How do I hook up my Kemper into my RME Babyface Pro + RME ADI-2 Pro?

  • Hello,


    I'm using RME Babyface Pro with ADI-2 Pro. They are linked with adat (optical S/PDIF) cable.
    And I'd like to hook up my Kemper into Babyface Pro for recording. But Kemper only supports coaxial S/PDIF and Babyface has only optical S/PDIF and it's taken already.
    Could anybody tell me how I can put these altogether?


    Thank you.

  • Although I'm an advocate for Kemper via SPIDF, I think in this case you're better off using the analog connections.
    You could probably get an optical to coaxial adapter but you'd be entering diminishing returns territory IMO.
    Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

  • I successfully used some cheapo coax to optical converters. I think they're the Monoprice ones for like $12 each or so. They worked perfectly, but I ended up using an ADAT expansion box on my Babyface Pro that had coax S/PDIF built in.

    audiomitch, thank you so much for your answer. Could you please recommend me such 'ADAT expansion box'? All I need is to hook up three devices (Babyface Pro, ADI-2 Pro, and Kemper) altogether. And is the exact official device name 'ADAT expansion box'? Sorry, I have no knowledge on this area. Thank you again!

  • I just use an old M-Audio ProFire 2626 in standalone mode. It's a old firewire interface that's no longer made. I see them for like $100 or $150 on the used market. It has great routing features, and I can route the coax S/PDIF to the first 2 ADAT channels. You'll need a computer with Firewire to configure it, though. It's a cheap alternative, the preamps aren't terrible, but the best part is going line level bypasses the preamps completely. That is awesome if you already have great preamps in a lunchbox or something.


    But... If I were you, I would probably go analog with the KPA. The Babyface Pro preamps are not bad, and trying to figure out all the digital hoops may not be worth it if you have to take a crash course to get the technology to work. You won't notice much or any difference in sound quality, some people here prefer the analog outs.


    My two cents, anyway.