Topic: Should you turn off the RME ADI-2 DAC?

I wish this product had a feature such that it would go into stand by mode after a certain amount of inactivity.  So is there any harm in just leaving it powered on?  Would leaving it on have any effect on the longevity of the product?

I am using auto dark mode.  When the unit is on the ring around the power button is not illuminated.  So I often don't think to put the unit into standby mode after I am done listening.

Re: Should you turn off the RME ADI-2 DAC?

Electronics do not get any better from being heated so I am turning mine off. Also. every kilowatt saved is a benefit for the environment.

RME ADI-2 DAC fs, Quad 606-2 power amp, Quad 2805 speakers, B&W PV1d sub with Antimode 8033 Cinema

Re: Should you turn off the RME ADI-2 DAC?

Auto-standby drives me nuts, so my request is that this 'feature' is not added.

Re: Should you turn off the RME ADI-2 DAC?

willem wrote:

Electronics do not get any better from being heated so I am turning mine off. Also. every kilowatt saved is a benefit for the environment.

Agreed.  I just hate it when I forget to power it down.

Re: Should you turn off the RME ADI-2 DAC?

The ADI-2 DAC is plugged to the same strip than my active monitors, I shut the strip at night.

ADI-2 DAC (with stock PSU) - Neumann KH 310 A monitors - Cheap USB and XLR cables

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Re: Should you turn off the RME ADI-2 DAC?

orangejello wrote:

I am using auto dark mode.  When the unit is on the ring around the power button is not illuminated.

In this state power consumption is 5.9 Watts. Illuminated it is 6.3 Watts (no music playback).

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

Re: Should you turn off the RME ADI-2 DAC?

I guess that my question actually is: even though it is only drawing 5.9 watts does it effect the service life of capacitors, etc?

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Re: Should you turn off the RME ADI-2 DAC?

No, because the unit is not getting hot.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

Re: Should you turn off the RME ADI-2 DAC?

I avoid turning mine off because it always makes my monitors (which I leave on 24/7) pop.

10 (edited by Curt962 2019-08-11 17:41:53)

Re: Should you turn off the RME ADI-2 DAC?

Hello All

I'm not really on board with the concept of leaving my gear on 24/7.   Barring a Studio Environment (Radio/TV) where Gear remains active around the Clock...Modern Electronics derive no benefit from remaing active during periods of non-use.

I think some might benefit from any of the "Power Filter/Switching" Units that are available.   As an example, My old Belkin PF-60 is a convenient unit that not only serves as a "Mains Minder", and Noise Filter, but also a means of Sequenced Power Up/Down functions.   

One Button.   No noises.  No fuss. 

Money Spent on Wasted Energy is Wasted Money, leaving YOU with less available for use elsewhere.

Curt

Vintage 2018 ADI-2 DAC. "Classic AKM4490 Edition"
Cables:  Red, and White Ones.
Speakers:  Yes

11 (edited by Pitrs 2019-08-12 09:01:45)

Re: Should you turn off the RME ADI-2 DAC?

willem wrote:

every kilowatt saved is a benefit for the environment.

Do you have a car? Have you ever driven it just so for some trip? Most probably you spent much more energy (=environment) on this one trip than RME would consume during the whole year being idle (approx 60 kWh).

It is good to be environment-wise but as with everything within some reasonable manner. There are dozens of unnecessary things or acting which we regularly do having WAY bigger impact on the energy consumption / environment that leaving on a unit with idle power consumption of <7 W.

12 (edited by Jas0_0 2019-08-12 12:54:46)

Re: Should you turn off the RME ADI-2 DAC?

Pitrs wrote:
willem wrote:

every kilowatt saved is a benefit for the environment.

Do you have a car? Have you ever driven it just so for some trip? Most probably you spent much more energy (=environment) on this one trip than RME would consume during the whole year being idle (approx 60 kWh).

It is good to be environment-wise but as with everything within some reasonable manner. There are dozens of unnecessary things or acting which we regularly do having WAY bigger impact on the energy consumption / environment that leaving on a unit with idle power consumption of <7 W.

No idea what RME’s unit sales are like, but if everyone left their units on all the time, it would be a much larger waste of the environment. 

That’s the problem with this climate change issue.  Everyone thinks ‘oh one disposable coffee cup isn’t going to hurt’ or ‘oh this one apple from Venezuela isn’t going to melt an ice cap’.  But if everyone in the world thinks like that, it adds up to a great big load of carbon needlessly being pumped into the atmosphere.

I don’t own a car and I turn my ADI Pro off when not in use.  But then I use a valve/SS hybrid power amp, so I’m no angel either...

Re: Should you turn off the RME ADI-2 DAC?

Jas0_0:
...and now imagine what would make the ice cap look like if everyone owned power amp you have... :-).

In the principle, I do agree with you. My text was thou related to the 7W RME unit and the fact that all of us make much worse "crimes" against the environment than leaving such a unit on.

14 (edited by willem 2019-08-12 13:40:47)

Re: Should you turn off the RME ADI-2 DAC?

Sure, but that is why I look for all possibilities, large and small. We have solar panels, and last year the gap between what we produce and what we consume was still 1200 Kilowatt. My aim is to reduce that to zero. In that process, it became very clear that units that are on 24 hours a day are in interesting target. Turning off the DAC when not in use would save something like 50 Kilowatts a year. Most households have quite few of such alsmost invisible energy wasters.
Of course this is small stuff, but if you are not careful it can also be quite a lot. Our cable company just replaced the old set top box that was a big energy waster. The difference is about 1 kilowatt a day (plus no more noise from the fan of the old one).

RME ADI-2 DAC fs, Quad 606-2 power amp, Quad 2805 speakers, B&W PV1d sub with Antimode 8033 Cinema

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Re: Should you turn off the RME ADI-2 DAC?

All these posts must look quite strange for a quick reader. The DAC is usually turned off into standby mode, via knob or remote, and then consumes near nothing - 0.12 Watts. No need to do anything about this, IMHO.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

Re: Should you turn off the RME ADI-2 DAC?

That is what I meant by turning it off: put it in standby mode.

RME ADI-2 DAC fs, Quad 606-2 power amp, Quad 2805 speakers, B&W PV1d sub with Antimode 8033 Cinema

Re: Should you turn off the RME ADI-2 DAC?

I found that turned on, the DAC has the best sound.

Re: Should you turn off the RME ADI-2 DAC?

I would like the red light ring around the power button to go off when the unit is off. Since there is an option to turn it off when the unit is on, the red light seems to suggest the unit is on rather than off! Very confusing. And I have light pollution in my studio (= bedroom) and while I appreciate the lights out mode when it is on, I would appreciate it even more when the DAC is off.. big_smile

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Re: Should you turn off the RME ADI-2 DAC?

That's not confusing at all as the on state is white. Also turning it competely off will indeed confuse many people, as there is no difference anymore between standby and no power. Anyway: the standby button has its own firmware and can't be updated, so no change in functionality in standby mode is possible.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

Re: Should you turn off the RME ADI-2 DAC?

MC wrote:

That's not confusing at all as the on state is white. Also turning it competely off will indeed confuse many people, as there is no difference anymore between standby and no power. Anyway: the standby button has ist own firmware and can't be updated, so no change in functionality in standby mode is possible.

I think this is normal practice for pro equipment, when equipment can only do what it is designed to do. However, on the consumer side, people usually want to have choices. I understand that nothing could be done now to change the behavior of the power light. However, I would also note that DAC is more of a consumer item, which would explain why people are asking for too many features that do not make sense to engineers. My TV has the option to have the light on or off during standby (or when the TV is off), and it does not confuse me smile I use power conditioner with DAC, so I turn everything off, when I am done. However, the red light could be considered too bright by some people if the room is dark enough.

I agree, that some of consumer requests are indeed baseless, but I think the light is more of matter of preference. That said, I respect everyone's opinion, and especially official opinion. There is always the "wants", the "needs", and then the implementation. I also like that, when possible, you give us a glimpse of the implementation. It makes me think and appreciate what has been done by RME.

Re: Should you turn off the RME ADI-2 DAC?

OrangeJello,

As has been suggested more than once in this Thread,  this entire dilemna could be easily solved with a $10 Power Strip.  Removing Power entirely from your ADI-2DAC ensures there will be no bothersome lights. 

For me?  I don't care if the Display shows old "Bugs Bunny" Cartoons in Stdby Mode.  I dont Sleep with my Equipment, but nonetheless remove ALL power during periods of non-use.   Simple

Curt

Vintage 2018 ADI-2 DAC. "Classic AKM4490 Edition"
Cables:  Red, and White Ones.
Speakers:  Yes

Re: Should you turn off the RME ADI-2 DAC?

MC wrote:

That's not confusing at all as the on state is white. Also turning it competely off will indeed confuse many people, as there is no difference anymore between standby and no power. Anyway: the standby button has its own firmware and can't be updated, so no change in functionality in standby mode is possible.

Ok but there is a dark mode where the light is off.

So we have a case where the unit is on and the light is off; and we have a case where the unit is off and the light is on.

Am I the only one who feels this is wrong? wink

I accept that you don't want to and perhaps can't turn it off. But I think it's a pity...

Re: Should you turn off the RME ADI-2 DAC?

For me it is fine like that. If the screen is off, I can see at a glance the state of the device:
- Red light: it is off.
- All lights off: the aptly named Dark Mode.

And if the red light bothers, like it has been said: a 10 € / $ power strip and it is settled...

ADI-2 DAC (with stock PSU) - Neumann KH 310 A monitors - Cheap USB and XLR cables

Re: Should you turn off the RME ADI-2 DAC?

tubeaudio wrote:
MC wrote:

That's not confusing at all as the on state is white. Also turning it competely off will indeed confuse many people, as there is no difference anymore between standby and no power. Anyway: the standby button has its own firmware and can't be updated, so no change in functionality in standby mode is possible.

Ok but there is a dark mode where the light is off.

So we have a case where the unit is on and the light is off; and we have a case where the unit is off and the light is on.

Am I the only one who feels this is wrong? wink

I accept that you don't want to and perhaps can't turn it off. But I think it's a pity...

It would seem that if there is an ability to turn off the LED in the Dark mode, than it should be possible to turn off the LED in any mode.

Re: Should you turn off the RME ADI-2 DAC?

N00b wrote:

For me it is fine like that. If the screen is off, I can see at a glance the state of the device:
- Red light: it is off.
- All lights off: the aptly named Dark Mode.

And if the red light bothers, like it has been said: a 10 € / $ power strip and it is settled...

My solution for annoying lights on equipment is duck tape LOL. LEDs are so invasive, especially in computers, that I have to pay premium for a dark mode on my motherboard smile