Both are audio interfaces, $2499 against $899. This page puts them side by side on the only three things a maker can be held to — power, output impedance and noise — and then asks the question that actually matters: which headphones do they treat differently?
The RME ADI-2 Pro EX reaches 100 dB on 567 of the 567 models here, the RME Babyface Pro FS on 565.
| Specification | RME ADI-2 Pro EX | RME Babyface Pro FS |
|---|---|---|
| Power into 32Ω | 1.9 W | 374 mW |
| Power into 150Ω | 540 mW | 80 mW |
| Power into 300Ω | 370 mW | 40 mW |
| Power into 600Ω | 185 mW | 20 mW |
| Output impedance | 0.1 Ω | 10 Ω |
| Output noise | 2.18 µV | 6.3 µV |
| Price | $2499 | $899 |
| Headphones it reaches 100 dB on out of 567 | 567 | 565 |
A figure marked not published is missing from the maker’s own material, which is not the same as being good or bad. Where one of these two publishes a number and the other does not, the comparison on that axis cannot be made at all — and saying so is more useful than guessing.
| Load | RME ADI-2 Pro EX | RME Babyface Pro FS |
|---|---|---|
| 32 Ω | Published | Upper bound |
| 150 Ω | Derived | Upper bound |
| 300 Ω | Published | Upper bound |
| 600 Ω | Derived | Upper bound |
These two columns are not the same kind of number, and that matters more than the gap between them. RME ADI-2 Pro EX publishes a power rating (at 32 Ω and at 300 Ω); RME Babyface Pro FS publishes no power figure at any load, only a maximum output voltage, so every milliwatt in its column is a ceiling worked out from that voltage.
A ceiling assumes the amplifier holds that voltage into the load, and nothing on RME Babyface Pro FS’s own sheet says it does. It is the most flattering reading available, and it is used here only because the alternative is a blank. Where the RME Babyface Pro FS column looks the stronger of the two, treat the difference as unproven rather than measured. 24 of the 280 sources here are in that position, with no published power rating at any load.
What each of these labels means, and why a derived figure is still worth printing, is set out in how this data was built.
2 headphones reach 100 dB on the RME ADI-2 Pro EX but not on the RME Babyface Pro FS — Moondrop PARA, Symphonium Titan.
510 headphones are left alone by the RME ADI-2 Pro EX under the one-eighth rule but coloured by the RME Babyface Pro FS (64 Audio Aspire 1, 64 Audio Fourte, 64 Audio Nio, 507 more).
93 headphones stay below the audible-hiss threshold on the RME ADI-2 Pro EX but cross it on the RME Babyface Pro FS (64 Audio Nio, 64 Audio U12t, 64 Audio U18s, 90 more).
565 of the 567 models here reach 100 dB on both. That is a power count and nothing more; whether either source suits a given headphone also depends on the two lines above.
The counts above say how many models the two treat differently. This says by how much. The same 8 headphones appear on every page of this kind, ordered from the easiest to drive to the hardest, so a row can be read across pages as well as across columns. Headroom is at a 100 dB SPL peak.
The widest gap on the list is the Campfire Audio Andromeda 2020: RME ADI-2 Pro EX has +25 dB of headroom there against +14 dB. 11 dB is about 11 times the power, which matters for peaks rather than for how loud the music sits.
Hiss is this source’s own noise, in decibels SPL, in that headphone — not a rating. Below about 20 dB SPL it is under the threshold of hearing in a quiet room; a negative figure means it is far below it.
| Headphone | Impedance | Needs | RME ADI-2 Pro EX headroom | RME Babyface Pro FS headroom | RME ADI-2 Pro EX hiss | RME Babyface Pro FS hiss |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shure SE846 | 9 Ω | 0.04 mW | +45 dB | +34 dB damping | 21 dB | 30 dB |
| Campfire Audio Andromeda 2020 | 9 Ω | 4.0 mW | +25 dB | +14 dB damping | 1 dB | 10 dB |
| Audeze LCD-2 Classic | 70 Ω | 0.79 mW | +31 dB | +23 dB damping | -1 dB | 9 dB |
| Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro (250Ω) | 250 Ω | 0.63 mW | +28 dB | +19 dB | -5 dB | 4 dB |
| HiFiMAN HE400se | 25 Ω | 7.9 mW | +24 dB | +16 dB damping | -6 dB | 3 dB |
| Audio-Technica ATH-R70X | 470 Ω | 1.6 mW | +22 dB | +12 dB | -12 dB | -3 dB |
| Sennheiser HD 600 | 300 Ω | 6.6 mW | +17 dB | +8 dB | -16 dB | -7 dB |
| HiFiMAN Susvara | 60 Ω | 50 mW | +13 dB | +6 dB damping | -18 dB | -9 dB |
The RME ADI-2 Pro EX costs $1600 more than the RME Babyface Pro FS. Out of the 567 models here, that difference buys 2 more models driven to 100 dB, 510 more models left alone under the one-eighth rule and 93 more models kept below the audible-hiss threshold.
Nothing runs the other way: there is no axis here on which the cheaper of the two does better.
Everything in this paragraph counts only figures the two makers published. An advantage on an axis one of them leaves blank cannot be counted, and is not counted — how often that happens is its own page.
Each has a page of its own with every power figure traced to what the maker published and a full headphone list: RME ADI-2 Pro EX and RME Babyface Pro FS. Or put either against your own headphones in the source comparison tool.