Yes ! They're such an underated piece of equipment as far as content goes !

I agree with MK, something with samples we can download and compare, maybe running the same track through the different converters multiple times to hear any degradation?

yesss

Agree let’s go!!

Agreed!

I know you are a straight shooter, and so I appreciate you weighing in on this. I,too, have never had an issue with my RME interface.

MOTU has let me down, so its great to hear that I’m making a good choice 😊

@@Whiteseastudio just bought a motu.... still an upgrade from the scarlett :D

@@Whiteseastudio MOTU isn’t the company it once was. My friend is the audio recording gear manager for a big music store and he told me for every 5 MOTUs they sold, 3 would get returned defective. So, my friend went with the Apollo and I didn’t care for it or the hype so I went with an RME, thanks to Glenn Fricker’s videos.😊🙏🤘

@@Whiteseastudio I have 24 ai and 24 ao, and I quite often hear some clicks and pops which are in playback and not in the recording. I changed USB cables, I isolated with rings, I tried to increase bandwith hence latency, but randomly they appears. Also going in and out is almost a pain in the butt for the same reason. Do you have any experience with that? Any suggestions? Thanks mate!

You make amazing plugins ! When is Iron part 2 coming out ? Also, i had a license to Synth warmer and then lost it :(

Rme adi-2 pro better than antelope amari?

🧐Essentially boutique converters and/or clocks allow you to see clearer and deeper into the music, the mechanics of the clock and the analog stages inside the converter is mainly why it sounds better...and of course the power supply. They also improve the resolution of your plugins, microphones, and monitors. This is a great tool for mixing and mastering but if you are a producer singer songwriter keep using what you're using, it will get the job done wonderfully.... Now when you start thinking about spending money on plugins and maybe the UAD platform... trust me....just buy the converter...I'd rather have a $2,000 converter and beautiful sounding stock plugs than $2000 worth of decent sounding UAD plugins any day.

​@@bigdap100Thank you for your reply! Would you by chance know if the Komplete Audio 6 by Kontakt or the UR22C by Steinberg (Both Audio Interfaces I have) could do the same thing as the audio converter shown in the video can or are those two separate things? Thank you as always, cheers!

@@johnspear7962 the NI and the Steinberg converters will not match the resolution of the ADI-2 but you can still master with it and it will still sound good if you already know how to master. You can achieve higher resolution at higher clock speeds like 192khz and you will hear a difference but it still won’t match the RME. You can also use internal oversampling with plugins that have that feature like Melda and DDMF Meta Plugin that will help also. If you want to get into mastering converters you can step up to a Black Lion Revolution 2x2, it doesn’t match the RME but you can step up for like $300 B-Stock and you will hear a difference. After that you can buy a used Lavry or Mytek or even a Hilo...But I would skip those and buy the Apogee Symphony Desktop for all in one production and post production needs and the mic pres are top shelf digital pres. I prefer Prism Sound but their gear has climbed up significantly in price...however there is a used Orpheus on Reverb for around $1600. The other alternative is something like a Black Lion Audio Micro Clock MKiii, it is boutique level but it will provide the least amount of utility for your overall studio needs. Lastly there is the ADI headphone version it is a few hundred dollars cheaper and can be bought used under a grand.

​@@bigdap100 Nice, I appreciate you so much for the super in-depth information! I'll for sure look into the Revolution 2x2 as a starting point into dipping my toes into higher resolution sound for the price but will return to this comment down the line to upgrade! Thank you again so much, high resolution quality audio is something I'm really excited about getting into and experiencing! :)

@@johnspear7962 I went to Reverb and found a Lyra 2 for sale for a very good price....in the picture uploaded to the listing was the Lyra in great condition but guess what was sitting on top of it in the same picture.... a Black Lion Revolution. Lol, see I told you dude The Revolution has created a nice little interface that sits right in the middle of the entry level and the boutique...but for an entry level price. Great Preamps, HP Amp, and it has a really good clock inside.

Same: it's a great piece of equipment, even in class-compliant mode. In fact, CC mode was a factor in buying it, because my workstations run Linux. Bought it because of their reputation, staying because the Babyface FS lives up to it.

Yep 100% agree. Same here. I may never turn back now. RME for life!!

RME babyface pro fs owner here as well. Absolutely love it

@VICTORY B STUDIO wich diferences has this interface of the review with the UCX-UCXII ?

Don't know which one to get between the Babyface Pro FS or the UCX ii

Indeed, look at used market ... You still see oldest firewire interfaces being sold to a decent price and some use them simply for AD and DA. And then the long term driver support and you do not have to pay for new things like: TotalMix FX, FX overhaul, TotalMix Remote, etc etc. And you get real serious manuals in two languages (except for the new AVB product line). Worth every penny!

in the long run, RME ends up cheapest choice, because the driver support feels like eternal, no worries with whatever clunky operating systems come up in future as well as whatever new interface comes up to be used with legacy computer system - this level of flexibility and hassle-free experience is well worth it :)

Buy cheap, buy twice. RME is worth it.

There are exceptions. The BF I got two years ago didn't work at higher buffer sizes on both my Macs and in both DAWs I tried it. Support was absolutely useless - the guy claimed the RME couldn't be the problem and did zero tests on his side. I ended up getting and Apogee Duet and the problem vanished. It's a shame, because the BF sounded super nice. After this episode, I won't ever buy from them again.

I mean, I agree with you, but the price for performance is so much bang for your buck, it's stupid.

(Join forces *once again* I should say! Who didn’t love when Dan guest hosted an episode?!)

yea but its ancient 2.0 usb lol I'll pass and wait on usb4

Yeah the old Apollos are too colored. The new ones X6, X8 , different story.

@@soundgenius9226 You don't need much bandwidth for audio interfaces or converters going back in forth from your computer and RME writes solid drivers with arguably the lowest latency in the game.

@@massivebeatzz I just exchanged my X8 for a UFX+... For me, it was not as much the sound quality, but the ADAT/Expandability that the RME offered over the UAD for the price. I needed 24ch of i/o and was going to have to purchase another X8 or X16 since the Apollos only allow a single 8 channels of ADAT regardless of sample rate. With the RME, I can add some lesser ADAT devices to both sets and get myself to 24 more easily and less expensive. I did keep my Octo Satellite though, so I still have some DSP for the plugins...

@@AndrewCCM That sounds like a pretty good move!

Rme adi-2 pro better than antelope amari?

I also use the ADI-2 with Audeze cans and love it - have you checked out the oratory1990 EQ curves?? If not, try inputting those values into the ADI-2 EQ and watch it take the Audeze to yet another level...

Thanks for this. I was just wondering if I should invest in this for my LCD-X's.

Yes it's a nice combination indeed. With a tight bass (Rob Katz told, even better compared to his Stax). I cross tested LCD-2, -3, -X with a few others. My preference was the LCD-3. The only issue for me was that the wood broke, but this has been serviced. Other issue is that the Alcantara ear-pads are not available anymore from Audeze anymore and they made a difference in sound. I got now luckily other earpad replacements from Dekoni. I am satisfied now with "Dekoni Fenestrated Sheepskin" ear-pads which cost around €98 in Germany. If you buy in the US, you can get sometimes special offers from them. Nothing for me, tax/customes would have come on top .. no real advantage anymore.

@@tbronzwaer thank you, i will try!

@@zweiklangmusic has the Anubis EQ? I think the converters sound quite sterile and clinical, compared to the hapi 2020 even a bit gritty in the transients

I have had an Apollo Twin for many years. The whole ecosystem is a big turn off for me. I hate looking at that huge list of plugins in my DAW that I am never going to use but I am forced to keep on my computer. The constant marketing to demo and sell more plugins. Discounts that are not really discounts at all. Also, thinking of switching to RME and going with a more minimalist setup of things I know and use.

just like me , i use adi 8 qs with raydat and babyface pro fs with my laptop, i wonder how "fast" is the adi 2 pro fs in latency in asio mode and how different the converter are from the adi 8 qs

Rme adi-2 pro better than antelope amari?

U can keep apollo for uad plugins if u need to

I bought the UFX II - latest version last month and it was enough for me to not use and maybe sell my Apollo X6. A bigger difference in the AD when testing my rap vocals (my main reason to test) than the DA just listening to my music and music from Apple Music. Noticeable differences either way so maybe even more with the product you’re considering.

Recommendation: check out LCD-3 (optional: with Dekoni Fenestrated Sheepskin ear-pads). I am not sure, whether there is so much difference between LCD-3 and LCD-4 that it justifies the price difference. I would cross check.

Rme adi-2 pro better than antelope amari?

I was just going to suggest this as well! :)

all the European disgruntlers and fact checkers..lol.... plus Paul Third - and the holy trinity of consumer protection is complete!

Rme adi-2 pro better than antelope amari?

I don't we can put the new Akai Mpc machines in the group of standard AD/DA converters for 2023, they have managed to wreck this brand and everything it has stood for.

Rme adi-2 pro better than antelope amari?

Rme adi-2 pro better than antelope amari?

"UAD just sounds more low mids boosted and warmer (less highs)." That's the sound of bad converters lol it can't reproduce the sound going into it.

Rme adi-2 pro better than antelope amari?

Rme adi-2 pro better than antelope amari?

20years?

@@PabPapp1 From what I've gathered, that's one of the reasons they're so highly praised. They claim they'll continuously update drivers so you don't ever have to worry about your hardware becoming obsolete or unusable on future operating systems.

My RME UFX is 10 years old. Bulletproof and it still is the center of my studio. 😎

Their stuff definiltely does not sound always "pristine", not even for "prosumer". I've owned several of their interfaces and listened to pretty much everything they've put out. it works and is reliable but their i/o stages are by no means best in class.

@@troelsknudsen253 Which ones?

pardon me, what is rtmf?

@@breezyoakk Sorry, for whatever reason I've made a mistake, I meant "hrtf", which stands for head related transfer function

@@jgfjfgjfhjf thanks! :)

Furthermore, I did try MOTU for a while and it was a fucking disaster. Terrible build quality, constant connection issues (across two identical models) and a completely non existent support service unless you lived in the USA. Horrendous company.

how would you compare RME UFX with some other A/D converters like LYNX and such?

@@imsliccLynx slightly better to my ears but RME also have the best drivers which needs to be taken into account

@@imslicc Like for like the Lynx products are in a completely different price bracket than RME. Subjectively a lot of people prefer the sound of Lynx vs RME, but the differences are subtle. As a package, the RME is a far more sensible buy for most users, and arguably all home users.

I still use the trusty RME UFX mk1....not a single issue for 10 years. Its not my daily driver but it is the ultimate problem solver.

motu uses FPGA so I don't understand what what makes RME so specials. my 828ES is a DSP interface with FPGA chips and the drivers are super rock solid on windows 10. You can check my videos for proof. I had it for almost 2 years without a single problem.

@@eman0828 I'm not saying that MOTUs are bad interfaces or that you cannot have a setup without dropouts. I was just my experience with a specific setup. FPGAs are just processors, nothing else. I'm talking about how RME actually does a lot of stuff in the FPGA that normally is done in a driver.

No they don't. A lot of parts of off the shelf, 3rd party components like most audio manufactures. No pro audio manufacture designs their own converter chips as they all use the same vendors such as AKM, Cirrus Logic, ESS etc. There isn't anything really special.

"only"? Dude, that frequency difference is negligible to the human ear. I'd say 192k is overkill. That said, what I love about RME is they keep updating firmware on 20 year old equipment! Not like greedy Universal Audio...

i LOL'd at "only"

Damn... now you're making me think I need one. I use a Clarett 4 pre and I think it sounds fine but I not sure about the headphone outputs. Looking forward to a shootout.

Why waste your money? The headphone AMP, per RME's website are the same on the UCX II and ADI-PRO FS, LolZ! Middle of the pack by the way - Many audiophile garden headphone amps from the audiophile community trumps the RME stuff.

@@levondarratt787 What do you use for headphones?

@@kaankucuk1612 Really it is such a subjective question I don’t know anyone can give you the answer you are looking for. My advice is (if possible) go to a high end audio store and listen to a lot of DACs with your IEMs. Only YOU can decide what sounds best to you. Best of luck in your search. As a side note, I couldn’t be happier with my RME ADI Pro FS. Great sound through my speakers and headphones.

The only problem with them its owful drivers on Windows! Terrible drivers

@@timsamsung3736 Tell me about it! I recently (end of the year) purchased the Discrete Synergy 4 thinking I was on my way to a cleaner and more updated sound. After 2 weeks, It's still not installed on my computer. Every time I try to install it it shuts my internet connection down. I can't tell if it's my Windows 10 Pro (I even tried safe mode), my web browser (i tried 3) or my Provider. I've had technicians from each working on it trying to get around the problem to no avail. I did get the program to load on my daughters Surface Pro laptop (useless for me). It's hard to look at this $1400 paper weight everyday. Loading a driver/app/whatever shouldn't be this hard. The hardware may be premium but the software has left much to be desired for me.

@@SteveAdamsChannel Sounds like you got other hardware issues in your computer. I ve got a Discrete 4 and the main issue for me is sometimes it doesn't connect to the computer on boot and you have to remove the power lead and re connect it to jump start it. They are great interfaces sound wise, a serious leap from my old Audient ID 14 but I agree the software is a bit lame. Wish I went with RME now but there hasn't been any stock in the UK for months now.

@@TimeLimey Yes, after some troubleshooting I found out that the wifi link I use for years and everything else wouldn't hold to access the Antelope website so I could install it. I decided to "just try" a Ethernet/Cat 5 cable/hard connection and it worked! I even called Antelope to tell them that was an issue for me and possibly others in case someone else is faced with the same problem! I've been using it for a couple of months now. Still having some recording issues but mixing previously recorded audio on it sounds great and it has been stable! I'm getting an undesired audible echo/latency that I have to figure out how to eliminate now! It was working ok and then boom. I could be because of the recent "update" they sent out! The saga continues!

Yep The lack of word clock is a huge buzz kill

How was the Prism and the Lynx?

@@michaels5166 I love them both. Just for clarity I’m referring to the Prism Lyra 2 and Lynx Hilo. I sold my Hilo not at all because I disliked it but just because I was looking to try something different after a few years. Both have very similar imaging and transient response in my opinion. The Hilo has a very flat sound. Both have a very center image, whereas the RME felt much more wide. The Hilo has finer control over volume than the Prism. Both headphone amps are decent but not as good as the RME. The Prism is my main interface.

@@D.3TH13R Thank you.I have a hybrid system,moving from mostly analog to an equal amount of digital,and I wanted clarity over most anything else.I got the Wami 24 for almost nothing,pristine,yet I know I need something more modern.I use a lot of samplers,and I want to stream mixshows.So it's basically turntables,live instruments,samplers,MiDi Interfaces,a few synths,one totally analog,etc.

yeah, all the companies do that new tech now... Ultralite MK5, Babyface Pro FS....Clarett+, everybody is getting better, since there are new chips on the market.

driving my speakers digitally tho so no converters are used, but rme is just so reliable and drivers are best imo

any vidoes to hear this?

you can "upgrade back" to new half-rack RME UCX II now ;)

i've had a fireface UC for 9 years, just had to have it fixed after it stopped powering up this summer. i've always been interested in the UA stuff but i'm not sure their plugins are really any better that waves or plugin alliance. there's always the preamp plugins... but i've got a LA610 alrady, and will be probably do a 1073 clone at some point. 1 year later, is the balance in favour of UA?

@@amaurythewarrior Nope! I sold my Apollo Twin X right after I posted this and bought a UCX II. Let me tell you, there was an obvious and immediately noticeable increase in clarity and detail moving to UCX II from the Apollo. It kinda blew my mind. Ive been on UCX II for about 10 months now and its been amazing.

@@LaminarSound i wonder how much better the UCX II is compared to the original UC i have. there is a considerable price gap, but RME has no product in that price segment now. (although, i bought mine in 2013 so it wasn't very new)

@@amaurythewarrior id say the difference would be substantial.

With lifespans averaging 90 to 110 these days, or when we get there - unfortunately that is not true. There will always be newer tech, and nobody hangs on to longer than 16, 20 or 30 year old audio interfaces, even if they work... constant arms race.

Nice ! did you notice a difference in conversion between ucx (i have this) and ucx II ? I m used to insert hardware while mixing and i m wondering if a better conversion DA AD would be really better for this or if ucx I is enough

I've been looking for the eq compensation mentioned in the video and I can't find it. Could you share the settings or a link? Cheers :)

@@imdurc The following is from RME about the 5 band equalization function. When I find a link to the preferred filter settings for the NOS filter by some people (use your own ears), I will add that. (I still find their interface controls to be less than intuitive...) kzfaq.info/get/bejne/qKt3qqVpnbucln0.html

@@DigitalGrease I already know how it works. I meant the "flat" setting that WS refers to in the video. Apparently it can be found online which is why he didn't include it in the video.

@@devianthousend it’s pretty close actually. I need to do a better shootout using the same AD converter on a loop test to really tell the difference. But just by listening they’re both incredible

it's a DAC, not an audio interface. There are better audiophile DACS out there by the way.

@@levondarratt787Not exactly. the adi2 is a dac. The adi2 pro is an interface with a dac and an adc… there really aren’t many better dacs than the adi2 pro fs r. Yes there are a couple that are better, but they’re very expensive.

Apogee element was the winner for me v downsizing.

The older version uses a AK4490, the newer versions use a AK4493. Very similar chip, but the AK4493 is ever so slightly different. The implementation of such chips is just as important though!

you think it's worth add this converter to fireface UC ?

@@tchip-bc1gp If you need extra preamps/inputs then it can be the cheapest solution. Friend of mine, who inspired me to buy the Digiface USB, has four behringer preamps and it is the cheapest solution for massive expansion of your inputs. Cheap doesn't say it isn't a good interface. It's realy good quality build and works well.

i'm talking about the converter quality of ADI-2 compared to UC 🙂@@brianlespoir6287

The quality of components is hard to judge. Things like X7R capacitors look very similar to C0G capacitors, while their measured performance is very different. In addition to that, it's not just the quality of components, it's also the implementation of the components. In addition to that, some aspects are very tricky to measure. Close in phase noise is very difficult to measure (or takes a very long time), this leads to phase modulation in the output signal. Tools like the audio precision CAN measure jitter, but the jitter spec of the APx555 is in the order of 100ps and that's integrated from 700Hz (I believe). Hence it can't really measure jitter that is very close to the carrier. Sites like ASR show a very good initial measurement, but for the true performance you have to look deeper.

The filters before (digital) and after (analog) the DAC's are important to correct for the sampling errors (sin(x)/x) and usually are poorly implemented because most people don't notice the difference in sound when they buy an interface. Also the circuitry for the internal (headphone) amps must have an intrinsic low output impedance. I believe those are the two main differences that make these RME's stand out. Interesting video!

@@gjkoolen The filters are indeed really important. The analog output filter is typically a lot easier to design due to oversampling (and thus not so steep order is needed, 4th order for instance is sufficient). The digital filters that are present in oversampling DAC's on the other hand do influence the sound a lot, but they don't necessarily have to be a sinc filter. They don't have to be linear phase, they just need very steep attenuation while keeping very good pass band behaviour. Most manufacturers don't even bother designing their own and just use the default selection available in the DAC chip. I hate to dissapoint, but RME also does this. They just use the filters built in the AK4493. Also, regardless of what Wietse said, the filters ARE still necessary at 384kHz. Low output impedance is indeed important, but a damping ratio of ~10-15 is more than sufficient. It's also fairly easy to accomplish by applying feedback. The challenge is in keeping it low while keeping the device short circuit protected and keeping it consistent with frequency. RME actually intentionally adds a ~1Ohm resistor to prevent the output stage from shorting, this is infact harmless, because the typical headphones impedance is >16Ohms. The outputimpedance typically rises from 10-1000Hz onwards. This is because the output impedance is actually inductive due to the finite loopgain of the outputstage. This is only moderately important, because the headphone impedance will also increase with frequency (above fundamental resonance).

LOL@ Santa stuff.

Well yes, typically 23rd to 26th is all closed for Christmas, plus the weekends....so I doubt anybody would reply. This is Germany - people do "Christkind" stuff by the way - not "Santa" - like in most Euro countries.