RME ADI-2 Pro vs ADI-2 DAC
This is an appendix to my article RME ADI-2 Pro : a Technical Overview.
Not long after I purchased my ADI-2 Pro, RME released the “DAC only” version. It felt it worth a brief comparison. Here is the block diagram of the ADI-2 DAC:
As you can see by comparing to the block diagram of the ADI-2 Pro, the ADI-2 DAC is a much simpler device! Compared to the ADI-2 Pro, it is missing:
- Analog inputs
- The second pair of analog outputs and associated processing (i.e. Phones 3/4)
- Balanced headphone drive
- Digital outputs
- AES/EBU digital input
- Multichannel USB
- Rack-mounting holes
However, it gains:
- A dedicated IEM amplifier
- A remote control
- Incremental improvements in the internal clocking and analog output stage (these are now, I believe, in the currently produced ADI-2 Pro, which has received a name change to “ADI-2 Pro FS“.)
- Bass/treble and loudness compensation runs at 352.8 and 384 kHz sample rates
- An “auto-dark” mode
- Audiophile feet
There are some things that are just different:
- The unbalanced 1/4″ TS output jacks have been replaced with RCA jacks.
- The hardware reference levels are lower and uniformly spaced.
- The hardware reference levels on the unbalanced outputs are 6 dB lower than the balanced.
- The front panel is black instead of silver.
The DAC also misses SRC.