RME ADI-2 direct to amp

Really impressed how the RME sounds going direct, bypassing a separate preamp.

Yes 9 times out of 10 going direct is a clear winner, with better transparency/detail/pin point imagining, tighter deeper bass and better dynamics.
But "if" your system has problems somewhere with harshness/hardness, then sometimes it "can" be accentuated by going direct, then the right preamp colouration may put a bandaid fix on these and colour/soften them so they’re not so obvious.

Cheers George

Sounds promising. Will arrive Thursday so I can start playing around with it. New speakers arrive Saturday so I will get a couple days to play around on current ones. Old Snell Type E iii while very musical IMO aren't real resolution monsters so I'm curious to see if I can hear a definite difference from the Bluesound DAC. Real steal on the used market btw. 

Been playing around with the RME for a few hours now. Demo unit so assuming its somewhat broken in if that matters. I started going through my tube pre and it sounded really freakin good. About an hour in I hooked it up direct and so far I believe I prefer it that way. Seemed like everything tightened up and a little more detail. Nothing harsh or digital about it. 
Now need to play around with all the functions. There are a bunch of youtube videos that are a step by step for all the functions. 

About an hour in I hooked it up direct and so far I believe I prefer it that way. Seemed like everything tightened up and a little more detail. Nothing harsh or digital about it.

 Exactly what should happen, more transparent, dynamic, and controlled. Bad recordings maybe less to your liking though.
If any harshness become apparent on good recordings, it’s the fault of the source, amp or speakers, not because your going direct. And that "can" be "band aid" fixed with a preamp in the system that’s less detailed and softens things somewhat.

Cheers George

Had some more time with the RME. Definite upgrade to the Bluesound DAC as expected. Super detailed but natural.
I have done the back and forth with the preamp in and out several times  and it is noticeably better going direct in my system. I do not have a real high end preamp but I would urge everyone to give it a try.