Review and Measurements of RME ADI-2 Pro (comparison to ADI-2 DAC)

[MC_RME]

as seen in (way) older measurements made by RME, see here (german only).

The English version is there too. You might have missed that some time ago we repaired the menu and links on that old site so it works again. We keep this up just for fun (and senile emotions...).

https://archiv.rme-audio.de/old/english/techinfo/steadyclock.htm

 

[KSTR]

It also shows, again, the seriousness of RME. Not many companies keep their historic website contents available for the public (that is, if they even cared to backup the data).
BTW @MC_RME which AP SYS2 model was that, back then in 2003? Because I was wondering yesterday why I got only 2.5ns noise floor (and in general a very noise behavior, plots had to be smoothed for any meaningful visibility) whereas yours was like 20dB lower? Haven't checked if the noise baseline is better with AES3 or SPDIF Coaxial, though.

 

[KSTR]

All the junk lines at 50Hz intervals are fully gone. A very small trade-off is made as the close-in jitter (a few Hz left and right of the 1kHz needle) is bit higher but this is audibly way more benign (masking) than those wide-spread ghost notes.

As for that, a clarification is needed with regard to any possible audibility. We're talking artifacts here that are already down in the residual noise floor of -120dB, it's only because of a very long FFT and lot's of averaging that the small close-in needled in the orange plot (new Firmware) are even visible. There isn't any chance at all that this could ever be audible... but not so clearly for the wide-spread needles in the other case. With real signal and real jitter the needles would transform in a higher signal-correlated noise floor and that might render as audible in extreme cases for some extremely well trained listeners.

 

[weme]

(in #177) Additional measurement, comparing the new firmware (250) vs an older one (214) in direct jitter reduction perfomance at low jitter frequencies.

As already reported in the RME Forum, I will present my new measurements in the thread RME ADI-2 DAC FS (AK4493) with Jitter (problem is solved).

Please have a look at the REW *.mdat file and report what values the measurement had. E.g.:
524288-point spectrum using Cosine sum 9-235 window and 20 averages Input RMS 10.01 dBu
Max Overlap

And whether only one channel was controlled by REW!

 

[KSTR]

@weme, I'm not sure what the exact question is and even if there is any? Your post is written more like as statement than a question.

As for the setup in #177, a single instance of REW was both generator and analyzer but of course on two seperate interfaces (not a single one in loopback). The two ADI's, one running as DAC the other as ADC, were not synced to each other and this is equivalent to having two PCs each running REW with one of the RME's attached.
The tested device is the DAC and the test condition was the incoming jitter on it's clock source and the varied parameter was the firmware.
The test level for the sine was the usual -3dBFS.

As for measurements with REW, please check out the latest version where the notch filter for THD+N has been changed to a wider one, mimicking the one AP uses.

 

[weme]

(KSTR) please reminder: You asked me in the RME forum to look at a measurement here. I looked at your measurements from #176 - #179. In the RME forum I replied to you.

Sorry: My question above (my post was not subsequently revised) refers only to #177:

Please have a look at the REW *.mdat file and report what values the measurement had. E.g.:
524288-point spectrum using Cosine sum 9-235 window and 20 averages Input RMS 10.01 dBu
Max Overlap

And whether only one channel was controlled by REW!

 

[babadono]

http://www.sengpielaudio.com/calculator-db-volt.htm

View attachment 12267 View attachment 12268

Yep 6dB is well....6dB

 

[dfuller]

Considering the ADI-2 DAC had its AKM D/A replaced with an ESS product, can we expect the same for the ADI-2 Pro?

 

[MC_RME]

No. We have reserved chips for that model so it will be available unchanged.

 

[Meagan_02]

OMG, again with "He can tell you how the watch is made, but he can't tell time."
Who gives a crap which one tests better: It's about which one SOUNDS better.
Jonathan Swift must be behind this absurd website.

 

[KSTR]

Christmas present from RME:

Firmware Update ADI-2 DAC 66 / 47 and ADI-2 Pro 259 / 111​

 

[radix]

Has anyone used the balanced headphone mode? Does it make an audible difference?

I'm particularly interested in use for an RME with DCA Noire (12 ohm) headphones.

Thanks

 

[KSTR]

Has anyone used the balanced headphone mode? Does it make an audible difference?

I'm particularly interested in use for an RME with DCA Noire (12 ohm) headphones.

Thanks

12ohm is speaker impedance levels ;-)

Balanced drive will give no benefit here as it is intended to drive high impedance headphones. Actually, for low impedance headphones it will just increase internal power dissipation.

See manual, chapter 34.18, power charts.

 

[unpluggged]

Does the Pro model not have auto standby? I recently picked one up (to replace an RME ADI-2 DAC, in order to get loudness compensation on desktop speakers in addition to headphones) and I can't find the auto standby settings in the menus or or the manual.

It was introduced in firmware version 259/111: https://forum.rme-audio.de/viewtopic.php?id=34364

Besides, the ADI-2 DAC's dynamic loudness works for both headphone and line outs.

 

[jhaider]

It was introduced in firmware version 259/111: https://forum.rme-audio.de/viewtopic.php?id=34364

I deleted my post because I figured it out. I had forgotten how to operate the menu structure! It's a very powerful and flexible device but the control structure makes you work for it.

Besides, the ADI-2 DAC's dynamic loudness works for both headphone and line outs.

Not if the downstream processor only has digital inputs!

 

[unpluggged]

Not if the downstream processor only has digital inputs!

Oh, then it makes a difference, of course.