Merging Anubis vs RME ADI-2 Pro FS R

Short answer

  • More power: the RME ADI-2 Pro FS R, with 2.97 W into 32 Ω; the Merging Anubis has 961 mW. The RME ADI-2 Pro FS R drives 1 headphone to 100 dB that the Merging Anubis cannot (Symphonium Titan).
  • Hiss with sensitive IEMs: cannot be compared — the maker of the Merging Anubis publishes no noise figure.
  • Price: the RME ADI-2 Pro FS R costs $591 less, and wherever both makers publish a figure the Merging Anubis shows no advantage for the extra money.

Both are audio interfaces, $2790 against $2199.

The RME ADI-2 Pro FS R reaches 100 dB on 567 of the 567 models here, the Merging Anubis on 566.

Every published figure, next to each other

SpecificationMerging AnubisRME ADI-2 Pro FS R
Power into 32Ω961 mW3.0 W
Power into 150Ω205 mW634 mW
Power into 300Ω103 mW317 mW
Power into 600Ω51 mW158 mW
Output impedance0.035 Ω0.1 Ω
Output noisenot published2.18 µV
Price$2790$2199
Headphones it reaches 100 dB on
out of 567
566567

Not published means the maker leaves it out, so that axis cannot be compared.

The 4.4 mm or XLR socket, rated on its own

BalancedMerging AnubisRME ADI-2 Pro FS R
Socketno separate ratingbalanced
Power into 32Ω—11.8 W derived
Power into 300Ω—1.3 W derived
Output impedance—0.2 Ω
Output noise—not published
Headphones it reaches 100 dB on
out of 567
—567

Only the RME ADI-2 Pro FS R has a separate balanced rating from its maker; through it, it reaches 100 dB on 567 of the 567 models here. The Merging Anubis may still have a balanced socket — its spec sheet simply gives no figure for one, so there is nothing to put beside it. Derived figures are worked out from the loads the maker did publish.

Where each power figure comes from

LoadMerging AnubisRME ADI-2 Pro FS R
32 ΩUpper boundUpper bound
150 ΩUpper boundUpper bound
300 ΩUpper boundUpper bound
600 ΩUpper boundUpper bound

Neither maker publishes a power rating at any load. Both columns above are ceilings, worked out from a maximum output voltage on the assumption that the amplifier holds it into the load — the most flattering reading available for either. 24 of the 280 sources here are in that position. Whichever of the two looks the stronger on power, the difference is unproven; the output-impedance and noise rows are the ones to go on.

What the labels mean.

The headphones that tell them apart

1 headphone reaches 100 dB on the RME ADI-2 Pro FS R but not on the Merging Anubis — Symphonium Titan.

566 of the 567 models here reach 100 dB on both.

Headroom and hiss on 8 models, both sources

Headroom is at a 100 dB SPL peak.

The widest gap on the list is the Audeze LCD-2 Classic: RME ADI-2 Pro FS R has +32 dB of headroom there against +27 dB. 5 dB is about 3.1 times the power, which matters for peaks rather than for how loud the music sits.

The hiss columns are empty for Merging Anubis because that maker publishes no output noise figure.

HeadphoneImpedanceNeedsMerging Anubis headroomRME ADI-2 Pro FS R headroomMerging Anubis hissRME ADI-2 Pro FS R hiss
Shure SE8469 Ω0.04 mW+38 dB+43 dBnot published21 dB
Campfire Audio Andromeda 20209 Ω4.0 mW+18 dB+23 dBnot published1 dB
Audeze LCD-2 Classic70 Ω0.79 mW+27 dB+32 dBnot published-1 dB
Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro (250Ω)250 Ω0.63 mW+23 dB+28 dBnot published-5 dB
HiFiMAN HE400se25 Ω7.9 mW+20 dB+25 dBnot published-6 dB
Audio-Technica ATH-R70X470 Ω1.6 mW+16 dB+21 dBnot published-12 dB
Sennheiser HD 600300 Ω6.6 mW+12 dB+17 dBnot published-16 dB
HiFiMAN Susvara60 Ω50 mW+10 dB+15 dBnot published-18 dB

The gap in dollars, against the gap in numbers

The Merging Anubis costs $591 more than the RME ADI-2 Pro FS R, and on these three axes the money buys nothing: among the 567 models here there is not one that the Merging Anubis handles and the RME ADI-2 Pro FS R does not — not on power, not on the one-eighth rule, not on hiss. The traffic runs the other way: the cheaper RME ADI-2 Pro FS R drives one model to 100 dB that the Merging Anubis does not.

Only published figures count here; blank axes are counted separately.

Both pages in full

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