RME AD Converter (ADI2DAC)

This is a stunningly good DAC/Headphone amplifier. I have just seen a review by Specman which says that it does not support basic functionality and specifically mentions Tidal. The fact is that the DAC is not to blame for the lack of ASIO functionality but Tidal - and it is fixable with the installation of ASIO player software. Tidal’s lack of support for ASIO (Audio Stream Input Output) is the problem. Also some users, especially Windows based, might not know how to set up their computer to get the best quality output to send to the DAC. I use mine to play standard CDs on a CD drive and also direct stream from my computer via downloaded FLAC and other file formats and also HD streaming services with excellent results. A US based review website had the RME ADI-2 FS a close second in the top ten DACs of 2020 (The Master Switch). Also it has been measured by experts against other much more expensive offerings and come out if not on top, a very close second. There was also a technical review of the ADI-2 showing excellent measurements. The same reviewer published his findings of one of the Schitt Audio dacs showing a number of flaws by comparison with the ADI-2. This review led to a number of negative and disgruntled comments from the Schitt community in particular. I notice that a very highly regarded American YouTube reviewer and Schitt (well it is an American company) advocate does not seem to have mentioned this German offering. I’ve also heard, rather than actually read the ‘reports’ that some find it harsh and a bit ‘old school’. In my view these are reports based on prejudice whether conscious or not rather than real listening. I have a very revealing system which shows any inherent defects in any unit which is plugged in and I can tell you this dac is neither harsh not sounds ‘old school’. I recommend this DAC without reservation.

If your main source of music is Tidal stream then do not buy this DAC. It simply does no allow Tidal to use it in an exclusive mode with forced volume. As a result Tidal stream will always go through Windows mixer, where it gets re-sampled and gets volume controlled. This is something that people should know before they'll make a purchase decision. Unfortunately this is not a unit specific issue but a well known problem. I suppose not well enough though, as I have found out about it after the purchase... As far as sound is concerned it is a decent DAC but by all means not a game changer. It is the best of the ifi and Arcam that I also have, however by a small margin. Pairing Arcam with a good Class A headphone amp does outperform RME. I my opinion its price is more dictated by the DSP tricks that it does than by the sound quality.

Excellent DAC, pour le moment je l’utilise en combinaison avec un hd800s et il arrive à les driver avec une grande aisance malgré l’impédance de ce casque. Je ne ressens donc pas le besoin d’un ampli pour le moment. Les détails sont justes incroyables, l’equalizer sera un plus si vous souhaitez personnaliser votre écoute.

Habe den DAC jetzt 2 Tage in Betrieb. Als Zuspielgerät dient ein Raspberry PI3 mit Volumio, der mittels USB verbunden ist. Die Einrichtung klappt automatisch. Man muss im Menü von Volumio nur den DAC auswählen und fertig Der ADI-2 füttert über XLR eine Hypex ClassD Endstufe, die wiederum ein paar Focal Electra 1038BE befeuert. Vorher hatte ich einen Yamaha WXC-50 als Vorstufe. Mir ist vorgekommen als wenn der Yamaha die hälfte der Töne verschwinden lässt. Am Kopfhörerausgang hatte ich einen Beyerdynamic Tesla 1 drann. Zum Vergleich ein Röhren KHV im gleichen Preissegment. Da kennt man erst die Güte des Gesamtkonzeptes, da ein Kopfhörer wesentlich mehr auflöst. Die klangliche souveränit, die der DAC hier präsentiert ist einfach genial. Da sind Welten dazwischen. Ich denke der alte KHV hat bald ausgedient. Die Bedienung ist sehr intuitiv. Die einstellbaren Funktionen sind einfach genial. Man muss sich schon etwas beschäftigen damit man den ganzen Funktionsumfang des DACs nutzen kann. Fernbedienung liegt gut in der Hand, da kann man nicht meckern. Die Bedieungsanleitung gibts in Papierform dazu. Es ist eine Freude die BDA zu lesen. RME hat sich bei der Dokumentation sehr viel Mühe gegeben.Da können sich viele Hersteller eine Scheibe abschneiden. Mechanische Verarbeitung und Anfassqualität ist auch sehr gut. Man darf hald keine 2cm dicke Alufront erwarten. Das ist ein Gerät aus der Studiotechnik. Das hat einfach zu funktionieren. Da braucht es keine kaschierung mit einen dicken Gehäuse um den verbauten audiophilen Elektronikmüll zu verstecken. Lieferzeit war 2 Tage nach Österreich. Da kann man auch nicht meckern. Den RME ADI-2 DAC kann ich uneingeschränkt weiterempfehlen. Würde ich jederzeit wieder kaufen.

I auditioned several DAC players in audio shops and spent almost a month reviewing the recommendations on the internet. I have a high end stereo system in the $40,000 range and wanted to find a DAC that could reproduce my library of LP's and CD's. The RME AD12DAC is the closet to anything that I have heard for any unit over $6000. And it will hold it's own against units that cost $10,000 or more. This unit cost app. $1000 and is worth every penny. The reviews say it's the best DAC on the market, but they scare the average buyer talking about the intricacies and complicated set up. There is nothing complicated to set it up. You have an input from a music source, laptop, I-pad, etc. (It does not support Blue Tooth.) For high end audio, a wired connection is the best source. Connect it to your receiver, I use a USB cord and turn it on. That's it, unless you want to adjust for EQ, etc. I found it to be perfect without any further adjustments with the default settings. It's German made, small in size, headphone outlets, remote control, etc. There are "bells and whistles" but they are superfluous. Music reproduction is all that counts. I tried and subscribed to three streaming services, as my musical taste is very extensive -( I own more than 1500 CD's and LP's.) The Amazon Hi-FI plan for Prime members is a terrific deal and the musical library has almost everything I could want. I play classical guitar and have a very wide range of music tastes. The RME AD12DAC and Amazon Music ULTRA Hi-FI package do all I ask.

Acquistato dopo averne letto tantissime recensioni positive non posso non elogiare la qualità costruttiva e sonica. Devo dire che è abbastanza complicato da settare ma ne vale la pena. Il mio impianto ha come sorgente un Macbook Air , ampli integrato Exposure XV alternato a Valvolare Audioromy,diffusori Rogers ls3/5a alternate alle ATC SCM7 .

Compré este dac por sus buenas críticas y realmente es un buen dac, pero mis comentarios son referentes al vendedor, el cuál me envió un producto de segunda mano, que yo no en principio no supe, me explico, el dac me llegó en su caja original y aparentemente nuevo, solo después de probarlo y tener problemas con el conector de auriculares es cuando me pongo a investigar y veo que en el unboxing del producto en Youtube, la caja trae un plástico exterior el cual el mio no traía. El producto a sido devuelto al vendedor en Alemania y estoy a la espera del reembolso.