RME ADI-2 Pro FS R Black Edition

High-Performance 768 kHz 2-Channel AD/DA Converter, Headphone Amplifier & USB-DAC

The Reference Converter

The ADI-2 Pro is RME’s reference AD/DA converter, USB DAC, USB interface and headphone amp. It’s numerous use cases make it an ideal choice in many fields, from the home user appreciating innovative solutions offering highest sound quality, the studio owner asking for reference AD/DA conversion, the Hi-Fi enthusiast demanding a flexible yet high-end headphone amplifier, up to the industry using the portable device as front-end for measurement systems.

A New Experience in Sound and Quality

RME’s reference AD/DA converter is a host of devices all put together into one unit, with a simple and mostly automated way of using it right out of the box. A unit with the industry’s biggest footprint per feature ratio, excellent tech specs, crystal clear and transparent sound signature, and two extremely powerful headphone outputs.

The new ADI-2 Pro FS R Black Edition features the AK4493 chip, improved specs, and comes with the new extended Multi-Remote Control (MRC).

Connectivity and Features

RME's reference AD/DA converter is:

• A high-end AD/DA converter in professional studio quality
• A double headphone amplifier in true high-end quality
• A USB DAC like no other - the most versatile and capable one
• A high-end AD/DA frontend and headphone amp for iPad / iPhone
• A multi-format converter (AES, SPDIF, ADAT) with monitoring function
• A DSD record and playback solution
• An AD/DA frontend for audio measurement at up to 768 kHz sample rate

Ultra-fidelity PCM/DSD 768 kHz AD/DA Converter

As the most flexible converter available, the ADI-2 Pro offers balanced/unbalanced analog I/Os, double Extreme Power headphone outputs, SteadyClock FS, 4-stage hardware input and output level control, DSP-based signal processing, external power supply operation, Class Compliant USB compatibility, sample rates up to 768 kHz as well as DSD record and Direct DSD playback (256 / 11.2 MHz).

Analogue or Digital - Options Galore

The ADI-2 Pro includes two servo-balanced analogue inputs on combo XLR / TRS jacks, two separate balanced and unbalanced outputs on XLR and TS, two stereo Extreme Power headphone outputs on the front, an optical SPDIF I/O that also understands ADAT, and coaxial SPDIF (RCA) and AES I/O (XLR) via an included breakout cable.

This universal set of I/O options offers superior quality and flexible connectivity to those who take a no-compromise approach to audio.

The USB 2.0 port is fully Class Compliant (UAC 2) for connection with compatible iOS devices, and is also used for firmware updates. Including an external switched power supply with lockable connector, the ADI-2 Pro can be easily powered from battery, opening up mobile applications as well as galvanically isolated use cases.

As a computer interface the ADI-2 Pro offers a stereo (2 in / 2 out) and a multichannel mode (6 in / 8 out).

Compatibility with Mac OS X comes right out of the box. Under Windows the ADI-2 Pro uses RME's MADIface series driver, for full WDM and ASIO compatibility and highest performance.

Included Accessories

• Remote control with battery (MRC)

• Quick start guide

• Manual

• BO968 Digital Breakout Cable (AES/EBU & SPDIF)

• External power supply with locking connector

• Power cable

Perfect Sound Capture and Reproduction

Aiming for the absolute reference sound, any detail in the ADI-2 Pro is special and has its own story. The main PCB is an extraordinary 10 layer design with custom copper thickness, guaranteeing finest undisturbed sound as well as ample but separated power for the phones outputs.

Internal power supply stages and precise regulators use a super-low-noise design to not degrade performance through the power rails. Selected SoundPlus operational amplifiers maintain highest SNR, lowest THD and high slew rate under all conditions.

The whole analogue circuit design is fully symmetrical and balanced throughout - and DC-coupled. The only capacitors in the signal path perform DC protection at the analogue input sockets, and have been carefully selected to avoid any sonic impact.

The 4-channel AD-converter, supporting 786 kHz sample rate and DSD recording, is used in a dual mono design, with 3 dB improved signal to noise ratio. Two premium DACs are used for two separate stereo outputs.

Internal audio processing like EQs, Crossfeed and spectral analysis, is done by a high performance DSP with 2.17 Giga FLOPS (2882 MIPS), delivering enough computing power to work even at 768 kHz sample rate.

For easy operation a high quality Sample Rate Converter has been added, switchable to the AES or SPDIF input, solving any clocking problem between those. And RME’s latest SteadyClock FS technology ensures perfect jitter reduction and stable clocking, no matter if internal or external clocks are used.

High Resolution Display Operation

RME have incorporated many unique features, not found on any comparable devices, like 5-band parametric EQs for fully individual phones compensation, adjustable Bass/Treble controls with quick access, a binaural crossfeed function, adjustable loudness filter, selectable AD/DA filters, four discrete I/O reference levels, auto reference level setting, auto balanced phones mode, and many more. The display is not only used to control the unit, but also shows warning and guidance messages.

Professional features such as M/S Processing, stereo width and phase reversal up to full control and storage of all settings are included, as well as RME’s famous Spectral Analyzer, a 30-band biquad filtered analysis tool offering unprecedented musical visualization, perfectly complementing the high-resolution IPS display.

Extreme Power Headphone Outputs

There is no use in boasting about -110 dB THD, when such values are not available in real world operation - for example when a 32 ohm headphone is connected. RME's engineers therefore designed a new headphone output stage that brings the full performance of the premium DAC to the phone jack - even when using low impedance headphones.

The Extreme Power design excels with 0.1 Ohm output impedance, a maximum output level of +22 dBu, and a maximum output power of 1.5 Watts - per channel! The two, fully separated stereo headphone outputs deliver the same 120 dBA SNR performance as the line outputs, for a full hum and noise free listening experience.

THD is far below -100 dB (0.001%) even at full power, for the most clear and detailed soundstage possible. The Extreme Power design also incorporates current limiting, power surveillance, overload detection and DC protection. A low power mode and a high power mode are provided, for a perfect match from IEM up to planar.

Having two stereo outputs, balanced headphone operation is possible. As RME's engineers were not satisfied with the existing techniques they developed a new Advanced Balanced mode for the ADI-2 Pro, that removes most limitations of standard balanced operation, and turns this mode into a a fully new experience.

The exclusive Advanced Balanced mode delivers a balanced signal path from the DAC straight to the phone, with 3 dB gain in Signal to Noise Ratio, smoothed out deviations in components, optimized frequency response, super low output impedance (0.2 Ohms), and a maximum output level of +28 (twenty eight) dBu.

RME MRC - Multi-Remote-Control

Just like the RME ADI-2 DAC FS, the ADI-2 Pro FS Black Edition offers comprehensive IR remote control. It includes RME's new Multi-Remote-Control, which perfectly matches the functionality of both DAC and Pro.

In addition to dedicated buttons for standby, volume, mute, balance, bass/treble, input selection and more, it features seven assignable buttons for flexible access to 52 different features and commands.

Optionally remote controls like the Logitech Harmony series or specific programmable IR transceivers can also be used.

Analogue Inputs

XLR

• Input: XLR, servo-balanced
• Input sensitivity switchable +24 dBu, +19 dBu, +13 dBu, +4 dBu @ 0 dBFS
• Digital Trim Gain range: 0 dB up to +6 dB
• Signal to Noise ratio (SNR) @ +13/19/24 dBu: 120 dB RMS unweighted, 124 dBA
• Signal to Noise ratio (SNR) @ +4 dBu: 119 dB RMS unweighted, 123 dBA
• Frequency response @ 44.1 kHz, -0.1 dB: 5 Hz – 20.5 kHz
• Frequency response @ 96 kHz, -0.5 dB: 3 Hz – 45.5 kHz
• Frequency response @ 192 kHz, -1 dB: 2 Hz – 92.7 kHz
• Frequency response @ 384 kHz, -1 dB: < 1 Hz – 124 kHz
• Frequency response @ 768 kHz, -3 dB: < 1 Hz – 180 kHz
• THD @ -1 dBFS: -116 dB, 0.00016 %
• THD @ -10 dBFS: -125 dB, 0.000056 %
• Channel separation: > 110 dB

TRS
As input XLR, but:

• Input: 6.3 mm TRS jack, servo-balanced, fully compatible to TS and RCA

Analogue Outputs

1/2 XLR

• Output level switchable +24 dBu, +19 dBu, +13 dBu, +4 dBu @ 0 dBFS
• Signal to Noise ratio (SNR) @ +13/19/24 dBu: 120 dB RMS unweighted, 124 dBA
• Signal to Noise ratio (SNR) @ +4 dBu: 117 dB RMS unweighted, 120 dBA
• Frequency response @ 44.1 kHz, -0.1 dB: 0 Hz – 20.2 kHz
• Frequency response @ 96 kHz, -0.5 dB: 0 Hz – 44.9 kHz
• Frequency response @ 192 kHz, -1 dB: 0 Hz – 88 kHz
• Frequency response @ 384 kHz, -1 dB: 0 Hz – 115 kHz
• Frequency response @ 768 kHz, -3 dB: 0 Hz – 109 kHz
• THD @ 0 dBFS: < -120 dB, 0.0001 %
• THD+N @ 0 dBFS: -115 dB, 0.00018 %
• Channel separation: > 110 dB
• Output impedance: 200 Ohm balanced, 100 Ohm unbalanced

1/2 TS (rear)
As output XLR, but:

• Output: 6.3 mm TS jack, unbalanced
• Maximum output level: +19 dBu
• Signal to Noise ratio (SNR) @ +19 dBu: 120 dB RMS unweighted, 123 dBA
• Signal to Noise ratio (SNR) @ +13 dBu: 118 dB RMS unweighted, 121 dBA
• Signal to Noise ratio (SNR) @ +4 dBu: 115 dB RMS unweighted, 118 dBA
• Output impedance: 100 Ohm

Phones 1/2
As Output 1/2 TS, but:

• Output: 6.3 mm TRS jack, unbalanced, stereo
• Output impedance: 0.1 Ohm
• Signal to Noise ratio (SNR) @ +22 dBu: 120 dB RMS unweighted, 123 dBA
• Signal to Noise ratio (SNR) @ +7 dBu: 118 dB RMS unweighted, 121 dBA
• Output level at 0 dBFS, Ref Level +19 dBu, load 100 Ohm or up: +22 dBu (10 V)
• Output level at 0 dBFS, Ref Level +4 dBu, load 8 Ohm or up: +7 dBu (1.73 V)
• THD @ +18 dBu, 32 Ohm load, 1.2 Watt: -110 dB, 0.0003 %
• THD+N @ + 18 dBu, 32 Ohm load: -107 dB, 0.00045 %
• THD @ +14 dBu, 16 Ohm load, 0.94 Watt: -110 dB, 0.0003 %
• Max power @ 0.001% THD: 1.5 W per channel

Output Phones 3/4
As Output Phones 1/2, but:

• Output levels at 0 dBFS: Hi-Power off +7 dBu, Hi-Power On +22 dBu

Balanced Phones mode
As before, but:

• Output levels at 0 dBFS: Hi-Power off +13 dBu (3.46 V), Hi-Power On +28 dBu (19.5 V)
• Output impedance: 0.2 Ohm
• Signal to Noise ratio (SNR) @ +28 dBu: 123 dB RMS unweighted, 126 dBA
• Signal to Noise ratio (SNR) @ +13 dBu: 121 dB RMS unweighted, 125 dBA
• Output level at 0 dBFS, Hi-Power On, load 150 Ohm or up: +28 dBu (19.5 V)
• Output level at 0 dBFS, Hi-Power Off, load 8 Ohm or up: +13 dBu (3.46 V)
• Max power @ 0.001% THD: 2.9 W per channel

Digital Inputs

General

• Lock Range: 28 kHz – 200 kHz
• Jitter suppression: > 50 dB (2.4 kHz)
• Accepts Consumer and Professional format

AES/EBU

• 1 x XLR, transformer-balanced, galvanically isolated, according to AES3-1992
• Input sensitivity 1.0 Vpp

SPDIF coaxial

• 1 x RCA, transformer-balanced, according to IEC 60958
• High-sensitivity input stage (< 0.3 Vpp)
• AES/EBU compatible (AES3-1992)

SPDIF optical

• 1 x optical, according to IEC 60958
• ADAT compatible

Digital Outputs

AES/EBU

• 1 x XLR, transformer-balanced, galvanically isolated, according to AES3-1992
• Output level 2.7 Vpp
• Format Professional according to AES3-1992 Amendment 4
• Single Wire mode, sample rate 28 kHz up to 200 kHz

SPDIF coaxial

• 1 x RCA, according to IEC 60958
• Output level 0.75 Vpp
• Format Consumer SPDIF according to IEC 60958
• Single Wire mode, sample rate 28 kHz up to 200 kHz

SPDIF optical

• 1 x optical, according to IEC 60958
• Format Consumer (SPDIF) according to IEC 60958
• Sample rate 28 kHz up to 200 kHz

Digital

• Clocks: Internal, AES In, SPDIF In, ADAT In
• Jitter suppression of external clocks: > 50 dB (2.4 kHz)
• Effective clock jitter influence on AD and DA conversion: near zero
• PLL ensures zero dropout, even at more than 100 ns jitter
• Additional Digital Bitclock PLL for trouble-free varispeed ADAT operation
• Supported sample rates for external clocks: 32 kHz up to 200
• Internally supported sample rates: 44.1 kHz up to 768 kHz

General

• Included power supply: external switching PSU, 100 - 240 V AC, 2 A, 24 Watts
• Standby power consumption: 50 mW
• Idle power consumption: 10 Watts, Max. power consumption: 22 Watts
• Idle current at 12 V: 850 mA (10 Watts)
• Dimensions (WxHxD): 215 x 44 x 130 mm (8.5" x 1.73" x 5.1")
• Weight: 1.0 kg ( 2.2 lbs)
• Temperature range: +5° up to +50° Celsius (41° F up to 122°F)
• Relative humidity: < 75%, non condensing