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Topic: ADI 2/4 Pro SE USB priority over AD/DA mode

In the ADI 2/4 Pro SE, the USB has priority over AD/DA mode, which means that as long as a USB device is connected to the ADI, it determines the sample rate of the ADI. Is this a hardware of software choice?

What frustrates me is that I use the ADI as a phono preamp - and it advertises its excellent advantages over analogue preamps for that function, but also to listen to digital audio via a computer connected to ADI’s USB port. The problem: if I listen to DSD audio files and want to revert to the analog input to listen to a vinyl record, the ADI cannot properly amplify the phono input from my turntable, as this function is only available if the sample rate is up to 192khz. It’s also relevant to note that if the computer connected via USB is then disconnected, and if it was setting a sample rate higher than 192khz, the ADI retains the computer high sample rate, requiring manually setting a lower sample rate (the remote is of no use in this case),

I would like to know why it is not possible to set a different sample rate for the analog input separately, even with a computer connected via USB, and if there is any solution possible other than disconnecting the USB and manually setting the sample rate to up to 192khz, when a higher sample rate has been set by an USB computer.

2 Reply by KaiS (edited by KaiS 2026-07-31 05:54:05)

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Re: ADI 2/4 Pro SE USB priority over AD/DA mode

The USB-locked sample rate is unavoidable, an USB audio interface mandatorily needs to follow a host computer's sample rate.

The simple solution, and that's what I do, is playing a 192 kHz file before playing vinyl discs.


BTW: for domestic use, usually it's best to stay in DAC-Mode all the time and just switch the input of Line Out 1/2, the other outputs do follow automatically.

This can be done with the dedicated buttons on the remote, and DAC mode is the only one that fully supports the IR remote control.

This does, of course, not solve the sample rate issue, independent of "Mode"-selection USB interfacing needs to stays active as long as the cable is plugged and the host is powered on.

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3 Reply by MC

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Re: ADI 2/4 Pro SE USB priority over AD/DA mode

If USB is gone, then one can simply load a 'Phono mode' Setup, stored with Clock set to Internal and any desired sample rate. That would then be one button press only.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

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Re: ADI 2/4 Pro SE USB priority over AD/DA mode

Ok, thanks for letting me know about the possibility to switch to another setup with USB gone. But the two solutions presented in this discussion (this one and playing a lower resolution file before switching to analog) are a hassle in a listening session, especially because upon reconnecting the USB, the computer audio player software resets the configuration and does not immediately recognize the RME as a DSD capable DAC.

The only real solution to me is then to stop playing DSD files and DSD upsampled PCM, but that’s again handicapping the features of the RME, because of this design limitation.

5 Reply by unpluggged (edited by unpluggged 2026-07-31 12:59:57)

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Re: ADI 2/4 Pro SE USB priority over AD/DA mode

sub wrote:

The only real solution to me is then to stop playing DSD files and DSD upsampled PCM

And this is the right thing to do, regardless.

but that’s again handicapping the features of the RME, because of this design limitation.

How is that? AFAIAC, it's the other way around: using DSD is handicapping the features of the ADI-2/4 Pro SE.

Fireface UCX II + ARC USB > ADI-2 Pro FS R BE > Neumann KH 750 DSP + MA 1 > KH 120 A
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Re: ADI 2/4 Pro SE USB priority over AD/DA mode

Those are non-sensical comments. The ADI 2/4 is sold as a DSD capable DAC, should I pay for it and not use it?

7 Reply by KaiS (edited by KaiS 2026-07-31 14:32:35)

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Re: ADI 2/4 Pro SE USB priority over AD/DA mode

Native DSD, which means being DSD from the start when recorded in the studio, might have its point.

But these type of recordings are scarce.

The DSD-format's inherent limitation, that it can't be processed in any way, comes across a proper studio production.
It's not even possible to balance the track-to-track loudness when editing an album, hard to imagine in a studio production.

So, fake DSD (upsampled from PCM) is the rule for most music published in that format.
These are easy to discover using an audio analyzer, fake DSD usually shows a typical footprint with cutoff frequency content in the ultrasonic range.

So, if the base of the majority of published music is PCM, upsampling those to DSD cannot re-gain any extra information that has been lost in the chain before.
In contrary, upsampling introduces further losses of information.

If you're out for recordings that do not origin from the somewhat limited era of early digital, play original vinyls released before about 1975-1980.
And for digital, play the files in their native format, you can't go better than that.

That's the expanded version of what the other posters said.

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Re: ADI 2/4 Pro SE USB priority over AD/DA mode

I happen to have classical music in SACD format. Whether it’s been upsampled or not, I don’t know.

What I know is that the music sounds absolutely great to my ears. But I think this is besides the point of this thread.

9 Reply by KaiS (edited by KaiS 2026-07-31 22:59:59)

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Re: ADI 2/4 Pro SE USB priority over AD/DA mode

sub wrote:

I happen to have classical music in SACD format. Whether it’s been upsampled or not, I don’t know.

What I know is that the music sounds absolutely great to my ears. But I think this is besides the point of this thread.

SACD is the release format DSD was invented for, to offer a high-res format on a silver disc.
At that time digital processing didn't exist, there have always been analog inter-steps during production.

Karajan's digital productions e.g. used a digital (Mitsubishi/Otari PD-format, 48 kHz 16 bit PCM) multitrack tape recorder, interfacing with an analog mixing console.
Earliers of his recordings used analog tape with Telcom C4 Noise reduction.
The final master, analog or (PCM-digital), would run through a DSD Analog-to-Digital-Converter.
This e.g., is not exactly fake-DSD, but for sure not native DSD.

I too have classical music on SACD, but would not link their truly great sound to the format.
Instead, it's great musicians and conductors, and a talented recording team that I see responsible for the great result.

These SACDs don't carry any problem anyway:
Correctly ripped to PCM in native format they result in sample rates not higher than 176.4 kHz.

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