Topic: Best possible settings using ADI2DAC FS with Drop THX AAA 789.

I apologize if this has been answered. I went through 30+ page's and didn't find an answer.

Using my adi-2 dac FS as a DAC only. All my settings are factory default.

Connected with balanced XLR into the Drop THX AAA 789

Ref level +13 dBu
Auto Ref Level ON

I've been unsure about the volume on the RME so I have just left it on 0.0 dBr

Everything sounds great but I wanna make sure I'm getting the best possible sound and that my current settings are safe.

Any & all help would be greatly appreciated also if anyone else has my exact setup I would love to chat much further about our setups / favorite settings ect.

Re: Best possible settings using ADI2DAC FS with Drop THX AAA 789.

stealthbushido wrote:

I apologize if this has been answered. I went through 30+ page's and didn't find an answer.

Using my adi-2 dac FS as a DAC only. All my settings are factory default.

Connected with balanced XLR into the Drop THX AAA 789

Ref level +13 dBu
Auto Ref Level ON

I've been unsure about the volume on the RME so I have just left it on 0.0 dBr

Everything sounds great but I wanna make sure I'm getting the best possible sound and that my current settings are safe.

Any & all help would be greatly appreciated also if anyone else has my exact setup I would love to chat much further about our setups / favorite settings ect.

Hi stealthbushido!

If you don't use the volume on the DAC, I advise you to disable the "Auo Ref Level" and to set manually the optimal level for your headphone amp: with Auto Vol Ref ON and 0 dBr volume setting, you have a hot output (+19 dBu=6.9 V RMS on the XLR output)...

The good  way to go is to find in the Drop manual the sensitivity of its XLR input, and to set the output of the DAC with this figure (to translate V RMS into dBu, you can use this calculator).

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

3 (edited by KaiS 2020-11-18 11:22:48)

Re: Best possible settings using ADI2DAC FS with Drop THX AAA 789.

• Switch off "Auto Reference Level".
• Select a "Reference Level" that allows convenient use of THX AAA 789's volume control, somewhere around the middle range.
• Set ADI-2 DAC's volume control to "0 dB".
• Once you start to use ADI-2's DSP functions, you can compensate possible (e.g. EQ-) boosts with ADI-2's volume control, to avoid overloads that are visible in the peak meter.

ADI-2 delivers the same quality on all reference levels.

Re: Best possible settings using ADI2DAC FS with Drop THX AAA 789.

Thank you all so much. I'm gonna try these when I get home from work.

Re: Best possible settings using ADI2DAC FS with Drop THX AAA 789.

As is with the default adi-2 factory settings I'm only on the 2nd gain out of 3 with the THX and having the volume on the THX in the mid is about as loud as i could want it. I can only imagine flipping to 3rd gain would make my head explode like in the movie "scanners"

Re: Best possible settings using ADI2DAC FS with Drop THX AAA 789.

N00b wrote:
stealthbushido wrote:

I apologize if this has been answered. I went through 30+ page's and didn't find an answer.

Using my adi-2 dac FS as a DAC only. All my settings are factory default.

Connected with balanced XLR into the Drop THX AAA 789

Ref level +13 dBu
Auto Ref Level ON

I've been unsure about the volume on the RME so I have just left it on 0.0 dBr

Everything sounds great but I wanna make sure I'm getting the best possible sound and that my current settings are safe.

Any & all help would be greatly appreciated also if anyone else has my exact setup I would love to chat much further about our setups / favorite settings ect.

Hi stealthbushido!

If you don't use the volume on the DAC, I advise you to disable the "Auo Ref Level" and to set manually the optimal level for your headphone amp: with Auto Vol Ref ON and 0 dBr volume setting, you have a hot output (+19 dBu=6.9 V RMS on the XLR output)...

The good  way to go is to find in the Drop manual the sensitivity of its XLR input, and to set the output of the DAC with this figure (to translate V RMS into dBu, you can use this calculator).

You where absolutely right. After lowering the ref level I did have to turn the gain up on my THX another notch but I suppose that's safer then running my output hot.

7 (edited by KaiS 2020-11-19 04:22:45)

Re: Best possible settings using ADI2DAC FS with Drop THX AAA 789.

stealthbushido wrote:
N00b wrote:
stealthbushido wrote:

I apologize if this has been answered. I went through 30+ page's and didn't find an answer.

Using my adi-2 dac FS as a DAC only. All my settings are factory default.

Connected with balanced XLR into the Drop THX AAA 789

Ref level +13 dBu
Auto Ref Level ON

I've been unsure about the volume on the RME so I have just left it on 0.0 dBr

Everything sounds great but I wanna make sure I'm getting the best possible sound and that my current settings are safe.

Any & all help would be greatly appreciated also if anyone else has my exact setup I would love to chat much further about our setups / favorite settings ect.

Hi stealthbushido!

If you don't use the volume on the DAC, I advise you to disable the "Auo Ref Level" and to set manually the optimal level for your headphone amp: with Auto Vol Ref ON and 0 dBr volume setting, you have a hot output (+19 dBu=6.9 V RMS on the XLR output)...

The good  way to go is to find in the Drop manual the sensitivity of its XLR input, and to set the output of the DAC with this figure (to translate V RMS into dBu, you can use this calculator).

You where absolutely right. After lowering the ref level I did have to turn the gain up on my THX another notch but I suppose that's safer then running my output hot.

Stay with THX's Gain Step I or II and THX's Volume about middle or above position to select ADI-2 DAC's Reference Level.
If you end up with +13 dBu nominal (which is +19dBu on XLR), that's perfectly fine.