophile reviewers in favor of popular brands like KEFs. Having auditioned both brands of speakers in the same price range, at least in my opinion I don't think the KEFs come close in terms of being natural sounding and overall listening enjoyment, I'd be curious to hear your opinion as you've listened to a much wider variety of speakers than I have.

I am considering the ADI-2 FS or an iFi Gryphon. I have ZMF Aeolus, but plan to replace them with the Arya. I do not plan to use an amp with the ADI-2. Not sure which route to go yet.

I’ll go for a denafrips ares2, since I got it I never looked back at any DAC

Its great i just got it. Super clean and sounds Great. but for music listening Benchmark DAC1 is better or even Dangerous mUsic source. RME is more for mixing + ATC or PMC speakers is great!

Can i use this DAC to mix and master ? with my active jbl monitor. I do not need to récord , i will keep my actual audio Interface. Or need to upgrade to the pro ??

Nice review! Maybe sometime în the fluture you will review some product from Rockna. A comparison Rockna Denafrips would be nice to see. Good luck!