1 Topic by Berthold Collins (edited by Berthold Collins 2026-03-10 11:15:03)

  • Registered: 2023-08-05
  • Posts: 32

Topic: 2 more questions about the Digiface AES

The featureset is perfect for me but before purchasing, I would like to ask 2 more questions ;-):

1. The power consumption is 5 watts, so I don´t expect it to sound different when bus-powered from a Mac Book/iMac or it´s own power supply, right?

2. In the SOS article ( https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/rme-digiface-aes ), it´s said that the reduced dynamic range of the AD converter is caused by the mic-pre design which is similar to the Babyface fs.
Does that mean a line signal will always go through the mic-pres and they can´t be bypassed?

Thank you in advance!

M4 Sequoia - UFX II rev.7 - Digiface USB rev. G - Adi-2 FS - Adi-2 DAC FS AKM 4493

2 Reply by ramses (edited by ramses 2026-03-10 12:45:04)

  • ramses
  • ramses
  • DAW Mastermind
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  • Registered: 2012-10-14
  • Posts: 15,575

Re: 2 more questions about the Digiface AES

Sorry, I can't answer your question, but here are a few thoughts/recommendations for you:

The SOS review is very interesting; I didn't know the interface was specifically designed for a broadcasting company.
The lower expected production volume seems to be the key reason for the relatively high price.

Speaking of price: If you don't need this exact feature set (USB bus power, sample rate converter)
and are willing to pay around €1849, I would suggest two alternatives.
Either the significantly cheaper UCX II (€1295), which already offers many flagship features,
or going straight for the UFX II or even the UFX III—which is currently down to just €2326 in Germany.

That is an unbeatable price for a UFX III; it’s only €227 more than the UFX II.

With the UFX II/III, you would get significantly more options and I/O, very compact in only one rack unit height:
Room EQ, Crossfeed, triple SPDIF, DURec, instrument inputs, and slightly more powerful headphone outputs.
You also get the converters used in the ADI-2 Pro FS reference converter.
If you occasionally need SRC, you could always add an ADI-2 Pro FS R BE or ADI-2/4 Pro SE to a setup with a UCX II or UFX.

Keep in mind that the Digiface AES also does not support features like instrument inputs, word clock, Room-EQ, and Crossfeed.

For a comparison of the recording interfaces, see my Excel here:
https://forum.rme-audio.de/viewtopic.ph … 26#p186126

I just see from your signature that you have already
UFX II rev.7 - Digiface USB rev. G - Adi-2 FS - Adi-2 DAC FS AKM 4493

And I am not sure whether this interface was intended for travel or your local environment.

I think you could maybe consolidate your interfaces when buying a combination of UFX III and ADI-2 Pro FS R BE.

Because of the Digiface USB with 4x ADAT I/O in your setup.
If you would need, besides more ADAT I/O, perhaps also more analog ports, then you could think about getting
an M-1620 Pro. The M-1620 Pro gives you 2 more headphone outputs, and apart from the analog ports, you can use the 4x ADAT I/O to connect other devices. You can use free MADI channels for routing audio to/from those 4 ADAT ports.

Maybe you can cross-finance such a setup by selling the rest which is not necessarily needed.
To get an SRC, you would have to swap the ADI-2 DAC FS with either the ADI-2 Pro FS R BE or the ADI-2/4 Pro SE.

BR Ramses - HDSPe MADI FX, M-1620 Pro D, 12Mic, UFX III, ADI-2 Pro FS R BE, Nuendo 15, Win10 IoT Ent
  • From: Germany
  • Registered: 2007-04-10
  • Posts: 10,961

Re: 2 more questions about the Digiface AES

No difference in sound quality with bus power, and no way to bypass the preamp, but it will behave just like a line input when no gain is applied.

Regards
Daniel Fuchs
RME

RME Support's Website

  • Registered: 2023-08-05
  • Posts: 32

Re: 2 more questions about the Digiface AES

RME Support wrote:

No difference in sound quality with bus power, and no way to bypass the preamp, but it will behave just like a line input when no gain is applied.


Thank you again, Daniel!

M4 Sequoia - UFX II rev.7 - Digiface USB rev. G - Adi-2 FS - Adi-2 DAC FS AKM 4493

5 Reply by Berthold Collins (edited by Berthold Collins 2026-03-10 13:40:29)

  • Registered: 2023-08-05
  • Posts: 32

Re: 2 more questions about the Digiface AES

ramses wrote:

Speaking of price: If you don't need this exact feature set (USB bus power, sample rate converter)

This exact featureset is what I´m looking for.

I´ve got 2 rooms + a mobile rig and neither can nor want to replace the other units ;-).

I know it´s a damn pricey solution but want to replace my Anubis - which sounds great but has too many shortcomings for me.

The only downer for me so far is the Mic input / ADC quality but I rarely do final recordings on the go, so it might be ok.

The improved dac quality vs the UCXII + bus power and very low latency is very tempting for travelling / performing, though.

Thank you anyway for your support!

M4 Sequoia - UFX II rev.7 - Digiface USB rev. G - Adi-2 FS - Adi-2 DAC FS AKM 4493
  • From: Germany
  • Registered: 2007-04-10
  • Posts: 10,961

Re: 2 more questions about the Digiface AES

I can assure you that you will never hear any effect of that slightly lower SNR e.g. when making one-point stereo recordings...

Regards
Daniel Fuchs
RME

RME Support's Website