RME ADI 2/4 Pro SE Review | 2024

[@elijahmant2855]

Hi. I used the original Adi-2 pro when it first came out. Set it up and used it for the conversion through my DAW. Great sounding. As for the headphones amp. Powerful, clean and detailed. A real Memorable experience. I didn't keep it as it didn't have enough IO's. I purchased the Fireface Ufx. This was expensive. But I hear the expensiveness in my mixes. Definitely top notch. So I can relate to what your saying. Thanks for sharing, Man.

[@RAYNETHESAVIOUR]

@@elijahmant2855 that’s awesome man, eager to get my hands on that new UFX they released, glad you’re enjoying it and thank you! 🙏

[@7400TWISS]

i have the same model. It's great. Definitely a learning curve but worth it.

[@RAYNETHESAVIOUR]

@@7400TWISS 💯 nothing but the truth

[@RainAstonIV]

I Love RME products... I gave away my apollo and never looked back.. Almost got the adi 2 but needed more outs to use hardware, which this solves that problem. Thanks for the video. Would love a video of you mixing.

[@RAYNETHESAVIOUR]

@@RainAstonIV thank you bro 🙏 definitely going to come through with some mixing videos!

[@AlecBridges]

I would like to hear a comparison between this and the Merging Anubis/Neumann MT 48

[@RAYNETHESAVIOUR]

ouu i'd like to hear a comparison too! I know I can another Anubis in here but the Neumann MT48 is a tricky one 🤔lemme see what I can do!

[@americanantagon1st]

Same exact converters and preamps. There's nothing to compare, other than Software and connectivity. (Neumann MT48 owner)

[@RAYNETHESAVIOUR]

@@americanantagon1st I just looked into the MT 48 and didn’t know the whole launch was powered by merging! Very interesting collab on Neumann’s part especially and indeed it should clear up concerns of differences between units

[@riasure]

Am very interested in this RME converter, so thanks for doing this. But can I ask how are you hooking it up to your audio interface? I have an Apollo twin duo, which has no Adat output only input and so want to know the best way to do so, or if it’s even possible?Thanks in advance.

[@RAYNETHESAVIOUR]

@@riasure I actually usually just use the ADI as a standalone unit! When I want to record, I usually will just switch converters and if I want to be more seemless, I’ll run adat out of the prism Lyra into my Apollo to use the latency free plugin console from UAD and use an aggregate device I setup to use both the Apollo and RME ADI to playback and record simultaneously! It’s a little complicated for sure to set up but it maximizes and utilizes only the best parts of all my tools! There’s a way to route your system accordingly as well but picking which situation to go with depends on the use case for sure! Do you record vocals mostly and do you use outboard gear as well to mix/master?

[@riasure]

@ thanks so much for coming back to me. I didn’t think of setting up an aggregate device, as I previously tried that in a former setup, but it proved to be a little clunky, so I ditched that way of working😄. I only record vocals and so that’s why the Apollo is a good fit in that regard and I am working otherwise fully in the box with no outboard gear. I do record some external synths but that’s easy enough to do via midi etc…it’s just trying to integrate the Apollo into this potential purchase. I wanna think ahead and not come unstuck only to discover I have overlooked anything essential. So appreciate any advice you can give. Btw I have been watching loads of your videos recently-they’ve been very informative.

[@RAYNETHESAVIOUR]

@ I’m really glad to hear the videos are helping in any way, thank you! And as far as incorporating your apollo into your workflow, I think a great compromise would be buying the RME ADI DAC FS. It’s a wonderful playback device that you can use along with your Apollo and creating an aggregate device using the DAC fs would actually be much simpler considering it doesn’t have any input, it’s just for playback quality on your monitors and headphones or for sending analog signal to outboard. In your case, if you plan on staying in the box, this solution could serve you well, provide great quality, and save you money! Hope this helps and be sure to demo or try any devices before committing to the purchase! 🙏

[@riasure]

@ yes, I am loving your content and delivery, so thank you. Thanks also for your advice and I welcome the opportunity to save money too😄. I think I have found a compromise with the RME ADI Pro FS BE, which has the two headphone output which can used in balanced mode. I also think I would like to have the input as an option just to perhaps connect preamps maybe down the line. Although, it is your advice that has caused me to arrive here. In addition have you heard the MT48, as my Apollo Twin is the 2015 version and whilst conversion and headphone amp are paramount in my use case I just wonder how good the MT48 is in this regard? Thanks again 🙏🏾

[@nils2660]

RME is so good I always use the Babyface for traveling

[@RAYNETHESAVIOUR]

RME is the most reliable line of interfaces on the market for sure!

[@nils2660]

@@RAYNETHESAVIOUR The A/D D/A is insane

[@ecklectic3126]

wait so if you can record with this isnt it an audio interface too?Im debating what to get between this and mt48. this sounds crazy

[@RAYNETHESAVIOUR]

You can technically record with any converter, but you can only monitor the recording inside of the DAW whereas an interface would have a software console that you could use to monitor back your vocals and control all inputs and outputs. Thats said, I definitely would go with the ADI unless you need dedicated digital preamps or don’t have any other interfaces you can pair with it!

[@KreativeDevices]

🔥

[@RAYNETHESAVIOUR]

@@KreativeDevices 🙏

[@chris-rb7bm]

I was listening to reference tunes (on my iTunes) trough my ADI pro 2 Black Edition R , and also my Antelope Amari. The Amir drivers aren't rocksolid like the RME is but my reference music sounded amazing on the Amari! So my friend iOS borrowing the ADI Pro 2 BE R and I am using the Amari. Amari also has AES out and XLR out and in for a loop back mixes situation. BUT Antelope drivers sometimes aren't super stable like RME. I remember though that in studio one my cpu was SOOOO STABLE with the RME! I wonder which is better Tomis through then hymn. If you know anyone with an Amari id be interested to see what you think. The bass was nicer on the Amari I thought deeper and fuller,, but that is only listening to reference tracks not mixing so... I might have to get back my ADI Pro 2!

[@RAYNETHESAVIOUR]

@@chris-rb7bm may I ask what DAC filter you were using to monitor on the ADI, if the emphasis setting was on what DC protection setting was on as well? These can interfere with the quality of the audio quite noticeably! Try the “Slow” DAC filter and upsample to 96k sample rate so the roll off is way above 20k, turn off the Emphasis and turn off DC protection because you don’t have to worry about that with studio monitor through a DAW (but double check with your monitoring manufacturer) and see how that sounds.

[@jankavalir]

MM500 are amazing, but still the consumer low budget piece. RME headphone amp is also great, but not the high level considered by headphone enthusiasts. If you are curious about those things, I advise you to go get the Yamaha YH-5000SE headphones with Yamaha HA-L7A amp. It is whole another game of monitoring for sound engineer. And still very cheap, considered how much mixing/mastering facilities are spending onto the speakers, room acoustics, furniture. To have the 5k headphone and 4k amp is still fraction of the price. But the end sound is another league. (You can still go Chord Dave for the headphones, but that's another topic lol)

[@RAYNETHESAVIOUR]

@@jankavalir love Yamaha as a company! Still a bit outside my headphone budget range but I’d love to be lucky enough to try them in the future!

[@danield2000]

"I never was a fan of their converters". Dude, I've had Apogee, Avid, Focusrite, SSL and Antelope. For acoustic music, the RME standard interfaces were by far the best for classical and acoustic music. The strings sounded the most natural and the depth was always superior.

[@RAYNETHESAVIOUR]

@@danield2000 you caught the only negative comment in the entire video bro. Don’t worry man, I’m not saying they are bad converters, but RME does make dedicated converters at nearly the same price as their full 16+ channel interfaces for a reason! Moreover, you’re missing Lynx, Lavry, Prism, and others in your list there. Larry Gold, a legendary string arranger is an Apogee guy and I’ve been an Apogee guy for vocals, guitar, and strings myself ever since trying them out. It’s all good stuff man and definitely subjective creatively. As far as objectively clean converters, the ADI is definitely a stronger device than the any of the interfaces RME sells. That said, they are designed to accomplish different tasks at the end of the day (dedicated converter vs interface). Hope this clears things up for you!

[@Furybeatsgme]

I don't get why they don't put this conversion in a true interface you could use with total mix

[@RAYNETHESAVIOUR]

@@Furybeatsgme I completely agree! Only reason they don’t is because an interface like the UFX has too much I/O and would run the price up heavily if RME included that many ADI quality chips in there - would be really nice if they could though!

[@RAYNETHESAVIOUR]

@@Furybeatsgme actually, that said they could totally throw two mic pres on an ADI and turn it into an interface with Total mix compatibility for a couple extra bucks too

[@hiphop3sree3]

Symphony io -Lynx line up - RME ADI.... Shootout who wins..🤔

[@RAYNETHESAVIOUR]

Definitely putting this into a video ASAP 👀

[@hiphop3sree3]

@RAYNETHESAVIOUR I'm thinking to get a lynx..... that will be a good reference video... Thx keep it up

[@8miche11]

can this converter be used as a standalone audio interface, or do you need a separate audio interface for it to work as intended?

[@RAYNETHESAVIOUR]

@@8miche11 yes you can use it like a standalone interface, that’s how I use it personally. The only thing you can’t do with it is monitor recording directly through the ADI, you’d have to monitor through a DAW but lots of us do anyway! If need be, I use ADAT to send out my recordings to my Apollo twin for low latency DSP chains but this is the only compromise when using the ADI as an interface. There is a web app that is complete and comprehensive to control the device with ease (once you learn you way around it)!

[@steppbrooEFT]

nah tried the neumann mT48? Cheaper and conversion blows it outa the water 3 times over. Both speaker outs and headphone amps.

[@ajwadakter7326]

MT48 is better, but three times over? Nah

[@RAYNETHESAVIOUR]

@@steppbrooEFT The mt48 sounds good but it’s quite a step down price wise and doesn’t compare to a dedicated converter like the ADI. Still incredible value for the price. Hope it’s working well for you!

[@acidcube6967]

🌟✨🤛 Dude, would you recommend the RME over the Prism? Cheers 〽️🕶️

[@Ultraskill23]

If you have rme interface take prism. The Prism is better after all it is different price tag. Use RMe for the software and prism for dac

[@jeremy_woods]

Well. I went from a set of Burl B2’s to the RME UFX3. Sounded great, but better when it was clocked by the Burl. Didn’t like the idea of my Burl just being a clock, so sold all 3, bought a Prism Titan and washed my hands of them all. Prism is the best.

[@acidcube6967]

🌟✨🤛 Cheers bro, I’ve also got a pair of PMC 8-2 which is why i asked. I used to own a RME 800 back in the day which is solid made piece of hardware but the operating system drove me mad🤦🏻‍♂️ So I’ve been saving for a Prism now I got my dream Monitor’s top man! I just got a somewhat affordable offer on getting a EX DEMO Dream ADA-8XR (pre configured systems) the older Dream System as the new one is mega money, but this Used / Exdemo ADAXR8x8 System with AES or would you just go for a Titan or Atlas? 〽️🕶️

[@jeremy_woods]

@@acidcube6967 dang! Yeah the 8XR is incredible still to this day, but in all honesty I’m pretty discerning (and i know that’s subjective) - I just don’t think I’m missing out on anything now. Burl did a low end extension thing, like another octave into the floor that was a big revelation for me when i got them. RME was a revelation with totalmix - which i still miss - how reliably it connects, and the sound was wider than Burl. Mind you that was “clocked” externally by the Burl. On its own I thought it sounded a little sterile. I wanted wide and low though, so i demo’d a Titan and i got both. Very 3D, very exciting to listen to and made music fun to make and listen to. Most people don’t talk about how damn good the mic pres on them are though. They’re the best I’ve heard on an interface. They remind me of Millenia’s, no joke. I use them a lot of times in place of my Great Rivers. There’s no internal DSP, so you’ll have to pipe in a reverb to vibe if you’re tracking. The trade offs were totally worth it for me. If I was in your situation, as much as the 8XR is beloved, I would rather have the interface experience. Seriously the Prism sounds so good it’s diminishing returns imo. I will say however, i was not thrilled with the volume of the internal HP amps on the Titan compared to the RME. The Prism sounds better, but the RME is louder, so i got an SPL Phonitor for that. - Which sounds better than all of them anyway lol. Hope that helps amigo

[@RAYNETHESAVIOUR]

@@acidcube6967 I would definitely go with RME over Prism. You can connect via AES to your 8-2s on your RME, have incredible headphone amps and drivers, and well as pristine ADA for mix bus or master bus. No brainer to me but I have heard the new UFX to compare it to the ADI, just the old one. The ADI is a winner for sure.

[@justin.johnson]

Cool vid but never been a fan? That means you're kind of a noob and haven't used or been aware of any of the dozens of RME units that have existed for decades. Today UFXIII + Ferrofish Pulse16 = done deal 🤝

[@RAYNETHESAVIOUR]

@@justin.johnson the UFX is solid! But I do find that most interfaces in general don’t have stellar conversion in the interface boxes. I’m partial to Lynx, Metric and other interface converter that have stellar detail and dimension. I’ve used plenty of RME devices thankfully and their dedicated converter are where their conversion really shines!

[@jonathanbobo722]

You’re not buying it for the conversion if it goes out AES. AES is 100% digital. The conversion’s happening within the speakers at that point.

[@RAYNETHESAVIOUR]

I had ATCs before and totally bought it for the analog conversion both as a DAC for them and as a loop back converter for my mix bus. I also use the converter for my Audeze MM 500 headphones because the amp in it is also crazy good. All analog except for my new PMCs!

[@AH20XX]

​@RAYNETHESAVIOUR I have the mm500s to go with my RME Pro Black Edition. IT'S INSANE!!!

[@jonathanbobo722]

@@AH20XX do you recommend the MMs?

[@AH20XX]

@jonathanbobo722 whole heartedly!!!!!!! I love mine!! Best purchase I've made in YEARS!!

[@kardoplay]

Sure!!! Next week something new comes and then it's the best. Always the same nagging, quite tired of it now, people who think they have bat hearing when it comes to converters.

[@RAYNETHESAVIOUR]

The beauty of technological advances is that gear does keep getting better and better! After all, you clicked on this video for a reason, if not at least due to some degree of curiosity - if not purely frustration with the gear review space

[@erkkisepping2738]

first!

[@RAYNETHESAVIOUR]

🙏🙏🙏