2. digital
  3. 190865-30175

DAC upgrade from RME

A couple weeks back I inquired as to a preamp upgrade, most likely tube, and received much appreciated advice. I now wonder if the upgrade bug should begin with the RME, although in many circle it receives very high marks. When listening to jazz trios/quartets I notice sharp piano strikes can become quite strident. I’m looking into NOS, R2R dacs with good USB capability. Mojo, entry, medium Lampi’s, Gordon Rankin Wavelength, Border Patrol SEi are a few where I have interest. Not so much the Chinese made R2R ladder dacs.

kckrs

Showing 2 responses by jim2

jim2
168 posts
 

 

 

hsounds

149 posts

Hello, I thought the RME had a built in EQ. Can’t you adjust this for your liking?

I was thinking the same thing... it has Parametric EQ in the digital domain. This is an interesting thing... I have an Ayre KX-R Twenty preamp, Ayre MX-R amps, Ayre QB-9 Twenty DAC, and an RME ADI-2/4 unit. I also have the RME ADI-2 DAC FS, as I bought up to the ADI-2/4 unit when I was so impressed with the ADI-2 DAC FS and figured I might as well get the one with all the bells & whistles... and Digital PEQ output.

I think the RME ADI units are some of the most revelatory pieces of gear I’ve ever used. I absolutely LOVE my RME stuff. It is exceptional as a preamp, but my Ayre preamps add magic that isn’t there when going RME direct into the amps. The thing is, it’s so good that is has to be kept in context too.

This is a perfect example of folks having different preferences / experiences... and why ya gotta listen for yourself - with gear you are very familiar with. I’ve made it a point to listen to several DACs in my own little shootout, and I learned what I wanted to know.



jim2
168 posts
 

 

 

romanesq

90 posts

Have the RME coupled with tube mono blocks in a full range system and nothing strident there. Had made some EQ settings in the RME but the biggest improvement as it turned out was adding a tube type preamp and not run direct into the amps. Others took any edge off using RME’s EQ.

I’ve experienced the same with my RME ADI-2/4 Pro SE... direct into amps sounds really, really good. Going into my Ayre KX-5 Twenty and now Ayre KX-R Twenty, the preamp in line sounds better.

I think the context is important though. RME ADI 2 units direct into amps could satisfy many, and it’s definitely worth trying first when building a system and getting things going faster.

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