Function As A DAC ONLY: ADI-2 DAC FS

Submitted by Rodnys_Danger666 t3_1102th3 in headphones

I've looked a whole lot on the RME forum and on others too. When someone ask can the -2 be used as a dedicated dac only. They don't get a Y/N answer. They get "turn your volume to xxx", "set it to -xx db", etc. Those that respond go off on tangents without ever saying "Yes it can", or, "No it can't". Just what they do in their setups. Which reads like a work around to function with whatever equipment they have. I've owned other Dac/Amps in the past that can function as a "Pre". As they had settings to specifically do this.

I really want to buy one. But, if it can't function as a Pre-Amp only, I'd really like to know that so I don't waste my money and time with having to return it or not.

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IAmAgainst t1_j882iic wrote

The title of your post asks one question and the body says a completely different thing. It has balanced and unbalanced analog outputs to be used as a DAC-only, and the equalizer makes it the best DAC out there IMHO. The spectrum analyzer is hypnotic to watch and the VU meter is extremely useful to get an idea of the dynamic range of the source and to get an objective reference of the actual output volume you're getting regardless of the amplification level (because each song has a different volume usually).

But it doesn't have analog inputs to act as a preamp. I don't know what you read that could have given you the idea that it might have.

The amp is as good as an amp could get so you won't ever need a discrete one just for the sake of amplifying for headphones, and it's tightly integrated with the DAC in a way that always keeps a SNR as high as possible.

Finally, and this is an important disadvantage for me, it doesn't have an external analog input to the amp section, which would allow it to be connected to a tube preamp and then back to it's own amp section.

Hope this clarifies what it can and cannot do. Let me know if you have any other questions.

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Rodnys_Danger666 OP t1_j88410r wrote

My post might make not much sense to a owner of a ADI-2. It's the most advanced and option heavy hardware that I've ever purchase for my HP rig. So my questions are noobish in nature.

Why I asked the way that I did was that my soon to be old dac (smsl MK300II) has pre-function. Let me set output voltage. So I am able to connect it to my $$ McIntosh C34V preamp with out risking blowing it up or doing any kind of damage. I'm hoping to do something similar. Right now I can do that safely. It's why I ask if the -2 has this function too. So when I stream for two channel listening from my MacAir to dac to C34 I can send it the signal that the manual for the c34 calls for on it's Analog Inputs.

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IAmAgainst t1_j884h5t wrote

Ok, it's only a misunderstanding about terminology, what you call "pre-function" Is actually called a line out, and all dac/amp combos have one, although not always balanced. That doesn't make the device a preamp, a preamp is what you connect the DAC to.

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Rodnys_Danger666 OP t1_j885mw0 wrote

Yes, can I set a specific Line-Out signal/voltage to send to my preamp. The -2 has RCA output. Which I would connect to my McIntosh preamp. Hopefully it can output Line Level at a voltage my pre can handle.

And connecting the -2 XLR out to my THX-887 XLR Inputs to use that amp instead of the -2's internal amplifier.

I would be using the -2 as double duty. As a DAC for a Headphone rig. and as a DAC to a Stereo Preamp for two channel listening on my stereo system.

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IAmAgainst t1_j88765g wrote

Oh, I understand your question now. The RCA maximum output value is 3.5V and for the XLR output it's 6.9V. However you can control the volume to avoid saturating your preamp input so that shouldn't be a problem.

In any case, you won't burn anything. If the input signal is too high you would just get a distorted output because of clipping at the input so you'd have to gradually increase the ADI-2's volume until you start noticing a degradation in sound.

Edit: you don't need the THX-887, you'd just be adding noise to the system and reducing SNR. Most likely imperceptible but still unnecessary. The ADI-2's built-in amp should be far superior, especially considering the integration with the dac that allows to balance digital and analog amplification to maintain the highest possible dynamic range and SNR.

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Rodnys_Danger666 OP t1_j889f7v wrote

Thank you for your kind help. You've answered my questions completely. I like you, will be buying the Arya, just not the Stealth. I don't think my ears would tell the difference. And the Focal Radiance for late night gaming/movies.

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IAmAgainst t1_j88o76k wrote

I'm glad I could help.. The Arya V2 doesn't have a good rep because of a huge gap they have in the frequency response, although that should be possible to correct with equalization. Which is why I find most headphones reviews useless since they only talk about each headphone raw as if equalizing wasn't a thing.

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