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User's Guide
ADI-2 DAC
FS
Sonus Verus
32 Bit / 768 kHz
Hi-Res Audio
™
™
SyncCheck
SteadyClock
FS
2 Channel Digital / Analog Converter
SPDIF (AES/ADAT) Interface
32 Bit / 768 kHz Digital Audio
USB 2.0 Class Compliant
Extreme Power Headphone Output
Super Low Noise IEM Output
Digital Signal Processing
Advanced Feature Set
Remote Control
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Table of Contents
Related Manuals for RME Audio ADI-2 DAC
Summary of Contents for RME Audio ADI-2 DAC
- Page 1 User’s Guide ADI-2 DAC Sonus Verus 32 Bit / 768 kHz Hi-Res Audio ™ ™ SyncCheck SteadyClock 2 Channel Digital / Analog Converter SPDIF (AES/ADAT) Interface 32 Bit / 768 kHz Digital Audio USB 2.0 Class Compliant Extreme Power Headphone Output...
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Page 2: Table Of Contents
14.2 Load/Store all Settings .........27 Meter Screens 15.1 Dark Volume ............27 15.2 Analyzer ...............28 15.3 State Overview.............28 Warning Messages..........30 DSD Operation 17.1 General ..............31 17.2 Direct DSD ............31 17.3 DSD Playback ............32 17.4 DSD Record ............32 User’s Guide ADI-2 DAC © RME... - Page 3 22.4 ASIO ..............41 DIGICheck Windows..........41 Installation and Operation – Mac OS X General..............44 24.1 Configuring the ADI-2 DAC........44 24.2 Clock Modes - Synchronization ......44 24.3 Multi-interface Operation ........45 DIGICheck Mac............45 Installation and Operation – iOS General..............
- Page 4 31.11 Impedance based Level Meters (Phones) ...58 31.12 USB Audio (Windows) .........59 31.13 Operation in the Hi-Fi Environment......60 31.14 Digital Volume Control .........61 31.15 Bit Test ..............63 31.16 Block Diagram............64 Miscellaneous Accessories .............66 Warranty..............66 Appendix ..............67 Declaration of Conformity ........68 User’s Guide ADI-2 DAC © RME...
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Page 5: General
1. Introduction RME’s ADI-2 DAC is a true milestone in many ways. Looking at the multitude of DA converters, USB DACs and dedicated headphone amps available, RME developers felt they all lacked ob- vious features that are unavoidable to enjoy operation as well as when listening to music. And while many of those devices claim to use the latest state-of–the–art whatsoever converter chip,... -
Page 6: Brief Description And Characteristics
4. Brief Description and Characteristics The ADI-2 DAC is a 2-channel digital to analog converter in a half-rack (9.5") enclosure of 1 U height. Latest 32 bit / 768 kHz converters offer up to 120 dBA signal to noise ratio. This value is not only printed in the brochure –... -
Page 7: First Usage - Quick Start
TRS plug to two TS plugs is required. The rear of the ADI-2 DAC has 2 RCA sockets as unbalanced outputs and 2 XLR sockets as balanced outputs, TOSLINK optical/coaxial input, a USB socket, and a lockable power socket. -
Page 8: Operation At The Unit
The included remote control uses a standard lithium battery CR2025. The remote allows to turn the ADI-2 DAC on and off (standby), to change the volume, to mute the output and to select the playback source (SPDIF, optical, USB). Additionally it has four freely programmable keys, that can be assigned to 19 different commands/actions (see chapter 14.1.1). -
Page 9: Overview Menu Structure
5.4. Overview Menu Structure User’s Guide ADI-2 DAC © RME... -
Page 10: Playback
5.6 Digital Recording In digital audio, it is mandatory for a unit like the ADI-2 DAC to be in total sync to the external digital device, as so called clock slave. Taking this into account, RME added a comprehensive I/O signal status display to the ADI-2 DAC, showing sample frequency, lock and sync status in the State Overview screen and the bottom status bar. -
Page 11: Firmware Update
7. Firmware Update The ADI-2 DAC might receive improved features or bug fixes by a firmware update. This update will be available from the RME website, section Downloads, USB. Download the tool that matches your operating system (Mac or Windows), then unpack the zipped archive. -
Page 12: Features Explained Extreme Power Headphone Output
- this should and can not happen with the ADI-2 DAC. When the volume is ramped up one has the time to either quickly set the phones off, unplug the phones again, or to grab the Volume knob to quickly turn it down. -
Page 13: Iem Headphone Output
8.2 IEM Phones Output In Low Power mode, the Extreme Power design of the ADI-2 DAC turns it into one of the world's lowest noise headphone outputs. However, a few IEMs are so incredibly sensitive (means loud) that, despite all the technical super specs, a faint noise could become audible (current example: Campfire Andromeda, at least 20 dB louder as modern, already as loud categorized head- phones). -
Page 14: Bass / Treble
No matter how sensitive the connected phones or speakers are, no matter how much increase in Bass and Treble are desired – with the ADI-2 DAC one can finally adjust it to meet the per- sonal hearing and taste. Loudness finally works as it should have worked from the start - an- other unique feature in the ADI-2 DAC. -
Page 15: Crossfeed
The ADI-2 DAC includes Crossfeed to address this wish. Crossfeed reduces the artificial sur- round ambience that some productions have to make them sound better on speakers, but which sounds unnatural on a headphone. -
Page 16: Dsp Limitations
There is never enough DSP power – no matter how much you add (frustrated developer). That is true even for the ADI-2 DAC. Although being equipped with a quite capable 2.17 Giga FLOPS DSP chip, plus using the FPGA to perform further calculations (RME’s virtual DSP for mixing/routing, level meters, filtering, Crossfeed), 768 kHz sample rate takes its toll. -
Page 17: Operation, Controls And Display
User’s Guide ADI-2 DAC Operation, Controls and Display User’s Guide ADI-2 DAC © RME... -
Page 18: Operation And Usage
9. Operation and Usage General operation and usage of the ADI-2 DAC are explained in chapter 5.2, Quick Start, and chapter 5.3, Operation at the unit. The ADI-2 DAC ships with Source: Auto active. State Overview is especially useful to check the state of digital input signals as well as the cur- rent settings with USB. -
Page 19: Remote
The submenu Parametric EQ mirrors the settings done in the graphical EQ screen. The ADI-2 DAC processes all audio in the digital domain. Having only one stereo digital to ana- log converter, different settings of volume, equalizer or effects for the three outputs is not possi- ble when used simultaneously (the ADI-2 Pro has two DACs, therefore can process two stereo signals independently with different settings). -
Page 20: Subpage Settings
See the Technical Reference section for graphs illustrat- ing the results in frequency response and impulse response. Note: NOS deactivates the option De-Emphasis. De-Emphasis Auto, OFF, ON. Default: Auto. For manually de-/activating the DAC's de-emphasis filter. See chapter 31.2. User’s Guide ADI-2 DAC © RME... -
Page 21: Subpage Parametric Eq
Quality factor is adjustable from 0.5 to 5.0 in steps of 0.1. This equals a bandwidth setting of 2.54 to 0.29. Subpage Parametric EQ R is only shown with Dual EQ set to On. It has the exact same entries as listed above. User’s Guide ADI-2 DAC © RME... -
Page 22: Subpage Bass / Treble
Available range is -90 dB to -20 dB. Default: -30 dB. A volume setting below this point will have maximum Bass/Treble gain, all volume settings above this point will have lower Bass/Treble gain. 20 dB above the Low Vol Ref setting the Bass/Treble gain will be zero. User’s Guide ADI-2 DAC © RME... - Page 23 There are two ways to change this state: Push key EQ again to change to the page EQ Enable / Presets, see below. Push key I/O, select current output, subpage Parametric EQ, EQ Enable ON or OFF User’s Guide ADI-2 DAC © RME...
- Page 24 This can be used to achieve more than 12 dB gain, or to generate difficult frequency response optimizations. The ADI-2 DAC has an internal headroom of 24 dB. Extreme boosts with overlapping filters could cause an internal overload. Such an overload will be visible as it is displayed by the level meter below the EQ, as well as the channel’s level meter.
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Page 25: Setup
Test Results Please ignore. For internal use only. SW Version Shows the current version number and date of the internal DSP software. User’s Guide ADI-2 DAC © RME... -
Page 26: Clock
The unit's internal clock supports 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, 192, 352.8, 384, 705.6 and 768 kHz. When clocked externally the ADI-2 DAC will recognize and handle other frequencies for DA conversion as well, for example 32, 64 and 128 kHz. In the lowest line the DSD rate equalling the current sample rate is shown. -
Page 27: Load/Store All Settings
15. Top Screens The ADI-2 DAC has three different top screens: an Analyzer showing the audio signal content of the analog outputs, a state overview showing the digital states of SPDIF and USB, and a dark Volume screen with additional information. -
Page 28: Analyzer
15.2 Analyzer The Analyzer is one of the main features of the ADI-2 DAC. Thanks to the high-resolution IPS panel even smallest details are clear to see. Music content analysis is possible even when viewed from a greater distance. The Analyzer is based on RME’s famous Spectral Analyzer in DIGICheck. It uses 29 biquad bandpass filters for high separation between the bands, providing outstanding musical visuali- zation. -
Page 29: Warning Messages
The column SR shows the hardware measured sample rate for the SPDIF input. It will even display values that can not be set at the ADI-2 DAC itself, for example 32, 64 and 128 kHz. In case of USB the sample rate is not measured but set by the external computer or iOS device, and can be verified here, up to the highest value of 768 kHz. - Page 30 In such a case please contact your local RME distributor. The ADI-2 DAC also shows Info Messages during normal operation, to explain the current state and to point out possible problems. At input SPDIF, a Non-Audio Channel Status causes the DA section to be muted. An info mes- sage Non-Audio signal at SPDIF input gives a hint why there is currently no analog audio at the outputs present.
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Page 31: General
DSD modes can only be used via ASIO. RME’s driver supports DSD over ASIO in DoP format as well as ASIO native. ADI-2 DAC therefore is compatible to many programs, like HQPlayer, and JRiver, but also to DSD recording software like Merging's Pyramix, Sound-It and VinylStudio. -
Page 32: Dsd Playback
Unfortunately, many freely available tracks are not 'clean' at the beginning and the end. If these are played back one after the other by player software, the ADI-2 DAC's level meters show that the noise to be heard does not originate from the ADI-2 DAC, but is presented to the DAC as a signal to be played. -
Page 33: Inputs And Outputs
User's Guide ADI-2 DAC Inputs and Outputs User’s Guide ADI-2 DAC © RME... -
Page 34: Digital Inputs
19.2 Line Out RCA The ADI-2 DAC has two unbalanced analog outputs that can operate with levels up to +13 dBu. The short circuit protected, low impedance line outputs are available as RCA jacks on the back of the unit. -
Page 35: Line Out Xlr
19.3 Line Out XLR The ADI-2 DAC has two balanced analog outputs that can operate at levels up to +19 dBu. The short circuit protected, low impedance line outputs are available as XLR jacks on the back of the unit. -
Page 36: Iem Out
Phones output when switching from Lo to Hi Power. When using both headphone outputs, the output specifies the settings that will be used (plugged in) first. The device also remembers this when switched off and on again. User’s Guide ADI-2 DAC © RME... -
Page 37: Installation And Operation - Windows
User's Guide ADI-2 DAC Installation and Operation – Windows User’s Guide ADI-2 DAC © RME... -
Page 38: Driver Installation
The USB port is not active in the system (check the Device Manager) The USB cable is not, or not correctly inserted into the socket Use the ADI-2 DAC State Overview screen to verify USB is detected and working (chapter 15.3) De-installing the Driver A de-installation of the driver files is not necessary. -
Page 39: Configuring The Adi-2 Dac
21. Configuring the ADI-2 DAC 21.1 Settings Dialog Configuration of the ADI-2 DAC is usually done directly at the unit. For ASIO operation sample rate and buffer size (latency) can be set via a dedicated settings dialog. The panel 'Settings' can... -
Page 40: Clock Modes - Synchronization
Whenever several devices are linked within a system, there must always be a single master clock. A digital system can only have one master! If the ADI-2 DAC’s clock mode is set to 'In- ternal', all other devices must be set to ‘Slave’. -
Page 41: Multi-Interface Operation
Completely multi-client. Open as many measurement windows as you like, on any chan- nels and inputs or outputs! To install DIGICheck, go to www.rme-audio.com, section Downloads / DIGICheck. Download the latest version, unzip and run setup.exe. Follow the instructions prompted on the screen. User’s Guide ADI-2 DAC © RME... - Page 42 User’s Guide ADI-2 DAC © RME...
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Page 43: Installation And Operation - Mac Os X
User's Guide ADI-2 DAC Installation and Operation – Mac OS X User’s Guide ADI-2 DAC © RME... -
Page 44: General
24. General The ADI-2 DAC is a UAC 2.0 Class Compliant device. Mac OS X has full UAC support built-in, there is no driver installation required. Connect computer and ADI-2 DAC with a USB cable. Mac OS X detects the new hardware as ADI-2 DAC (serial number). -
Page 45: Multi-Interface Operation
Completely multi-client. Open as many measurement windows as you like, on any chan- nels and inputs or outputs! To install DIGICheck, go to www.rme-audio.com, section Downloads / DIGICheck. Download the latest version, unzip and run the installer. Follow the instructions prompted on the screen. User’s Guide ADI-2 DAC © RME... - Page 46 User’s Guide ADI-2 DAC © RME...
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Page 47: Installation And Operation - Ios
User's Guide ADI-2 DAC Installation and Operation – iOS User’s Guide ADI-2 DAC © RME... -
Page 48: General
Any app can change / set the sample rate to a desired value, but not all apps include a choice to select one. Setting the ADI-2 DAC (and with it the i-device) to slave mode by selecting the SPDIF input as clock source, the ADI-2 DAC will be synchronized to the external digital sample rate. -
Page 49: Technical Reference
User's Guide ADI-2 DAC Technical Reference User’s Guide ADI-2 DAC © RME... -
Page 50: Technical Specifications
THD+N @ + 18 dBu, 32 Ohm load: -107 dB, 0.00045 % THD @ +14 dBu, 16 Ohm load, 0.94 Watt: -110 dB, 0.0003 % Max power @ 0.001% THD: 1.5 W per channel User’s Guide ADI-2 DAC © RME... -
Page 51: Digital
RCA phono plugs, or TRS plug to TS plugs is required. The pin assignment follows interna- tional standards. The left channel is connected to the tip, the right chan- nel to the ring of the TRS jack/plug. User’s Guide ADI-2 DAC © RME... -
Page 52: Technical Background
PLL tracks the receiver's frequency. If an SPDIF signal is applied to the ADI-2 DAC, the State Overview screen shows LOCK, i. e. a valid input signal. Unfortunately, lock does not necessarily mean that the received signal is cor- rect with respect to the clock which processes the read out of the embedded data. -
Page 53: Emphasis
WARNING SPDIF EMPHASIS message will be shown. Why warning? Because when using the ADI-2 DAC as audio interface to record SPDIF into an audio file, the emphasis state is lost. Similarly there exists no mechanism to let the audio play- back software control the emphasis state of the ADI-2 DAC’s DAC during playback of that re-... -
Page 54: Filter Curves 44.1 Khz
31.4 Filter Curves 44.1 kHz 31.5 Frequency Response User’s Guide ADI-2 DAC © RME... -
Page 55: Da Impulse Responses
DAC filter menu. Note that there is no audible distortion, the steps equal high frequency har- monics that are mostly higher than 20 kHz. Please also note that Slow and NOS filters cause much more aliasing into the audio band and out-of-band noise than Sharp filters. User’s Guide ADI-2 DAC © RME... -
Page 56: Total Harmonic Distortion Measurements
31.7 Total Harmonic Distortion Measurements 31.8 Loudness User’s Guide ADI-2 DAC © RME... -
Page 57: Extreme Power Charts
31.9 Extreme Power Charts User’s Guide ADI-2 DAC © RME... -
Page 58: Phones Distortion Comparison
DAC. Above 32 Ohms the level meter's display matches the real analog output level (0 dBFS = +22 dBu). But at 32 Ohms the ADI-2 DAC delivers only +19 dBu, at 16 Ohms +15 dBu to the phones outputs, because a reasonable current limiting circuit prevents a too high output power at lower load impedances. -
Page 59: Usb Audio (Windows)
31.12 USB Audio An ADI-2 DAC can achieve a performance similar to a PCI or PCI Express based soundcard when used with an optimal PC. Low CPU load and click-free operation even at 64 samples buffer size are indeed possible on current computers. However, using older computers a simple stereo playback will begin to cause a CPU load of more than 30%. -
Page 60: Operation In The Hi-Fi Environment
With Hi-Fi the setting +7 dBu (equals +4.78 dBV or 1.73 V RMS) is recommended. This setting causes an ADI-2 DAC to output level similar to that of many CD-players. In case it is still too low simply change to +13 dBu (+10.8 dBV, 3.46 V RMS). -
Page 61: Digital Volume Control
Special volume ICs, which activate different resistance values by means of numerous electronic switches, avoid some of the above mentioned points. Unfortunately, even the best of these ICs do not achieve either THD or dynamics of the DACs used in the ADI-2 DAC, thus would affect its analog output signal. - Page 62 -100 dB at a volume setting of -60 dB, by the self-noise of the DAC (SNR 117 dB RMS unweighted). In the above measurement that would be seen as straight noise floor at -160 dBFS. The digital volume control of the ADI-2 DAC therefore works much more precisely and cleaner than required for current top-level DACs.
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Page 63: Bit Test
Level changes, equalization, dynamic processing, polarity, channel swapping, sample offset, hanging or twisted bits, dither, bit reduction. The signal reaches the ADI-2 DAC via USB, AES or SPDIF/ADAT. The unit has three continuously running check circuits. If the test signal is detected correctly, the device's... -
Page 64: Block Diagram
31.16 Block Diagram User’s Guide ADI-2 DAC © RME... -
Page 65: Miscellaneous
User's Guide ADI-2 DAC Miscellaneous User’s Guide ADI-2 DAC © RME... -
Page 66: Accessories
Audio AG does not accept claims for damages of any kind, especially consequential damage. Liability is limited to the value of the ADI-2 DAC. The general terms of business drawn up by Audio AG apply at all times. -
Page 67: Appendix
Worldwide distribution: Audio AG, Am Pfanderling 60, D-85778 Haimhausen, Tel.: (49) 08133 / 918170 Acknowledgements The Bauer Binaural Crossfeed effect in the ADI-2 DAC was inspired by Boris Mikhaylov’s bs2b implementation. Trademarks All trademarks, registered or otherwise, are the property of their respective owners. RME, DIGICheck and Hammerfall are registered trademarks of RME Intelligent Audio Solutions. -
Page 68: Declaration Of Conformity
Synthax United States, 6600 NW 16th Street, Suite 10, Ft Lauderdale, FL 33313 T.:754.206.4220 Trade Name: RME, Model Number: ADI-2 DAC This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules.