This article is one of several where I discuss my essential studio tools. I’ve previously shared my thoughts on my monitoring systems; today, I want to say a few words about an AD/DA converter from the German company RME.
Specifically, I’m talking about the RME ADI-2 Pro FS R Black Edition. While it may not be the company’s absolute newest release, this design remains consistently at the top of the charts in its class. I must say, the formal technical specifications are remarkably impressive. In fact, these parameters sit right at the edge of the measurement capabilities of reference systems like the Audio Precision APx555.
This level of performance is exactly what guarantees the converter’s primary task: flawlessly accurate DA/AD conversion.
The heart of the converter is built around the AKM AK4493 and AKM AK5574 chips. I wouldn’t call myself an adherent of any particular “chip religion,” so to speak, but my subjective impression of this converter’s sound noticeably surpasses that of its direct ESS-based competitors. I’m not talking about night-and-day differences, of course. I would describe it as a white cinema screen transforming into a thin, transparent veil, behind which the live performers finally become visible.