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RME User Forum → ADI-2 & 2/4 Pro series, ADI-2 DAC series → ADI-2/4 Pro and Multichannel
Hello everyone, I own an ADI-2 DAC FS that I use for my living room stereo listening.
I imagined extending this setup to a multichannel setup (5.1), to listen to some Multichannel BluRay (or directly from streaming services).
I'm not familiar with ADI-2 Pro and 2/4 Pro and their Mulitchannel mode. Can I plug a BluRay player (or streaming box) via USB on the ADI-2/4 Pro (or ADI-2 Pro), and feed 6 active speakers to listen to a 5.1 mix ?
Thanks a lot,
ADI-2 DAC is stereo / 2-channel.
No 5.1 of any kind.
ADI-2 DAC is stereo / 2-channel.
No 5.1 of any kind.
I was talking about getting the ADI-2 Pro or ADI-2/4 Pro instead of my ADI-2 DAC.
Does the 2 Pro or 2/4 Pro can work with multichannel signal ?
If you combine ADI-2 Pro or 2/4 Pro SE with your existing ADI-2 DAC you can have 6 output channels combined.
Decoding the surround sound (i.e. Dolby Digital or Atmos) and speaker management needs to be done in the source, and feed through USB.
PC / Mac can do this, hardware disc players usually don‘t have USB outs.
IMO, after all a typical AV-amp is better suited for the task.
IMO, after all a typical AV-amp is better suited for the task.
Another factor against the ADI-2 Pro or 2/4 Pro SE is that while you can send 8 channels into the RME over the USB, those channels will be routed out multiple different outputs and formats:
USB Play 1/2 > TRS 1/2
USB Play 3/4 > TRS 3/4 (or PH 3/4 on the Pro FS R)
USB Play 5/6 > AES (can be set to S/PDIF for Coax)
USB Play 7/8 > S/PDIF (optical or Coax)
So with that, you could send the line out for four Front L/C/R and Sub channels over RME's DAC processer into your amp, and all four channels will maintain highly aligned timing. But, your Surround L/R and Surround Rear L/R will need to be feed through a separate processing paths that will each have slightly different timings and require extra gear for the DAC stage (unless your surrounds accept digital input).
As @KaiS wrote, a good AVR with pre-outs that is already designed for multi-channel may be the easiest route. Or, you can look one of the various 8-channel (or more) DACs that are on the market, some of which include DSP processing to provided integrated Room EQ across all of the channels.
I was hoping to use a one box solution (I thought I could only use one 2/4 Pro to get a 5.1).
I'm a bit reluctant in buying an AVR, first thing is I don't want to spend money on amp I'll not use (as I use active speakers), and also I switched my listening system to pro audio gear (but keeping consumer player for music and video files), and I like it.
I had the opportunity to try the Smyth Realiser A16 SE. But it's a whole another subject.
ADI-2 Pro and ADI-2/4 Pro SE simply don’t have 6 analog outputs, which is the “5.1” channel count.
You CAN add the missing two more outputs by connecting your existing ADI-2 DAC to the digital outputs of an ADI-2 Pro, or maybe your speakers have digital inputs.
This does not solve the decoding of the surround audio formats (Dolby Digital and Atmos, DTS, DTS HD, etc.), which no RME product does in hardware.
So the above setup is limited to PC/Mac via USB for decoding, hardware disc players stay outside.
If your disc players have HDMI outs there are so called “HDMI Audio Extractors” available at low prices (and quality?).
Still, an AV-surround-preamp would fit better, and could be integrated with your ADI-2 DAC.
These offer so much more.
I did an experiment there I used VLC and RME UCXII to output 7.1 atmos channels. I routed this to an older Sony AVR with analog inputs(no processsing aloud). Problem with this setup its only raw audio, no delay or any of that Dolby trickery. So my listening room just became a noisy small box instead of the imersive and wall suspending experience I was listening for. Anyway this is UCXII with TMfx and 8 analog out. Doing this with ADI 2/4 seems a bit of a hassle for a poor result
Did you miss Room EQ for the UCX II (including per channel delay)?
Did you miss Room EQ for the UCX II (including per channel delay)?
No, I did not. ,but I havent tried out delay function either so(yet). I thought about it writing the post and figured it would surface 
Im all 2.1 now because I threw out the old AVR and 2 sets of cheap surround speakers. ,and im kinda out of multispeaker setups. I would love to read about other ppl experiences though. I might pick it up again and old surround sets are giveaway cheap for anyone to try out.
Anyway thanx for Room EQ and ADI remote upgrades. Very handy stuff!
UCX, UCX II, UFX, UFX II, UFX+, UFX III can do multichannel. They have 8to12 channelsanalog.
I use UFX II for 5.1. Play with Jriver from flac multichannel-files (4.0, 5.1, 5.0).
Works great.
I use also active speakers (front 4-way via 2x8 analog out, Linkwitz LX4521.4), Surround: via AES/EBU (Genelc 8330).
No deccoding is needed if you habe flac-files PCM with each channel in PCM.
About this Dolby, Atmos, Aura 3D decoding I do not know details. Anayway its somehow a compressed format used in Video.
Then you may need additionally an AVR or sound processor (with no amp but much higerh price than normally an AVR).
RME User Forum → ADI-2 & 2/4 Pro series, ADI-2 DAC series → ADI-2/4 Pro and Multichannel
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