Topic: ADI-2 Pro as a Monitor Controller
I've recently setup my ADI-2 Pro as a monitor controller. I couldn't find a lot of information about this topic, so I thought I would post my findings. It can provide one-button selection of USB or DAC mode, selection between two sets of speakers (one either balanced or unbalanced, the other unbalanced), mono L + R, mono L - R, and use of headphone or speakers.
In my case, I'm using it to alternate between using my primary speakers (Focal Shape 50's) full-range, or using my speakers with subs (SVS SB-2000's) with appropriate high-pass and low-pass filters. I'll describe my setup, but you could do something similar for two sets of full-range speakers, as long as you don't mind running one of them unbalanced.
One aspect of the ADI-2 PRO that is not given the credit it deserves is that the four push-buttons on the front can be programmed to change certain configuration items and to call up a preset. What makes this incredibly powerful is that each of the 9 presets can have the four buttons programmed independently.
I have 8 presets programmed using the ADI-2 PRO's eq, mono, phase reverse, and mute capabilities to give me:
1) Focal's connected balanced (1/2 XLR jacks on back) with an ADI-2 PRO high-pass filter, 80 Hz at 12 dB/octave and the sub's connected unbalanced (3/4 TRS jack on front) with an ADI-2 PRO low-pass filter, 80 Hz at 12 dB/octave.
2) Focal's balanced (1/2 XLR jacks on back) full-range, with sub's muted.
3) Focal's balanced full-range, mono, with sub's muted.
4) Focal's balanced full-range, mono, right channel reversed phase, with sub's muted
The above presets are used with both outputs 1/2 and 3/4 fed from SPDIF (coax) from my multi-channel interface. Presets 5, 6, 7, and 8 duplicate the same presets but fed from the ADI-2 PRO USB, sometimes I like to use the ADI-2 PRO as my interface.
Then I set up the push-buttons so that encoder 1 (VOL) alternates between preset 1 and 5 (DAC and USB modes), encoder 2 (I/0) alternates between preset 2 and 6, etc. In each Preset, the push-buttons are set up so that pressing the same button alternates between DAC and USB mode, but pressing a different button selects the relevant preset in the same mode as currently set.
By the way, I constantly have my Sennheiser 600's plugged into the front HP 1/2 jack and can switch back and forth between any of the speaker config's and full-range headphones by just pressing the Volume knob for 1/2 a second.
It might sound complicated, but using it is really, really simple and it's amazingly versatile! In my case, the ADI-2 Pro does everything I need in a monitor controller, without the extra expense and signal degradation of a separate controller. An additional monitor controller with the same functions and with equivalent signal quality would be very expensive, comparable in cost to the ADI-2 Pro itself, so for this use the ADI-2 Pro is a real bargain!