RME ADI-2 Pro EX — a DAC/ADC converter, headphone amplifier and USB audio interface

RME has introduced an updated professional converter with a two-channel headphone amplifier and many improvements. macOS support is native, while Windows requires RME's MADIface driver for full WDM and ASIO compatibility.

Photo: official website rme-audio

The updated ADI-2 Pro EX has a larger enclosure with improved airflow for more effective cooling, plus chrome feet in the style of the ADI-2 DAC FS, while keeping its recognisable design. A modern USB-C port uses USB 2.0 without bus power. The upgraded two-channel amplifier output stage provides more power for high-impedance studio and audiophile headphones in balanced and unbalanced operation.

Photo: official website rme-audio

An improved power input has active, fuse-free overvoltage and reverse-polarity protection. The included partially grounded NT-RME-13 power supply prevents ground loops. The product uses an AK5574 ADC and an AK4493 DAC. It supports AES, S/PDIF and ADAT conversion, with monitoring, recording and DSD playback.

Photo: official website rme-audio

Other features include a high-resolution IPS display, a 1.8 m USB-C cable, a 3.5 mm TS trigger output, high-quality PCM/DSD conversion and four-step hardware input/output level adjustment. Connections include two XLR/TRS combo analogue inputs, two XLR outputs, two 6.3 mm TRS outputs, two 6.3 mm Extreme Power stereo headphone outputs, optical S/PDIF I/O with ADAT support, and coaxial S/PDIF RCA and AES XLR I/O through the supplied adapter cable. Binaural crossfeed, M/S processing and selectable ADC/DAC filters are also included.

Photo: official website rme-audio

RME ADI-2 Pro EX is available to pre-order for $2,000.