• From: Orlando, Florida, USA
  • Registered: 2007-12-16
  • Posts: 68

Topic: Feature Request: Suggested Use for the ADI-2/4 Pro

I am quite disappointed in the sonic performance of the cheap DSP units from a company that markets them for use as crossovers and DACs and "room correction". These units have no depth and sonically are very disappointing. I'm surprised so many people have latched onto this DSP unit because anyone with ears would notice the losses in sound.

Conversely, the RME ADI series have exemplary sound quality, great DSP (EQ), great soundstage, depth, purity of tone, clean volume control. I'm very impressed.

Dear Matthias: With a few changes, the 2/4 series could be adapted to a crossover/"room correction" device with extraordinary sound. For use with satellite and subwoofers. You may have to remove some features to make room in the FPGA for this, but it should be doable. All you need is adjustable time delay and a Butterworth and Linquist-Riley high pass and low pass characteristic. Seven bands of EQ is nice, and acceptable for this purist product because if you implement a high pass for one pair of outputs and a low pass for the other pair, you get 6 bands for the subs and 6 bands for the satellites.

A more sophisticated approach would be to implement a real crossover (both high pass and low pass in the same module) and add an input EQ (EQ on input). The input EQ is helpful because anomalies that are near the crossover point would waste a band of correction in both the high pass and low pass sections. But if you have the EQ on input, in FRONT of the crossover, then a single band will cover each anomaly.

You also need time delay, in order to align the subwoofer(s) with the mains.

I realize the price point of the ADI 2/4 is 4 or 5 times higher than the cheap DSP competing product, but if you can advertise the superior sonics and characteristics and build quality of the RME product I think you will get some buyers.

Hope this idea helps!

bobkatz's Website

  • ezwal
  • New member
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2024-06-15
  • Posts: 3

Re: Feature Request: Suggested Use for the ADI-2/4 Pro

Just got my ADI-2/4 and want to second bobkatz's request.  I'm sure it's a long shot and is a lot easier said than done, but having a stereo crossover, 4 channel output mode would be incredible.  You can already run the PH3/4 line to the rear jacks, and you already have independent EQ on both sets of channels.  You'd just need:

- high pass on one pair of channels, low pass on the other
- ability to add a little bit of delay to individual channels
- volume linking that can't be easily toggled out of

An additional bonus to bobkatz's thorough post is to mute the speaker output when you plug into the phones and toggle over to a different EQ for phones mode (which is more or less how the unit already operates...)

Love the ADI-2/4, but after trying to set up my speakers/subs with it using the DSP on the subs and EQ on the ADI, I decided it was easier to set up and configure and just run my ADI digital out into one of the not-to-be-named units bobkatz mentioned.  I don't have anything like golden ears, so speaker/sub integration outweighed converter quality.

  • From: Central Florida, USA
  • Registered: 2024-01-21
  • Posts: 41

Re: Feature Request: Suggested Use for the ADI-2/4 Pro

I have use for a unit like what Bob describes right now. I have several speaker projects and very much like 2-ways with separate servo subs.  It's handy to high pass to the main speakers.  My Ayre Acoustics gear is all DC coupled... so one way to do that is put a capacitor (very small one) either in front of the preamp or amps.  Because the input impedance of my Ayre gear is 2 millions ohms, it's a VERY small cap.  Ayre makes a small module that will do it for my VX-5 Twenty amp, and I have caps to make separate boxes for use with the MX-R amps.

Still... it's a cap that goes in front of gear that was painstakingly designed. I have an Ayre Acoustics QX-5 Twenty streaming hub.  What I'm trying to figure out with the ADI-2/4 Pro is going high pass out of AES to the QX-5 Twenty, for high pass to the mains - via PEQ adjustments.  Then analog out for ADI-2/4 Pro for signal to the subs - and use the ADI-2/4 as volume control for the entire system.  I "think" the ADI-2/4 can send 2 separate EQs at the same time... I remember reading about it one way or the other and need to find it.

The point is, if I could configure things like this, including simple crossover slopes, it would make this test much easier... and the ADI-2/4 even more remarkable.

https://photos.smugmug.com/Other/Speakers/i-2xX6X86/0/L5KFwFZrDN6KTB2qJJpSh6Fm8P4bW3qJXj323tX7m/M/IMG_0033-M.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/Other/Ayre/i-Fjggnrq/0/LV8XV35dLSQkDVZkb2BzZ8w2mLXq6xMTVRNvzjF5q/M/IMG_6442-M.jpg

4 Reply by beat8000 (edited by beat8000 2024-09-03 13:28:38)

  • Registered: 2019-05-30
  • Posts: 80

Re: Feature Request: Suggested Use for the ADI-2/4 Pro

To my opinion an easier solution for the time alignment would be to connect the ADI-2 with a subwoofer already considering the alignment and then the lineout of the subwoofer with the active monitors
I currently use this approach in my home office, as only minor timing adjustments are still required.

Win10 Pro, ADI-2 Pro, Basis 1, Adam A3X; RL 906; Grace M902B, Glockenklang Bugatti, Strauss SE-NF-3
  • Muffin
  • S/Mux specialist
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2021-12-26
  • Posts: 193

Re: Feature Request: Suggested Use for the ADI-2/4 Pro

beat8000 wrote:

To my opinion an easier solution for the time alignment would be to connect the ADI-2 with a subwoofer already considering the alignment and then the lineout of the subwoofer with the active monitors
I currently use this approach in my home office, as only minor timing adjustments are still required.

That's the way I connected my ADI-2 DAC (for DSP like Dynamic Loudness, tone controls) to my Genelec SAM 2.1 setup (has built in room EQ in the monitors and subwoofer). Sounds great, easy setup and always work. For my personal usage pattern, of course.