• Mokir
  • ADAT user
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2022-03-20
  • Posts: 9

Topic: How to set RME ADI-2 with integrated ampli

Hi,

I want to set RME ADI-2 with integrated full lamp ampli.

Using the preamp of  RME ADI-2  with my preamp tub stage of my integrated tube amp sounds - very- bad.

It souds worst than using my little Cambridge Dac Magic ...

Is it possible to disable the preamp of RME ADI-2 using it only as a DAC ?

If is possible how to set it or not ?

Otherwise I will have to send the RME ADI-2 quickly back to the seller.

Sorry for my bad english and thank you very much in advance for your answer

2 Reply by KaiS (edited by KaiS 2022-03-20 08:45:29)

  • KaiS
  • DAW Mastermind
  • Offline
  • From: Germany
  • Registered: 2020-02-05
  • Posts: 3,132

Re: How to set RME ADI-2 with integrated ampli

Play with ADI-2’s output level (Volume) to find a sweet spot.
Start with the same loudness level as your Cambridge and work from there.

Tube amps sound can be extremely level dependent.
ADI-2 offers a much wider level range than others.

KaiS's Website

  • Mokir
  • ADAT user
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2022-03-20
  • Posts: 9

Re: How to set RME ADI-2 with integrated ampli

Thank you for your reply. However, I don't understand what you want me to do. For information, the RME ADI-2 connected to an electronic power amp works very fine. But I acquired it to work with my integrated tube amp and no with the electronic power amp. So I'm trying to disable the preamp stage of the RME ADI-2 to only use the DAC part. Is it possible or not? Otherwise, how do you get around it? And the manual written only in English and German does not help me ....

4 Reply by KaiS (edited by KaiS 2022-03-20 20:47:22)

  • KaiS
  • DAW Mastermind
  • Offline
  • From: Germany
  • Registered: 2020-02-05
  • Posts: 3,132

Re: How to set RME ADI-2 with integrated ampli

There is no extra Preamp stage in ADI-2 that can be disabled.
All DSP functions are already disabled in factory default setting.


1. Leave all ADI-2 settings in factory default.

2. Turn the big Volume knob until ADI-2 is the same loudness like your Cambridge.
This is your starting point now, note the figures.

3. Turn ADI-2’s Volume now, to hear if more Volume, or less Volume sounds better.

KaiS's Website

  • Mokir
  • ADAT user
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2022-03-20
  • Posts: 9

Re: How to set RME ADI-2 with integrated ampli

I will follow your advice and give it a try. Thank you for your help.

  • Mokir
  • ADAT user
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2022-03-20
  • Posts: 9

Re: How to set RME ADI-2 with integrated ampli

Despite hours of trying to translate the manual, watching videos and manipulating the different buttons, I get nothing except a horribly sour sound worse than the first time I listened. I will therefore make one last attempt before sending it back. Can you tell me how to reset everything because I think I have applied settings that I do not know how to erase.
Thank you

7 Reply by Johannes AU (edited by Johannes AU 2022-03-21 15:04:19)

  • From: Hongkong
  • Registered: 2021-06-30
  • Posts: 720

Re: How to set RME ADI-2 with integrated ampli

FACTORY RESET: Switch off the unit, remove the USB cable from the unit, press and hold button [VOL] , encoder [1] and [2] together and switch on.

Listen to music with headphone at the dac, if it sounds OK, then nothing wrong with the RME dac because all signal outputs are the same quality apart from level, the problem could be on the setting and input levels to your amp.

We do not know what your Amp is, and it is hard for us to help, better tell us more... for example: what is the make and model of the amp, what type of interconnects you use? Which Dacmagic? 100 or 200?

Pacifist, dumb, not stupid
Listen music out from a box which sounds
Reading words on paper/ screen
  • Mokir
  • ADAT user
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2022-03-20
  • Posts: 9

Re: How to set RME ADI-2 with integrated ampli

I will try this reset. Thank you. My amp is a push-pull tube integrated amp.

9 Reply by Johannes AU (edited by Johannes AU 2022-03-21 15:05:56)

  • From: Hongkong
  • Registered: 2021-06-30
  • Posts: 720

Re: How to set RME ADI-2 with integrated ampli

Mokir wrote:

I will try this reset. Thank you. My amp is a push-pull tube integrated amp.


This information doesn't help. Same as describe a car has four wheels.

Pacifist, dumb, not stupid
Listen music out from a box which sounds
Reading words on paper/ screen
  • Mokir
  • ADAT user
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2022-03-20
  • Posts: 9

Re: How to set RME ADI-2 with integrated ampli

I just tried 9 times to reset. I press button one and two and the volume at the same time while pressing the button to turn on the DAC. The indication RESET DONE never appears on the screen as mentioned in the English manual !

11 Reply by Johannes AU (edited by Johannes AU 2022-03-21 16:16:38)

  • From: Hongkong
  • Registered: 2021-06-30
  • Posts: 720

Re: How to set RME ADI-2 with integrated ampli

Mokir wrote:

I just tried 9 times to reset. I press button one and two and the volume at the same time while pressing the button to turn on the DAC. The indication RESET DONE never appears on the screen as mentioned in the English manual !


VOL button, NOT the volume knob.

https://i.ibb.co/VY9y66V/IMG-5063.png
facebook photos public

Pacifist, dumb, not stupid
Listen music out from a box which sounds
Reading words on paper/ screen
  • Mokir
  • ADAT user
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2022-03-20
  • Posts: 9

Re: How to set RME ADI-2 with integrated ampli

Thanks to your last explanation I have just succeeded in obtaining the RESET DONE display. Thanks again. I don't know what it's going to be like and I'm too pissed and tired to listen. Anyway I am really shocked that the manufacturer given the complexity of the implementation of this device does not have the simple commercial courtesy to publish a user manual in the language of the country where he sells it for more of a thousand euros. This spoils all the pleasure of the purchase.

13 Reply by Johannes AU (edited by Johannes AU 2022-03-21 16:42:13)

  • From: Hongkong
  • Registered: 2021-06-30
  • Posts: 720

Re: How to set RME ADI-2 with integrated ampli

Mokir wrote:

Thanks to your last explanation I have just succeeded in obtaining the RESET DONE display. Thanks again. I don't know what it's going to be like and I'm too pissed and tired to listen. Anyway I am really shocked that the manufacturer given the complexity of the implementation of this device does not have the simple commercial courtesy to publish a user manual in the language of the country where he sells it for more of a thousand euros. This spoils all the pleasure of the purchase.

The complexity of the implementation of this device is most loved, you should READ instead of WATCH.

Google translate or DeepL translate are your best friend.

If you said you cannot understand the manual, then we also do not understand what you need to help by providing very little information, you put everything in misery and puzzled.

You wrote in English, suppose you studied English, if you cannot understand the English version manual, blame the (your) teacher or yourself, not RME.

Besides, who is the one decided to buy this RME dac?

Pacifist, dumb, not stupid
Listen music out from a box which sounds
Reading words on paper/ screen

14 Reply by KaiS (edited by KaiS 2022-03-21 22:18:46)

  • KaiS
  • DAW Mastermind
  • Offline
  • From: Germany
  • Registered: 2020-02-05
  • Posts: 3,132

Re: How to set RME ADI-2 with integrated ampli

ADI-2 DAC is delivered in a “Plug And Play” configuration.
All you have to do is turn the Volume dial.


Tube amps (opposed to Solid State) are VERY level dependent.

It’s about to find your Volume’s “Sweet Spot”, for the right amount of tube saturation that pleases your ears.

Going too low: no saturation, no special “ tube sound”.
Going too high: audible distortions, washed out punch.


To give you a starting point:

To about meet your Cambridge DacMagic100’s level (2.3 V) start with:
ADI-2 DAC RCA out: Volume dial @ -4 dBr.
(ADI-2 DAC XLR out: Volume dial @ -1o dBr, but you don’t use XLR).

KaiS's Website

  • Mokir
  • ADAT user
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2022-03-20
  • Posts: 9

Re: How to set RME ADI-2 with integrated ampli

KaiS wrote:

ADI-2 DAC is delivered in a “Plug And Play” configuration.
All you have to do is turn the Volume dial.

Understood. This is what I did after getting the "Reset Done"

Tube amps (opposed to Solid State) are VERY level dependent.

OK

It’s about to find your Volume’s “Sweet Spot”, for the right amount of tube saturation that pleases your ears.

OK

Going too low: no saturation, no special “ tube sound”.
Going too high: audible distortions, washed out punch.


To give you a starting point:

To about meet your Cambridge DacMagic100’s level (2.3 V) start with:
ADI-2 DAC RCA out: Volume dial @ -4 dBr.
(ADI-2 DAC XLR out: Volume dial @ -1o dBr, but you don’t use XLR).

After "Reset" the screen displays a "Ref Level" of + 13 Dbu in "Line Out" RCA ... Sorry but you mention Dbr: can you tell me more?
If Dbr is another name for Dbu, would you suggest trying to set the Ref Lev to -4 Db (r or u)? If so: how?

16 Reply by KaiS (edited by KaiS 2022-03-22 07:29:13)

  • KaiS
  • DAW Mastermind
  • Offline
  • From: Germany
  • Registered: 2020-02-05
  • Posts: 3,132

Re: How to set RME ADI-2 with integrated ampli

Mokir wrote:
KaiS wrote:

ADI-2 DAC is delivered in a “Plug And Play” configuration.
All you have to do is turn the Volume dial.

Understood. This is what I did after getting the "Reset Done"

Tube amps (opposed to Solid State) are VERY level dependent.

OK

It’s about to find your Volume’s “Sweet Spot”, for the right amount of tube saturation that pleases your ears.

OK

Going too low: no saturation, no special “ tube sound”.
Going too high: audible distortions, washed out punch.


To give you a starting point:

To about meet your Cambridge DacMagic100’s level (2.3 V) start with:
ADI-2 DAC RCA out: Volume dial @ -4 dBr.
(ADI-2 DAC XLR out: Volume dial @ -1o dBr, but you don’t use XLR).

After "Reset" the screen displays a "Ref Level" of + 13 Dbu in "Line Out" RCA ... Sorry but you mention Dbr: can you tell me more?
If Dbr is another name for Dbu, would you suggest trying to set the Ref Lev to -4 Db (r or u)? If so: how?

dBr is shown in big figures when you turn the Volume dial.
The dBr is relative to the maximum Level ADI-2 can put out.


dBu is a certain Voltage, relative to 0.775 V (international standard).
When you turn the dial, the automatically selected Reference Level in dBu is show in small figures as “## dBu (Auto)”.



After factory reset, hands off of other setting than Volume dial for the moment, until you better understand ADI-2 DAC.
For normal use really nothing needs to be set up, except Volume dial!


ADI-2 DAC does some automatic functions under the hood, saving you the need to do them manually like:

• Automatically selecting the correct input when you plug a cable with a valid signal.
• Automatically setting the (dBu) Reference Level for best signal quality when you turn the Volume dial.

KaiS's Website

  • Mokir
  • ADAT user
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2022-03-20
  • Posts: 9

Re: How to set RME ADI-2 with integrated ampli

Thank you @KaiS  for your advice and your sympathy which contrasts nicely with the arrogant or even downright contemptuous remarks of other interlocutors. Words that I won't even bother to answer. I may be able to get back to you later if you want. Have a good day.