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RME User Forum → ADI-2 & 2/4 Pro series, ADI-2 DAC series → ADI-2 DAC vs Weiss 501
May I seek your advice how does ADI-2 DAC compare to an audiophile DAC like Weiss 501 in terms of sound quality? I know it may not be a fair comparison since Weiss costs 6 times more than ADI.
You should ask on an audiophile forum. Being on the official RME forum, you're asking for a biased answer.
The real best would be if you would listen to both in your environment and to come to own conclusions.
Avoid being fooled by psychoacoustic effects when performing testing. Our brain works in a way that it is not fully objective. You hear sound in a way that matches to your expectation. You need to exclude this "human"/"brain" factor if you really want to find out, which product sounds better to you and whether this difference is worth the money involved.
So its important, when performing a valid sound comparison, that you do not know, which device is playing.
You also need to take care of equal volume levels, because our brain/ears regard louder sound as better. One of the reasons for the loudness war when mastering music close to 0db, etc.
You also should repeat the tests at different days or times, because listening capabilities of our ear changes over day and accomodates to sound.
I think from such testing you benefit much more than simply trusting other people where you never can be sure, how accurate they performed testing or whats on their agenda. Once somebody bought such an expensive device you can also be sure that he will defend his purchase decision. Another quite logical human factor.
At the end also hearing capabilites and a certain preference for sound makes it necessary to perform own tests.
Per Ramses, you must do the comparisons!!
I can have either, but chose the RME. It (the RME) simply brought more to the Table for me.
RME has invested much into the ADI design, and there is nothing I can find fault with in One Years use. Fabulous Unit!!
RME for me!!
Curt
Thank you all for the advice! I am still using my Weiss 501 and want to sell it to fund my future speaker upgrade. Heard a lot of good things on ADI-2 Dac but not able to audit it. I am living in Hong Kong and seems like no audiophiles would interest in a "pro" audio like RME to be on their Hifi Rack.
@Curt962, Can you elaborate a bit more on your comparison on Weiss and RME?
Thank you!
@cwho122: dunno whether this information helps. Sorry I also do not own a Weiss.
At least I compared the older ADI-2 Pro against Accuphase's own DAC-40 module built-in into an Accuphase
E-600 Class-A amp and using B&W 803D3 speakers.
The differences are very subtile and hard to hear. For me it sounded as if the Accu DAC-40 module sounded like the ADI-2 Pro in NOS mode.
For me the ADI-2 Pro draw the 3D stage slightly better (more "resolution" to the "audio picture"/stage, more detail).
Therefore I made the ADI-2 DAC later to the center of D/A converion in my HiFi corner by putting an Oehlback TOSLINK switcher in front of it. By this I am able to switch between:
- UFX+ (PC as lossless music player -> MusicBee)
- Oppo Bluray player
- Panasonic Plasma TV (SPDIF)
and with some comfort as the Oehlbach Optosel 4:1 has a nice remote control as well.
The only limitation of the Oehlbach is, that 192 kHz support is a lie, they built-in components (TOSLINKS) that are only capable of 96 kHz. I have now two of these devices upgraded with TOSLINKS supporting 192 kHz.
But tbh .. I have so few content over 48 kHz, even 96 kHz is more than sufficient.
I choosed the Oehlbach mainly for the look and I think also other products in that range will struggle with 192 kHz.
I have the impression that RME squeezes out everything good possible out of the AKM DAC, based on a very clever circuit and all over design, best buy for the money IMHO if you consider all the features of the ADI-2 * devices.
RME User Forum → ADI-2 & 2/4 Pro series, ADI-2 DAC series → ADI-2 DAC vs Weiss 501
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