• Registered: 2026-03-23
  • Posts: 9

Topic: rme ufx II soundquality really bad, help

Hi, I just bougth Ufx II as an upgrade from rme ufx and the sound quality is really not good, Never had a problem with my UFX before.
Asked a friend that has a rme UFX III and compared quality and I believe my unit is not ok.
before I send it to thomann it would be nice to know if any other UFX user reported sound qualiry changed after firmware update.

I did driver and firmware update before listening to any sound so I don´t know if it´s a driver or firmware issue

I hope you can help be fore I send it back as a faulty item

Thanks

Ricardo

2 Reply by waedi (edited by waedi 2026-03-23 05:53:06)

  • waedi
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Re: rme ufx II soundquality really bad, help

How to help with this vague description ?
Please more details

driver version
Win or Mac
Where exactly is the issue with sound quality ?
Headphone outputs ?
Analog outputs ? Which one ? All of them ?
Or in the recording ? From mic inputs ?
Whats wrong with the sound ? artefacts ? crickle crackle ? Dropouts stuttering ?
also in CC-mode ?

M1-Tahoe, Madiface Pro, Digiface USB, Babyface silver and blue
  • Registered: 2026-03-23
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Re: rme ufx II soundquality really bad, help

only used output 1 & 2 the sound is very mid range no depth, not a UFX.
latest windows driver and firmware

just want to know if it can be firmeware related or driver related. probably need to sending it back.

my rme UFX sounds better,  something is wrong with the UFX -II

  • From: Germany
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Re: rme ufx II soundquality really bad, help

There's no known reason for that. Please provide more details about the setup.

Regards
Daniel Fuchs
RME

RME Support's Website

  • Registered: 2026-03-23
  • Posts: 9

Re: rme ufx II soundquality really bad, help

ok thanks
no need for more details
windows 10
rme ufx works amazing rme ufx III even better, the unit is faulty

the ufx III used same driver but no firmware update and sounds amazing.

sending it back.

sounds like mud

  • Registered: 2026-03-23
  • Posts: 9

Re: rme ufx II soundquality really bad, help

thanks for helping it could be a firmware or driver problem.
If you don´t have more units reporting issues it´s a hardware problem and needs to go back to thomann, and wait for a new one

  • From: Germany
  • Registered: 2007-04-10
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Re: rme ufx II soundquality really bad, help

Neither driver nor firmware have an influence on sound quality, and there's no known issue. Ot would help if you could somehow provide a sample of what you are hearing and more details about which outputs are affected. But of course you can also just send it back and see what can or can't be found...

Regards
Daniel Fuchs
RME

RME Support's Website

  • ramses
  • ramses
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Re: rme ufx II soundquality really bad, help

Did you try a total reset of TotalMix, just in case some of the settings are somehow screwed up: EQ, whatever?

BR Ramses - HDSPe MADI FX, M-1620 Pro D, 12Mic, UFX III, ADI-2 Pro FS R BE, Nuendo 15, Win10 IoT Ent

9 Reply by risoundz (edited by risoundz 2026-04-15 00:36:32)

  • Registered: 2026-03-23
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Re: rme ufx II soundquality really bad, help

Hi, I´m really sad

Sent the UFX II back to Thomann and received today a new one.
Pluged it in to find out that sounds exactly the same as the previous one

Something in happenning at the factory 2 units with the exact same problem sounds like quality control problem.

maybe a lot of people that buy it have no idea how it should sound like.I have a RME ufx and a close friend has RME ufxIII
and the units  I´m receiving sound nothing like the UFX clarity

10 Reply by waedi (edited by waedi 2026-04-15 01:30:23)

  • waedi
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Re: rme ufx II soundquality really bad, help

You may record a piece of music thru cable-Loopback.

Send both files to RME support.  support@rme-audio.com

"sounds like mud" is not a technical value, if there is a sound degradation it can be measured.

Did you note the serial number from your first unit to find out the received second unit is not the same ?
Do you have a document declaration for the exchange of the device for a new one ?

Above a Total Reset in Totalmix was suggested by Ramses, did you follow-up this ?
If not yet, please do so and let us know.

At your sound tests with other interfaces did you use the same cables ?
Possibly your XLR cables have bad wiring and decrease the volume by a fraction ?

M1-Tahoe, Madiface Pro, Digiface USB, Babyface silver and blue
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Re: rme ufx II soundquality really bad, help

Constantly ignoring questions for details/sound samples/etc…

Sounds more like a Troll or bot…?

“Do It For Her”
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  • waedi
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Re: rme ufx II soundquality really bad, help

Lets see

M1-Tahoe, Madiface Pro, Digiface USB, Babyface silver and blue
  • Registered: 2026-03-23
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Re: rme ufx II soundquality really bad, help

The part that seams not be perceived is the fact that i´m comparing the unit sent to me with a UFXIII same cables same drivers same computer,  everything the same.
Makes no sense talking about cables or anything else.
just installed totalmix did nothing to it a part of raising the master volume, so reseting what?

I didn´t look for the serial number. I forgot. How can I find out if its the same unit?
even if it is why is it not fixed?

  • waedi
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Re: rme ufx II soundquality really bad, help

risoundz wrote:

The part that seams not be perceived is the fact that i´m comparing the unit sent to me with a UFXIII same cables same drivers same computer,  everything the same.
Makes no sense talking about cables or anything else.
just installed totalmix did nothing to it a part of raising the master volume, so reseting what?

I didn´t look for the serial number. I forgot. How can I find out if its the same unit?
even if it is why is it not fixed?


In Totalmix menu Options / Reset mix / Total Reset

New installation of Totalmix does not replace old settings

Thomann and others do not deeply analyze the returned units.
They make a quick function check and decide to forward the unit to repair ot just return to customer.

Customer often receive no information about the process and can not find out if the return is new or refurbished or the same device.

M1-Tahoe, Madiface Pro, Digiface USB, Babyface silver and blue

15 Reply by ramses (edited by ramses 2026-04-15 19:44:56)

  • ramses
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Re: rme ufx II soundquality really bad, help

risoundz wrote:

just installed totalmix did nothing to it a part of raising the master volume, so reseting what?

The complete state of TotalMix FX is written to a file which starts with "last.*" the "last settings file".
It could be that TotalMix FX settings are in a wrong state.
So resetting TotalMix FX means to bring back TotalMix FX default settings to exclude any potential bogus settings.
Maybe an overlooked phase setting problem and whatnot.

waedi wrote:

Customer often receive no information about the process and can not find out if the return is new or refurbished or the same device.

You can compare serial numbers.

BR Ramses - HDSPe MADI FX, M-1620 Pro D, 12Mic, UFX III, ADI-2 Pro FS R BE, Nuendo 15, Win10 IoT Ent

16 Reply by waedi (edited by waedi 2026-04-15 20:00:31)

  • waedi
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Re: rme ufx II soundquality really bad, help

ramses wrote:

You can compare serial numbers.

Yes if one noted the old serial number, OP did not.

M1-Tahoe, Madiface Pro, Digiface USB, Babyface silver and blue
  • Registered: 2026-03-23
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Re: rme ufx II soundquality really bad, help

did the reset nothing changed,

Just got the UFX III from my friend and i´m going to record something with it and the same file with the UFX III

explaining depth and detail is missing
some frequencies from 1500hz up to 20000hz are  mixing or not at the coeerect level.
it´s so  obvious when you compare them.
How can they not notice it.

  • waedi
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Re: rme ufx II soundquality really bad, help

In older interfaces there was a driver setting "Emphasis" this had similar effects as described by you.
But this feature is no longer part of the driver settings since long ago.

Please do the recordings and let RME analyze for results.

M1-Tahoe, Madiface Pro, Digiface USB, Babyface silver and blue

19 Reply by vinark (edited by vinark 2026-04-15 23:15:15)

  • vinark
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Re: rme ufx II soundquality really bad, help

Your UFX, the UFX2 and UFX3 should sound exactly the same under normal conditions (and equal levels, very important). If one sounds noticably worse if set up corrctly it is broken. I would not be surprised if they send you the same one.
Hope everything works out!

Vincent, Amsterdam
https://soundcloud.com/thesecretworld
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  • Registered: 2026-03-23
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Re: rme ufx II soundquality really bad, help

totalmix has 2 resets
the normal reset did nothing but the reset w/o room eq worked

finally
it was driving me crazy.
thanks for the support.

the last comment is not true
the UFX (from 2013) doesn´t sound the same ---as UFX II/UFXIII  the new chips sound 10-15% better.

  • waedi
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Re: rme ufx II soundquality really bad, help

A bit unexpected but great to know it did help you out.

Did you ever used room eq in Totalmix ?

M1-Tahoe, Madiface Pro, Digiface USB, Babyface silver and blue

22 Reply by MC

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Re: rme ufx II soundquality really bad, help

Hit the Redo button (top right) one or several times, then check what the setting was in RoomEQ that changed the sound. Not knowing that will not be of help in the future.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

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  • Kubrak
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Re: rme ufx II soundquality really bad, help

waedi wrote:
ramses wrote:

You can compare serial numbers.

Yes if one noted the old serial number, OP did not.

Serial number is on purchase document.... OP may have a look.

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