canthearyou said:

Do you happen to have a cell phone near by?

Click to expand...

 
 
I was about to ask the same thing.
 
Also, if the noise happened while using the power adapter, see if you maybe have an alternate to try. Those little things don't always have the best QC.  

Still hoping someone can try a Galaxy S4 or LG G2 via OTG-USB and see if they work with the M9XX. Still no luck with either of mine, both of which have Lollipop 5.0 and work fine with all my other DAC's.

Edit:
After struggling with my phones to get them working via OTG-USB with my M9XX, I finally downloaded the USBAPPro trial version and found that it worked just fine, so I went ahead and bought the full version. Why the M9XX is my only DAC that requires this, I don't know, but in the end, I now can use my phone as a transport for both my music files as well as Tidal. I installed the app on my Samsung S4 as that is the one that I have added a large SD card and extended battery to serve as my all-in-one when out and about.

hiflight said:

Still hoping someone can try a Galaxy S4 or LG G2 via OTG-USB and see if they work with the M9XX. Still no luck with either of mine, both of which have Lollipop 5.0 and work fine with all my other DAC's.

Click to expand...

FWIW I had a G2 and it would not work with OTG and JDS Element. There is an app for $7 that is supposed to work.

Cell phone was not far away, but it was not the reason for my problems.
After another game of lets-see-how-many-ways-there-are-to-plug-things this morning, I think I have narrowed down on causes.
 
First, was CEntrance DACMini. Yes, really. Somehow it injects noise back into computer's USB, and 9xx is picking it up. Isn't that weird? Like it was trying to get competitor out of my system Anyway, that was the cause for the 'dog whistle'. Unplugged for now.
 
Second, was powered USB hub that I was using - it was adding distinct 'usb' (random frequent clicks) noise. Getting rid of it and plugging directly took care of clicking.
 
Third was using USB sockets in front of my computer. They are connected inside by 'usb extenders' wires and were picking up/injecting 60Hz hum. Plugging to USB socket on the back of my computer solved that problem.
 
So, it works much better now. Still, DACMini was immune to all those issues, its USB connection is truly bulletproof, if not a bit unfriendly to other audio devices in the same setup. To be fair, only one another DAC that I had was also this resilient to usb noise - HRT MusicStreamer II, everything else picks it up to some extent, Scarlett 2i4 being the worst.
 
P.S. For some reason after all those 'changes' gap between sound of 9xx and Gustard H10 (upgraded with pair of AD797) shrunk considerably. Maybe it is just my hearing, its quality fluctuates from day to day, and tends to be better at night. Maybe not. But right now 9xx and H10 sound like siblings. At least they do on DT880 that I have 'volume-matched' right now. Arms race is on, probably will get some Bursons for that H10 later.
 
P.P.S. Another mystery solved after switching back to HD600 - difference is back, 9xx has deeper/better bass and overall smoother, more transparent, albeit warmer, sound. DT880 are not resolving enough, and 600 Ohm impedance probably pushed both 9xx and H10 into different mode where their performance was surprisingly similar.

slex said:

Anyone had the oppotunity to use sciit wryd on it?

Click to expand...

I have the Wyrd. After I get a baseline. I will connect the Wyrd to try.

The m9XX is able to power both my 400i and K7XX at the same time without problem. And I must say it makes the K7XX sound absolutely wonderful! Since I am able to switch headphones with almost no delay, it's easy to hear the difference in presentation and soundstage between the two. The 400i is very intimate with vocals and just stunning with stringed instruments. The K7XX is a very wide soundstage and just a very smooth sound all around.

It seems the the 400i can sometimes be sibilant whereas the K7XX kind of smooths over it.

So far I am impressed with this dac/amp. Compared to The Element it seems to blend all the different sounds of a track together. Maybe coherent is the word?

The Element seems to emphasize each different sound/instrument separately.

That's the best way I can put into words what I am hearing.

After even more listening I will say the m9XX presents a larger soundstage than the Element. If I listen to Pink Floyds Marooned from The Division Bell(remaster) it sounds as if I'm completely enveloped in the sound. The Element sounds good, but a narrow soundstage.

m8o said:

... I just picked up a cheap OTG to female USB adapter from Radio Shack. Plugged it into my Note 3, and plugged that into my FiiO Alpen E17 with its supplied USB. Immediately all system sounds were coming thru the E17, with the FiiO showing sync was at 24bit/96khz. Music worked with every player I have. And I could really tell the difference in playback quality from various players.

From what others posted, I expect that to be the same with the M9XX tomorrow when i finally get to use it. Let the crossing of the fingers commence.

Click to expand...

Quoting myself to follow-up.... The finger crossing must have worked.
The M9XX behaves identically.

All I did was unpack it, connect 5V power, connect the Samsung Note 3 via the supplied cable and an OTG adapter to it, and viola, all system sounds and music players are streaming thru the M9XX. Not a single hitch. Dunno why some S4s are not acting the same. Note 3 and S4 are basically the same generation phones.

m8o said:

Quting myself to follow-up.... The finger crossing must have worked.
The M9XX behaves identically.

All I did was unpack it, connect 5V power, connect the Samsung Note 3 via the supplied cable and an OTG adapter to it, and viola, all system sounds and music players are streaming thru the M9XX. Not a single hitch. Dunno why some S4s are not acting the same. Note 3 and S4 are basically the same generation phones.

Click to expand...

Hope it works with my Gal Note 2

slex said:

Anyone had the oppotunity to use sciit wryd on it?

Click to expand...

psonoda said:

I have the Wyrd. After I get a baseline. I will connect the Wyrd to try.

Click to expand...

In what ways are you suggesting to use the Wyrd?
 
Details - my desktop with JDS Labs The Element had a lot of boxes and power bricks cluttering up the outlets of my surge protector. The power brick for the amplifier in The Element is large (it would take up 3 slots if placed in the middle of the surge), as is the power brick for the Wyrd. I connected USB from my laptop into the Wyrd (because I heard an audible difference due to the DAC in The Element being powered by USB and my laptop not being a good power source), output next into the USB input on The Element, and then into headphones. So two boxes on the desktop, two bricks consuming many more than two spaces on my 6-outlet surge.
 
In stark contrast, m9XX setup is much simpler - I find that once you plug in the little USB power box (like what is typically used for Android charger), the power source from your laptop does not matter. So I have one box on my desktop (the m9XX) and one power slot taken from my surge (and it truly only takes one slot), and USB music from my laptop. The sound is incredible - the form factor is so much smaller.
 
::
 
I'm all for using the Wyrd when and where I find it helps - just wondering how it helps the m9XX?

vipergeek said:

Personally, I love USB Audio Player Pro for its incredible DAC support: http://www.extreamsd.com/index.php/2015-07-22-12-01-14/usb-audio-driver , intuitive UI, and most recently, full Tidal support.  Can't go wrong!

- Dave

Click to expand...

It's possible I'm missing it and why I ask. Is there a trial/evaluation version of this player?

Yes there is, but you need to go to their website and download the trial apk. Very easy process. I tried the trial to see if it would work with my M9XX before ordering the full version from the Play Store.

m8o said:

It's possible I'm missing it and why I ask. Is there a trial/evaluation version of this player?

Click to expand...

 
 

hiflight said:

Yes there is, but you need to go to their website and download the trial apk. Very easy process. I tried the trial to see if it would work with my M9XX before ordering the full version from the Play Store.

Click to expand...

 
HiFlight's right.  Click here: http://www.extreamsd.com/index.php/products/usb-audio-player-pro then follow the "Free Trial" link in the upper-left.  You'll need to (temporarily) enable side-loading of APKs (Settings → Security → Unknown sources) since it doesn't come directly from the Play Store.
 
- Dave

Thanx!

My initial impressions on the m9xx:
 
So, after having a short session, my initial impressions are: wow, this is nearly perfect (for what I need, right now). It sounds better than the Element, and it sounds better than the Matrix M-Stage stack I had. Obviously, I'm not saying this is "the best DAC/amp ever", but it's "perfect" for my needs, right now.
 
If I had to guess, and I'm sure people will have their varying opinions on this, but this sounds at least like a $1,000 piece of gear. Because, as mentioned before, the Matrix M-Stage retailed for $600 ($300 for the amp, $300 for the DAC), and this m9xx sounds better than that.
 
The treble is very crisp and detailed, while having the right amount of "air" in it (whereas the Element seemed to kind of mush the treble elements together, and therefore made the treble kind of artificial sounding). The m9xx is also not as dark as the Matrix M-Stage, which I like, because I found the M-Stage a little too dark for my tastes.
 
So far I'm really glad I purchased this, and I think I'll be happy for years to come. Thanks Massdrop and Grace Design!

sheldaze said:

  In what ways are you suggesting to use the Wyrd?
 
Details - my desktop with JDS Labs The Element had a lot of boxes and power bricks cluttering up the outlets of my surge protector. The power brick for the amplifier in The Element is large (it would take up 3 slots if placed in the middle of the surge), as is the power brick for the Wyrd. I connected USB from my laptop into the Wyrd (because I heard an audible difference due to the DAC in The Element being powered by USB and my laptop not being a good power source), output next into the USB input on The Element, and then into headphones. So two boxes on the desktop, two bricks consuming many more than two spaces on my 6-outlet surge.
 
In stark contrast, m9XX setup is much simpler - I find that once you plug in the little USB power box (like what is typically used for Android charger), the power source from your laptop does not matter. So I have one box on my desktop (the m9XX) and one power slot taken from my surge (and it truly only takes one slot), and USB music from my laptop. The sound is incredible - the form factor is so much smaller.
 
::
 
I'm all for using the Wyrd when and where I find it helps - just wondering how it helps the m9XX?

Click to expand...

Ok so initial impressions and use with the Wyrd. 
 
First of all.  The background is so black.  It is wonderful.  Probably more notable from coming from a Modi/Vali combo.
 
Initially, I used the M9xx by itself in high powered mode running my HD700.  The thing has some guts so you need to be careful.  Compared to the Schiit stack, it had more detail and the highs seemed smoother.  But, at first the soundstage seemed more flat and less three dimensional.  I found the F3 filter to be the my favorite so far.  I did have some initial problems with getting the m9xx to register with my setup.  I am using a Macbook Air 11 and Audirvana.  The m9xx can take super high bitrates.  Audirvana up samples CDs to 32/352.8kHz sample rate.  (This also passes without issue through the Wyrd) So initial impressions were that smoother sound, a lot more detail but less 3D soundstage.  
 
So I tried today connecting the Wyrd to the m9xx.  The biggest difference I noted was the improvement of the soundstage.  It is more 3D sounding and more cohesive.  This will be the setup I will use for a while.  Very happy.  
 
On the plus side, now my Modi will drive my Audioengine A2s for my computer.  Poor me.  JK.