• Registered: 2020-07-25
  • Posts: 8

Topic: Best settings for RME ADI-2 DAC

Hi everyone,

I just got the RME DAC and I love it but the multitude of options is overwhelming! I want some advice on a good place to start. I’m using the RME as a DAC with an integrated amp & speakers. At the moment, I’m going between +1dbu and +7dbu. I find the +7 gives a bigger sound but the +1 sounds more holographic. For the +1dbu, I’ve found a volume of -1 on the RME sounds good but sometimes -2 volume is great too.

Am I missing something with this setting? Problem is, I find the +1 a little on the shy side soundstage wise and the +7 is too much, a bit flat and loses dynamic range.

Any tips on the perfect DBU and volume setting for my setup?

Any tips on some great “starter settings” for a HIFI setup? I don’t use headphones and the manual is confusing.

Thanks!

  • KaiS
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  • From: Germany
  • Registered: 2020-02-05
  • Posts: 3,112

Re: Best settings for RME ADI-2 DAC

RME ADI-2 DAC's signal quality and sound does not change the slightest with different Reference Level settings.

Even ADI's Volume Control has extremly low influence on THD+Noise values if you stay close to 0dB.

If you have clearly audible (beyond pure imagination) sound differences that are not caused by different listening levels, your integrated amp does react particularly extreme on different input levels.

This unusual behavior let's me think that something is broken inside your integrated amp.
Specially electronic switching chips, when broken, behave like this.

With a pure sinewave as source you could check for audible distortions at different levels.

KaiS's Website

  • Registered: 2020-07-25
  • Posts: 8

Re: Best settings for RME ADI-2 DAC

My amp is fine, I’m just sensitive to sound changes. I can hear difference in dynamics between +1dbu and +7dbu.

I also wonder if by using auto reference mode I should put the RME volume fixed at 0db?

4 Reply by KaiS (edited by KaiS 2020-07-25 13:41:40)

  • KaiS
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  • Registered: 2020-02-05
  • Posts: 3,112

Re: Best settings for RME ADI-2 DAC

How can you be sure your amp is OK?
I do the sine wave (and some other) tests from time to time, specially when I change something.


Without true blind A/B comparison at exact the same listening level, your observation is biased by imagination.
Even tiny level differences fool everybodies ears that something sounds different.

When I do blind A/B testing I set the levels with an accuracy of at least better than 0.05 dB.
I can messure below 0.01 dB.
If I'm off 0.1 dB the louder always wins, or I do hear differences that don't exist.



So, don't go crazy with the levels.
Healthy electronics don't behave the way you describe it.
Without knowing the model of your integated amp I can't analyse your observation further.


Auto Reference Level funktion does not change the signal in any way.
It just automatically switches the through the analog hardware steps (like you can do manually too) to optimize DA-converter's dynamic range usage.

You can set ADI-2's Volume to 0dB either way, and use your integrated amplifiers volume control.

KaiS's Website

5 Reply by MC

  • MC
  • MC
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  • From: Germany/Thailand
  • Registered: 2007-04-06
  • Posts: 24,823

Re: Best settings for RME ADI-2 DAC

kbrooke wrote:

My amp is fine, I’m just sensitive to sound changes. I can hear difference in dynamics between +1dbu and +7dbu.

That can only happen when you change the volume by 6 dB to compensate the gain change, and have Loudness active.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

MC's Website