Analog or Digital - Options Galore

The ADI-2 Pro includes two servo-balanced analog 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.

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 analog circuit design is fully symmetrical and balanced throughout - and DC-coupled. The only capacitors in the signal path perform DC protection at the analog 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.

The Anniversary 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. 20 years of RME - cumulated into a precious unit, that once heard and used one will never give away. Promised.

Analog Inputs

XLR
• Input: XLR, servo-balanced • Input sensitivity switchable +24 dBu, +19 dBu, +13 dBu, +4 dBu @ 0 dBFS
• Signal to Noise ratio (SNR) @ +13/19/24 dBu: 120.x dB RMS unweighted, 124.x 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+N @ -1 dBFS: -112 dB, 0.00025 %
• Channel separation: > 110 dB

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

Analog 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: 117 dB RMS unweighted, 120 dBA
• Signal to Noise ratio (SNR) @ +4 dBu: 115 dB RMS unweighted, 118 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
• THD @ -1 dBFS: -112 dB, 0.00025 %
• THD+N @ -1 dBFS: -110 dB, 0.00032 %
• THD @ -3 dBFS: -116 dB, 0.00016 %
• 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) @ +13/19 dBu: 117 dB RMS unweighted, 120 dBA
• Signal to Noise ratio (SNR) @ +4 dBu: 113 dB RMS unweighted, 117 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: 117 dB RMS unweighted, 120 dBA
• Signal to Noise ratio (SNR) @ +7 dBu: 114 dB RMS unweighted, 118 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

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 (9.8 V), Hi-Power On +28 dBu (19.5 V)
• Output impedance: 0.2 Ohm
• Signal to Noise ratio (SNR) @ +28 dBu: 120 dB RMS unweighted, 123 dBA
• Signal to Noise ratio (SNR) @ +13 dBu: 118.4 dB RMS unweighted, 122 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 (9.8 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)

AES/EBU
• 1 x XLR, transformer-balanced, galvanically isolated, according to AES3-1992
• SPDIF compatible (IEC 60958)

SPDIF coaxial
• 1 x RCA, transformer-balanced, according to IEC 60958
• 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
• Single Wire mode, sample rate 44 kHz up to 192 kHz

SPDIF coaxial
• 1 x RCA, according to IEC 60958
• Single Wire mode, sample rate 44 kHz up to 192 kHz

SPDIF optical
• 1 x optical, according to IEC 60958
• Sample rate 44 kHz up to 192 kHz

Digital

• Clocks: Internal, AES In, SPDIF In, ADAT In
• Jitter suppression of external clocks: > 50 dB (2.4 kHz)
• Supported sample rates for external clocks: 32 kHz up to 192 kHz 
• Internal Clocks: 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")

Accessories

Driver and Software