Introduction:
To help you decide if you should buy the m9XX. That’s it, nothing more, nothing less. To that extent, many of you are probably wondering how it compares to the ODAC/Objective2 stack, Schiit Magni/Modi, DACport Slim, and Aune X1S. Although I won’t be able to do direct A/B comparisons, I think I’ll be able to answer at least some of those questions with confidence. That will be later on in the sound category, in the part where I compare different DAC/amps I own.
As for headphone pairings, I should be able to include analyses of many headphones, such as headphones from AKG, Beyerdynamic, Sennheiser, HiFiMAN, Grado, etc. So if you would like to know if your headphone pairs well with the m9XX, odds are it will be talked about in the sound section below.
Packaging (Pictures):
Build Quality, Design, and Features:
The build is solid, there’s not much to talk about here. The metal seems to be about half an inch thick, which not only makes it more solid than the competition, but reduces heat as well. It has a solid feel to it, and while it is a bit on the heftier side, it’s actually quite light for the amount of metal in this device. The volume knob is also nicely built, and is of a lighter metal than the case. Despite doubling as a button (and being made to turn 360 degrees), it doesn’t feel loose in any way. The power supply is really small for the amount of power it gives, and is a much better form factor than, say, the Aune X1S’s monstrous power brick. The two USB cables included feel nicely built, no problems here. If you’re looking for audiophile Moon-audio cables you’ll have to bring your own, since the m9XX uses Monoprice cables (as it says of the packaging). These are the higher end models though, and I’ve always been happy with their cables to begin with, so this shouldn’t be a problem for anybody.
The case is made of brushed metal, which never feels cold to the fingers (as other DAC/amps I’ve seen do). Instead of being a black box, like the ODAC, the top is rounded off on both sides, with the Grace logo and “m9XX” printed on the front rounded side, and the Massdrop logo on the back. The silver volume knob is on top, and sort of reminds me of the JDS Element, although in pure looks it’s a little behind the Element (barring the display, extra inputs, and features the m9XX has that the Element doesn’t). Overall, it may not look as impressive as Grace’s $2000 offerings, but it’s definitely a nice looking product, much more than the pictures convey.
As for features, this product comes stacked with them. I’ll do a quick rundown of the features that may not be so obvious, since all the other information can be found in the online m9XX manual, and is much better explained there than I can do here. Let’s go through the features other DAC/amps in this price range may not have:
DAC Filters:
This option is rarely included in this price range, with the exception of the Aune X1S, which I couldn’t hear the difference between filters anyway. I hear some differences between the 4 filters on the m9XX, but I’ll have to experiment with them a bit more before I come to any conclusions. Stay tuned!
Update: I haven't been able to find any clear differences between the filters to my ear, and I'm not sure if any differences I hear are real, or only in my head, so I will refrain from discussing them here.
Sound:
It’s very hard to describe in words the sound differences between DAC/amps, or the impact it has on a certain headphone – this is why there haven’t been too many critical sound impressions so far. The m9XX, as others have said, sounds very detailed (much more so than the “budget” offerings), yet also sounds musical, and not analytically dry. What do I mean by that? Well, it seems like with most headphones, the m9XX releases the full potential of the cans, as opposed to keeping it on the “safe” side. That’s how (you’ll see soon) the HE400i sounds very musical, and the m9XX almost goes out on a limb to deliver its full planar magnetic bass. It’s easy to get lost in the music with the m9XX, but not in a way that puts you to sleep – rather it lets you truly enjoy the music, while also giving tons of detail and accuracy. I find myself often technically enjoying the performance of a DAC/amp, but not really enjoying the music, and certainly can’t immerse myself in it. With the m9XX, I could do both.
The m9XX is very transparent, allowing the innate quality of the headphone to shine, rather than “fix” it with coloring like some others do. Headphones that scale well with equipment (such as the K7XX) should scale well with the m9XX, and might even become a completely “different” headphone. Paired with the K7XX, for example, it’s hard to understand how the K7XX costs only $200, when with the m9XX it’s technically capable of a lot more – things I never even heard in the K7XX until now.
So to quench the thirst for critical impressions and less-vague sound descriptions, I’ve compiled my conclusions on some pairings with the m9XX, as well as some impressions I’ve had during certain songs. Please note that I wrote more notes on less expensive pairings, as those had plenty pros and cons regarding the matchups. Moving on to more expensive headphones, it’s harder to take notes (since they are already technically very good on their own), but easier to hear the overall trend in tonality, and easier to comment on the pairing in general. These weren’t the only listening tests I took, but the ones I actually bothered to type down here. The conclusion was made after all my listening tests, not only the ones done here.
I'd like to give a huge thank you to Audio46 (also known as H & B Digital) for allowing me to demo the headphones needed to write this review. Due to their generosity, I was able to make this review as comprehensive as I could, and without them, it wouldn't even have half the information that it does now. They're by far the best headphone store I've been to in NYC, and I'll definitely be buying from them if the need arises.
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DUNU DN-2000J (on low power mode):
This is a fantastic pairing – if you’re getting the m9XX for your open-back headphones or CIEM’s, and have the DN-2000J in your collection, you’re in for a treat. The DN-2000J now sounds extremely musical, and the amount of detail in both the m9XX and DN-2000J complement each other extremely well without sounding dry or analytical. There’s a fantastic bass here that extends very low. Not anywhere near over the top, but still very welcome. Highly recommended pairing.
Sennheiser HD 650:
(Note: These were taken straight out of the box, no burn-in at all.) The HD 650’s bass would work better with the X1S, in my opinion. This is unfortunately a problem with the HD 650, not the m9XX. To me, there’s some things about the HD 650 that needs to be “tweaked” to sound good with rock, electronic, and even vocals. That’s enough for me to say I don’t like this pairing.
HiFiMAN HE400S:
The HE400S sounds a lot like the HD650, so it makes sense that they would have the same results with the m9XX. Although it sounds good, certain things like the bass and vocals sound held back and “veiled”. Even though the HE400S are planar magnetic, like Head-fi reviewer Money4me247 said, these are tuned like a dynamic headphone for the low end, so other planar magnetics will work much better than the HE400S in this regard. The HE400S (and HD 650) don’t really scale nearly as well as the K7XX does; if I had two compare the two using only the m9XX, I would say the K7XX is the better headphone by far.
HiFiMAN HE-400i:
The HE-400i is fantastic paired with the m9XX, and I highly recommend the pairing. The planar magnetic bass quality is definitely present in full force here, and I’m just in love with everything this pairing has to offer. The only downside I can imagine is that the highs can a bit tame at times. Other than that, there’s nothing I could fault it with.
AKG K7XX:
The m9XX and the K7XX make for a really great pair – the m9XX loads every song with detail, and with the K7XX’s large soundstage it’s a scary combo. If it seems like overkill to get a $500 DAC/amp for a $200 headphone, know that I thought the same thing before listening to this pairing. The K7XX scales very well with the m9XX, and you’d be hard pressed to tell this is a $200, or even $400 headphone.
Audio Technica ATH-R70x:
This pairing isn’t one that will wow you on first sight, but definitely benefits from the m9XX’s detail, and opens up the bass in the ATH-R70x. I would recommend it over pairings with budget dac/amps (i.e. ODAC/O2, DACport Slim, Aune X1S) – the even-handedness of the pairing and the detail brought to the table really opens the R70X up. If you want a pairing that is the jack of all trades, this one should do it, and everything well.
Grado RS1e:
These two are excellent for any classical or jazz lover, who doesn’t mind semi-bright highs. Not too much bass here, but this headphone isn’t meant for that. If you have audiophile recordings, this pairing will serve you well.
Grado GS1000e:
I’ve tested this headphone with many other songs, though there’s not much else to say. They all follow the same trend – rich bass (though not planar magnetic quality), extremely detailed, transparent, and very accurate; but there’s sometimes bright highs. I’m not such a fan of this headphone to begin with, but I can see from this pairing how someone might be. This pairing doesn’t leave anything else out for another DAC/amp to fill, in my opinion.
Beyerdynamic T90:
The T90 is a very analytical headphone, so paired with the m9XX, some may feel it needs some warmth, which the m9XX understandably doesn’t provide – the m9XX is more neutral than anything. However, this pairing is strong on all its technical aspects, though I can’t help but feel that the T90 would really benefit from a warm amplifier like the Beyerdynamic A20. Detail and imaging are very high throughout every song I listened to though, and for critical listening tests, it’s a very good pairing.
Beyerdynamic T1 2nd generation:
There’s a lot this pairing has to offer, although I can imagine a better pairing. Be careful when using songs with deep bass, as this will go so low it will start echoing back at you a little bit. Soundstage disappoints here, and I would probably suggest (ideally, anyway) a tube amp to bring out the richness in the sound; it seems that it would go better with the T1.
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m9XX’s amplifier compared to the Beyerdynamic A20 (a $600 standalone amplifier):
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DAC/amp Comparisons:
m9XX vs Nuforce uDAC-2:
m9XX vs. CEntrance DACport Slim:
m9XX vs. Tralucent DacAmp One ($400 portable DAC/amp):
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Conclusion:
$500 is not pocket change – it’s mid-tier for audio equipment, and a big investment. However, in terms of sound, it punches much higher than its price bracket. The m9XX simply brings a lot more detail, clarity, and accuracy to the table than all the other “budget” offerings I’ve heard (Aune X1S, ODAC/O2, Schiit Stack, etc.), and even compared to DAC/amps similarly priced to the m9XX it does very well.
The m9XX has many features that other DAC/amps in the mid-tier category leave out. It has a display, two headphone outputs, anti-aliasing filters, and many more that aren’t usually included in this price range. The m9XX is not only a desktop solution – it also has a portable option, and is quite small. Neither the ODAC/O2 combo, Schiit stack, or Aune X1S are portable by any means, and the first two aren’t much of an option for IEM’s and CIEM’s either. In addition to sounding very good with IEM’s, it was nearly dead silent with the hiss-prone DN-2000J until the 90th volume step.
In terms of driving full-sized cans, it had enough power for anything I threw at it, doing very well with both the 470 ohm Audio Technica ATH-R70x, and the 600 ohm Beyerdynamic T1.
Driving power is fantastic, and much better than I was expecting from the physical size of the m9XX.
So should you get it? If you have enough room in your budget to buy the m9XX, I would say yes, provided that your headphone pairs well with it. Common sense and Google should tell you if your headphone pairs exclusively well with a tube amp, and in that case every solid-state DAC/amp should be off your radar. I wouldn’t skimp out and by an ODAC combo or the X1S unless it’s specifically known to pair well with your headphone - there’s a large difference between the m9XX and the budget DAC/amps, all of which I liked a lot until I heard the m9XX.
To me, the m9XX is an upgrade that is well worth its price – the HE400i sounds better than I have ever heard it, and the K7XX is on a whole new level with this pairing. Even moving up to the higher-priced headphones, it paired well with all but the Beyerdynamic T1. Considering its versatility and all that it has to offer, the m9XX is one DAC/amp I wouldn’t want to miss out on.
- Avishai Zitron
The m9XX is a small desktop DAC/amp that doubles as a portable one. Obviously, it will have more power when it’s plugged into the wall, but it packs some power driven just from a USB connection as well, and should work well in that mode with almost all IEM’s.
Grace Design are known for their top of the line audio products, almost all of which are targeted towards the very high-end audiophile community. Massdrop, a company that features products at lower prices (done through group buys), worked with Grace Design until they came up with a DAC/amp that was very serious about audio and reasonably affordable to the public, or at least a lot more so than the previously premium products offered.
Sound-wise, the new m9XX is designed after the flagship m920, and is supposed to be on the same level as the m920 in audiophile applications. So what’s different, and why the price drop? The m9XX leaves out many of the inputs that the m920 only needed for pro audio recording and such. Take them out, and with new technology (leaving out the Sabre DAC chip and implementing instead the top-of-the-line AKM AK4490 chip, which performs much better without the need for all the expensive components), together with the guarantee of a group buy, and a $500 DAC/amp based off a $1500 one suddenly becomes a reality.
You might (or might not) be panicking a bit about the implementation of a different DAC chip than the Sabre. However, you should know that the new Schiit Bifrost, a very well regarded $400 standalone DAC features this same exact chip, and received excellent reviews. This AKM chip is now being implemented in many products across different companies, as it doesn’t require other expensive parts to make it sound as good as the Sabre, while also supporting many options, such as 256x oversampling, 32-bit processing, and sample rate compatibility from 44.1kHz to DSD128.
So don’t even think of thinking that this chip is a “cheap alternative”, because it’s not. It’s a very solid sidegrade, and even an upgrade in many ways. Since the m920 used the Sabre chip, it required many other needlessly expensive components, which they were able to work around for the new m9XX, due to the versatility of the AK4490 chip.
“So then, how do we know that Massdrop is good at making products? Weren’t they only selling other people’s stuff until now?”
Hey, good question. In terms of collaborations, they haven’t had too many. But they did make one product before – the AKG K7XX, now known as the greatest $200 headphone one can buy. Massdrop’s first collaboration, the K7XX (made alongside AKG), has received reviews unlike any other headphone since the HD600 was released 15 years ago. I’m serious, the K7XX was a massive success (to say the least), and was the only open headphone anywhere near its price range that came dangerously close to throwing headphones in the mid/high tier category under the bus. Nothing else even came close to the sound quality it provided at the time (about a year ago) for its price, and even now, there are few options that can match its price/performance ratio.
In the first week, just through Massdrop’s website, it sold ~2782 pairs (if my memory serves correctly), and every time they offered it again, they’ve gotten thousands of happy buyers, until it came to the point that Massdrop had to limit the amount of K7XX’s sold for fear of a lack of materials. It should be on Massdrop every 2-3 months or so, so if you haven’t gotten a pair yet and are looking for a great budget king, I highly recommend it!
So the point of all this is that Massdrop is not only reliable when it comes to mass production, they also know how to engineer great products that seems to elude the grasp of many companies. Since Massdrop is very active with the customers (answering questions on the forums, among other things), they have a greater sense of what’s needed, what is not, and what has to be improved in the future. And just like in “Back to the Future”, 2015 is, in this sense, the future. Massdrop has been around for a while, and accumulated a lot of knowledge during the interim that helps them avoid mistakes that plague other companies. They know what works – as is evident by the massively popular K7XX.
So it’s no wonder that people were excited for their new collaboration, the m9XX. Due to the nature of Massdrop, people are expecting this to punch much above its price, and because of that I will view in it that light as well.
I'd like to thank Massdrop/Grace for the m9XX sample - it's a really great device, and I thoroughly enjoyed writing this review. I am not affiliated with Massdrop in any way though, and there was no financial incentive for writing this review.
I'd also like to thank Audio46 for giving me the opportunity to demo many of their headphones for this review - without them, the review would not nearly be as comprehensive as it turned out to be.
Grace Design are known for their top of the line audio products, almost all of which are targeted towards the very high-end audiophile community. Massdrop, a company that features products at lower prices (done through group buys), worked with Grace Design until they came up with a DAC/amp that was very serious about audio and reasonably affordable to the public, or at least a lot more so than the previously premium products offered.
Sound-wise, the new m9XX is designed after the flagship m920, and is supposed to be on the same level as the m920 in audiophile applications. So what’s different, and why the price drop? The m9XX leaves out many of the inputs that the m920 only needed for pro audio recording and such. Take them out, and with new technology (leaving out the Sabre DAC chip and implementing instead the top-of-the-line AKM AK4490 chip, which performs much better without the need for all the expensive components), together with the guarantee of a group buy, and a $500 DAC/amp based off a $1500 one suddenly becomes a reality.
You might (or might not) be panicking a bit about the implementation of a different DAC chip than the Sabre. However, you should know that the new Schiit Bifrost, a very well regarded $400 standalone DAC features this same exact chip, and received excellent reviews. This AKM chip is now being implemented in many products across different companies, as it doesn’t require other expensive parts to make it sound as good as the Sabre, while also supporting many options, such as 256x oversampling, 32-bit processing, and sample rate compatibility from 44.1kHz to DSD128.
So don’t even think of thinking that this chip is a “cheap alternative”, because it’s not. It’s a very solid sidegrade, and even an upgrade in many ways. Since the m920 used the Sabre chip, it required many other needlessly expensive components, which they were able to work around for the new m9XX, due to the versatility of the AK4490 chip.
“So then, how do we know that Massdrop is good at making products? Weren’t they only selling other people’s stuff until now?”
Hey, good question. In terms of collaborations, they haven’t had too many. But they did make one product before – the AKG K7XX, now known as the greatest $200 headphone one can buy. Massdrop’s first collaboration, the K7XX (made alongside AKG), has received reviews unlike any other headphone since the HD600 was released 15 years ago. I’m serious, the K7XX was a massive success (to say the least), and was the only open headphone anywhere near its price range that came dangerously close to throwing headphones in the mid/high tier category under the bus. Nothing else even came close to the sound quality it provided at the time (about a year ago) for its price, and even now, there are few options that can match its price/performance ratio.
In the first week, just through Massdrop’s website, it sold ~2782 pairs (if my memory serves correctly), and every time they offered it again, they’ve gotten thousands of happy buyers, until it came to the point that Massdrop had to limit the amount of K7XX’s sold for fear of a lack of materials. It should be on Massdrop every 2-3 months or so, so if you haven’t gotten a pair yet and are looking for a great budget king, I highly recommend it!
So the point of all this is that Massdrop is not only reliable when it comes to mass production, they also know how to engineer great products that seems to elude the grasp of many companies. Since Massdrop is very active with the customers (answering questions on the forums, among other things), they have a greater sense of what’s needed, what is not, and what has to be improved in the future. And just like in “Back to the Future”, 2015 is, in this sense, the future. Massdrop has been around for a while, and accumulated a lot of knowledge during the interim that helps them avoid mistakes that plague other companies. They know what works – as is evident by the massively popular K7XX.
So it’s no wonder that people were excited for their new collaboration, the m9XX. Due to the nature of Massdrop, people are expecting this to punch much above its price, and because of that I will view in it that light as well.
I'd like to thank Massdrop/Grace for the m9XX sample - it's a really great device, and I thoroughly enjoyed writing this review. I am not affiliated with Massdrop in any way though, and there was no financial incentive for writing this review.
I'd also like to thank Audio46 for giving me the opportunity to demo many of their headphones for this review - without them, the review would not nearly be as comprehensive as it turned out to be.
I’m a college student. Not some retired tenure professor living off nice earnings. Because of this, my goal was never to get “the absolute best performance” but rather “get the best performance/price ratio”, due to the fact that I don’t have a job (duh, I’m in college). My yearly spending money is a few hundred dollars, which is more than some, but does make it hard to get good gear in a pretty expensive hobby like this one.
The point? Until now, almost all my reviews were for “budget kings”, like the K7XX, HE400S, Shozy Alien, Aune X1S, and others. Reviewing an item that is the mid-tier category, and isn’t for budget people like me, is a new development, and I’m not going so easy on this one as I was able to do by others, since it has an automatic decrease in performance/price as a mid-tier product.
So all of you students, and people who actually have a budget, I hear your plight, and my conclusion will have something specific for you guys too, not only for the people looking for the best of the best, regardless of cost.
And for all you audiophiles out there, I trust my ears more than my eyes – I’ve blind tested between headphones and sources more times than I can count (more for fun and competitive purposes that for testing, I must admit), and you better bet I can tell the differences between flagships easily by now. So with that said, I hope both parties won’t doubt (too much, anyway) my credibility as a music lover and aspiring audiophile, yet as a down to earth and practical guy.
The point? Until now, almost all my reviews were for “budget kings”, like the K7XX, HE400S, Shozy Alien, Aune X1S, and others. Reviewing an item that is the mid-tier category, and isn’t for budget people like me, is a new development, and I’m not going so easy on this one as I was able to do by others, since it has an automatic decrease in performance/price as a mid-tier product.
So all of you students, and people who actually have a budget, I hear your plight, and my conclusion will have something specific for you guys too, not only for the people looking for the best of the best, regardless of cost.
And for all you audiophiles out there, I trust my ears more than my eyes – I’ve blind tested between headphones and sources more times than I can count (more for fun and competitive purposes that for testing, I must admit), and you better bet I can tell the differences between flagships easily by now. So with that said, I hope both parties won’t doubt (too much, anyway) my credibility as a music lover and aspiring audiophile, yet as a down to earth and practical guy.
To help you decide if you should buy the m9XX. That’s it, nothing more, nothing less. To that extent, many of you are probably wondering how it compares to the ODAC/Objective2 stack, Schiit Magni/Modi, DACport Slim, and Aune X1S. Although I won’t be able to do direct A/B comparisons, I think I’ll be able to answer at least some of those questions with confidence. That will be later on in the sound category, in the part where I compare different DAC/amps I own.
As for headphone pairings, I should be able to include analyses of many headphones, such as headphones from AKG, Beyerdynamic, Sennheiser, HiFiMAN, Grado, etc. So if you would like to know if your headphone pairs well with the m9XX, odds are it will be talked about in the sound section below.
Packaging (Pictures):
Build Quality, Design, and Features:
The build is solid, there’s not much to talk about here. The metal seems to be about half an inch thick, which not only makes it more solid than the competition, but reduces heat as well. It has a solid feel to it, and while it is a bit on the heftier side, it’s actually quite light for the amount of metal in this device. The volume knob is also nicely built, and is of a lighter metal than the case. Despite doubling as a button (and being made to turn 360 degrees), it doesn’t feel loose in any way. The power supply is really small for the amount of power it gives, and is a much better form factor than, say, the Aune X1S’s monstrous power brick. The two USB cables included feel nicely built, no problems here. If you’re looking for audiophile Moon-audio cables you’ll have to bring your own, since the m9XX uses Monoprice cables (as it says of the packaging). These are the higher end models though, and I’ve always been happy with their cables to begin with, so this shouldn’t be a problem for anybody.
The case is made of brushed metal, which never feels cold to the fingers (as other DAC/amps I’ve seen do). Instead of being a black box, like the ODAC, the top is rounded off on both sides, with the Grace logo and “m9XX” printed on the front rounded side, and the Massdrop logo on the back. The silver volume knob is on top, and sort of reminds me of the JDS Element, although in pure looks it’s a little behind the Element (barring the display, extra inputs, and features the m9XX has that the Element doesn’t). Overall, it may not look as impressive as Grace’s $2000 offerings, but it’s definitely a nice looking product, much more than the pictures convey.
As for features, this product comes stacked with them. I’ll do a quick rundown of the features that may not be so obvious, since all the other information can be found in the online m9XX manual, and is much better explained there than I can do here. Let’s go through the features other DAC/amps in this price range may not have:
- Two headphone output jacks, so you can effectively compare headphones, and let someone else listen without having to give it up yourself. This may not seem like much, but it’s been a while since I could let a friend listen to my music or watch a movie in a hi-fi setup, because there’s only enough room for one darn headphone. I’ve had amps with two headphone jacks, and it was useful more times than I can count. It’s important to note the current is shared between the two jacks, and that the right one mutes the RCA line outs from the back, which I’ll talk about now.
- The RCA outputs in the back allow a line-out signal, bypassing the m9XX’s internal amplifier and allowing you to hook it up to your own. Like I said, the right headphone jack mutes the RCA outputs. This isn’t a mistake – it was implemented to allow you to toggle between speakers and headphones, which is very useful for sound testing. If you want to use both the line-out and headphone jack at the same time, just use the left jack.
- Implementation of the processor to prevent “over current”: since the m9XX’s output impedance is extremely low (only measuring at 0.08 ohms), there is inevitably a higher chance when plugging in the headphones of a high current flow. Not to worry though – the internal processor, when sensing this, will temporarily shut down the internal audio supplies, thus circumventing the problem. I haven’t seen any other DAC/amps deal with this problem, which kind of worries me. To be clear, I haven’t gotten an over-current yet, even when plugging in my headphones. So it’s safe to assume that getting an over current signal (“OC” on the display) is infrequent and not likely to happen. Still, I’m glad that Grace/Massdrop went out of their way to make sure this is never a problem.
- 2 modes: USB-only, and a wall adapter option. You can choose to draw power only from the USB port, which drives almost all IEM’s, and even some low-impedance full-sized headphones as well. There’s also a high-powered option, with a power supply that plugs into the wall. That mode will should drive any and all headphones with authority.
- Plug and Play: the m9XX can be used driverless up to 24 bit/96khz. For rates above that (and DSD), the m9XX has a Windows driver. MAC users can be driverless all the way up to DSD. So if you want to listen to the m9XX in the office, library, or some other place where it’s not authorized to install software on the computers, you can do so with very little compromise – most people can’t hear between 96khz and 192khz, or if they can, it is a minimal difference. To the ones who do – hey, it can still play DSD, just install the driver first.
- Volume Knob: Yeah, all DAC/amps have this, I know. But this one increments the volume in exactly 0.5 decibels per step, so no channel imbalance or imprecise (or exponential) volume headaches here. The knob has a slight, but satisfactory “click” to it that instantly lets you know how many volume steps you just incremented. To be clear, it doesn’t actually click audibly, but there is some resistance between each step than achieves the same purpose. The knob also doubles as a button – press once to mute the audio, and hold down for 3 seconds to access the menu.
- Display: the m9XX actually features a nicely lit display, which allows you to see what volume you are at, as well as access the menu and toggle options such as crossfeed (useful for older recordings), USB input and Toslink input, Display Dimmer Mode (turns off 7 segment display after 5 seconds of inactivity), 4 DAC filters, driverless vs. driver enabled mode, and sample rate display.
I won’t go into the details of each one, as I said before, but you can find all the information in the manual – which I highly recommend you read – I usually skip the manual as a consumer, but the m9XX’s manual is a must-read for anyone that actually wants to know how to use the product. Here you go:
http://dro.ps/m9xx-manual
- The RCA outputs in the back allow a line-out signal, bypassing the m9XX’s internal amplifier and allowing you to hook it up to your own. Like I said, the right headphone jack mutes the RCA outputs. This isn’t a mistake – it was implemented to allow you to toggle between speakers and headphones, which is very useful for sound testing. If you want to use both the line-out and headphone jack at the same time, just use the left jack.
- Implementation of the processor to prevent “over current”: since the m9XX’s output impedance is extremely low (only measuring at 0.08 ohms), there is inevitably a higher chance when plugging in the headphones of a high current flow. Not to worry though – the internal processor, when sensing this, will temporarily shut down the internal audio supplies, thus circumventing the problem. I haven’t seen any other DAC/amps deal with this problem, which kind of worries me. To be clear, I haven’t gotten an over-current yet, even when plugging in my headphones. So it’s safe to assume that getting an over current signal (“OC” on the display) is infrequent and not likely to happen. Still, I’m glad that Grace/Massdrop went out of their way to make sure this is never a problem.
- 2 modes: USB-only, and a wall adapter option. You can choose to draw power only from the USB port, which drives almost all IEM’s, and even some low-impedance full-sized headphones as well. There’s also a high-powered option, with a power supply that plugs into the wall. That mode will should drive any and all headphones with authority.
- Plug and Play: the m9XX can be used driverless up to 24 bit/96khz. For rates above that (and DSD), the m9XX has a Windows driver. MAC users can be driverless all the way up to DSD. So if you want to listen to the m9XX in the office, library, or some other place where it’s not authorized to install software on the computers, you can do so with very little compromise – most people can’t hear between 96khz and 192khz, or if they can, it is a minimal difference. To the ones who do – hey, it can still play DSD, just install the driver first.
- Volume Knob: Yeah, all DAC/amps have this, I know. But this one increments the volume in exactly 0.5 decibels per step, so no channel imbalance or imprecise (or exponential) volume headaches here. The knob has a slight, but satisfactory “click” to it that instantly lets you know how many volume steps you just incremented. To be clear, it doesn’t actually click audibly, but there is some resistance between each step than achieves the same purpose. The knob also doubles as a button – press once to mute the audio, and hold down for 3 seconds to access the menu.
- Display: the m9XX actually features a nicely lit display, which allows you to see what volume you are at, as well as access the menu and toggle options such as crossfeed (useful for older recordings), USB input and Toslink input, Display Dimmer Mode (turns off 7 segment display after 5 seconds of inactivity), 4 DAC filters, driverless vs. driver enabled mode, and sample rate display.
I won’t go into the details of each one, as I said before, but you can find all the information in the manual – which I highly recommend you read – I usually skip the manual as a consumer, but the m9XX’s manual is a must-read for anyone that actually wants to know how to use the product. Here you go:
http://dro.ps/m9xx-manual
DAC Filters:
This option is rarely included in this price range, with the exception of the Aune X1S, which I couldn’t hear the difference between filters anyway. I hear some differences between the 4 filters on the m9XX, but I’ll have to experiment with them a bit more before I come to any conclusions. Stay tuned!
Update: I haven't been able to find any clear differences between the filters to my ear, and I'm not sure if any differences I hear are real, or only in my head, so I will refrain from discussing them here.
Sound:
It’s very hard to describe in words the sound differences between DAC/amps, or the impact it has on a certain headphone – this is why there haven’t been too many critical sound impressions so far. The m9XX, as others have said, sounds very detailed (much more so than the “budget” offerings), yet also sounds musical, and not analytically dry. What do I mean by that? Well, it seems like with most headphones, the m9XX releases the full potential of the cans, as opposed to keeping it on the “safe” side. That’s how (you’ll see soon) the HE400i sounds very musical, and the m9XX almost goes out on a limb to deliver its full planar magnetic bass. It’s easy to get lost in the music with the m9XX, but not in a way that puts you to sleep – rather it lets you truly enjoy the music, while also giving tons of detail and accuracy. I find myself often technically enjoying the performance of a DAC/amp, but not really enjoying the music, and certainly can’t immerse myself in it. With the m9XX, I could do both.
The m9XX is very transparent, allowing the innate quality of the headphone to shine, rather than “fix” it with coloring like some others do. Headphones that scale well with equipment (such as the K7XX) should scale well with the m9XX, and might even become a completely “different” headphone. Paired with the K7XX, for example, it’s hard to understand how the K7XX costs only $200, when with the m9XX it’s technically capable of a lot more – things I never even heard in the K7XX until now.
So to quench the thirst for critical impressions and less-vague sound descriptions, I’ve compiled my conclusions on some pairings with the m9XX, as well as some impressions I’ve had during certain songs. Please note that I wrote more notes on less expensive pairings, as those had plenty pros and cons regarding the matchups. Moving on to more expensive headphones, it’s harder to take notes (since they are already technically very good on their own), but easier to hear the overall trend in tonality, and easier to comment on the pairing in general. These weren’t the only listening tests I took, but the ones I actually bothered to type down here. The conclusion was made after all my listening tests, not only the ones done here.
I'd like to give a huge thank you to Audio46 (also known as H & B Digital) for allowing me to demo the headphones needed to write this review. Due to their generosity, I was able to make this review as comprehensive as I could, and without them, it wouldn't even have half the information that it does now. They're by far the best headphone store I've been to in NYC, and I'll definitely be buying from them if the need arises.
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(OC Remix) Seven Songs for Seventh Saga: II. Water
(OC Remix) Apex 2014: A New Challenger: A New Challenger!!
(OC Remix) Dues Ex: Sonic Augmentation:
The Search for Ambrosia (NYC Streets)
Human Soldier (UNATCO)
Siren Synapse
Adele (21): Set Fire to the Rain
Alva Noto & Ryuichi Sakamoto – Vrioon: Uoon I
Animals as Leaders – The Joy of Motion:
The Woven Web
Para Mexer
Steely Dan – Aja: Aja
Kronos Quartet - Pieces of Africa: Mai Nozipo ('Mother Nozipo') - Dumisani Maraire
Fleetwood Mac – Rumours: Second Hand News
Dvorák - Symphony No. 9 - Karel Ancerl, Czech Philharmonic:
Diana Krall – The Very Best of: Peel me a Grape
Shpongle: Museum of Consciousness: Juggling Molecules
Sweet Georgia Brown (Chesky Recordings)
Gorrilaz: Plastic Beach
Chrono Cross: Scars of Time
(OC Remix) Apex 2014: A New Challenger: A New Challenger!!
(OC Remix) Dues Ex: Sonic Augmentation:
The Search for Ambrosia (NYC Streets)
Human Soldier (UNATCO)
Siren Synapse
Adele (21): Set Fire to the Rain
Alva Noto & Ryuichi Sakamoto – Vrioon: Uoon I
Animals as Leaders – The Joy of Motion:
The Woven Web
Para Mexer
Steely Dan – Aja: Aja
Kronos Quartet - Pieces of Africa: Mai Nozipo ('Mother Nozipo') - Dumisani Maraire
Fleetwood Mac – Rumours: Second Hand News
Dvorák - Symphony No. 9 - Karel Ancerl, Czech Philharmonic:
Diana Krall – The Very Best of: Peel me a Grape
Shpongle: Museum of Consciousness: Juggling Molecules
Sweet Georgia Brown (Chesky Recordings)
Gorrilaz: Plastic Beach
Chrono Cross: Scars of Time
DUNU DN-2000J (on low power mode):
This is a fantastic pairing – if you’re getting the m9XX for your open-back headphones or CIEM’s, and have the DN-2000J in your collection, you’re in for a treat. The DN-2000J now sounds extremely musical, and the amount of detail in both the m9XX and DN-2000J complement each other extremely well without sounding dry or analytical. There’s a fantastic bass here that extends very low. Not anywhere near over the top, but still very welcome. Highly recommended pairing.
Woven Web – Everything here is crispy clear, and sounds very natural. No overbloated bass, and sounds very musical, something which I haven’t heard on the DN-2000J. Soundstage is very good too, and is really hard to tell this is actually an IEM. Detail could be a bit better, but that’s coming from an ideal perspective – detail is definitely above average here.
Aja – Vocals sound really great, not too forward but nicely placed (unlike other headphones, which sometimes sounded distant with this song). Background sounds are nicely detailed, and imaging is spot on. The whole song sounds very natural, and not artificial in any way.
Second Hand News – I wanted to see how this pairing fared with this song, especially since some headphones sounded thin here. I’m glad to say that it doesn’t sound thin in any way; to me, it actually has a nice hint of warmth, which doesn’t destroy the clarity in any way.
Sweet Georgia Brown – There’s a lot going on in this song, and the DN-2000J handles it very, very well. The drums and cymbals sound perfect, as does the piano. Everything is nicely spaced, so it really gives the impression of a 3D-like recording.
Juggling Molecules – This pairing makes the song sound very musical without being closed-in in any way. The bass is nice quantity-wise, and I really get into the mood with this song. Again, there’s a hint of warmth which is very welcome, and much appreciated.
Aja – Vocals sound really great, not too forward but nicely placed (unlike other headphones, which sometimes sounded distant with this song). Background sounds are nicely detailed, and imaging is spot on. The whole song sounds very natural, and not artificial in any way.
Second Hand News – I wanted to see how this pairing fared with this song, especially since some headphones sounded thin here. I’m glad to say that it doesn’t sound thin in any way; to me, it actually has a nice hint of warmth, which doesn’t destroy the clarity in any way.
Sweet Georgia Brown – There’s a lot going on in this song, and the DN-2000J handles it very, very well. The drums and cymbals sound perfect, as does the piano. Everything is nicely spaced, so it really gives the impression of a 3D-like recording.
Juggling Molecules – This pairing makes the song sound very musical without being closed-in in any way. The bass is nice quantity-wise, and I really get into the mood with this song. Again, there’s a hint of warmth which is very welcome, and much appreciated.
Sennheiser HD 650:
(Note: These were taken straight out of the box, no burn-in at all.) The HD 650’s bass would work better with the X1S, in my opinion. This is unfortunately a problem with the HD 650, not the m9XX. To me, there’s some things about the HD 650 that needs to be “tweaked” to sound good with rock, electronic, and even vocals. That’s enough for me to say I don’t like this pairing.
Search for Ambrosia – I’ve heard better, although that’s probably more due to the HD 650 than the m9XX. The drums don’t have that “punch” I really like, and overall there seems to be a veil that muddies up the music, although it’s easy to forget about after a while. Imaging is good, and allows me to hear more of the details, especially at 1:56. The DAC/amp is doing an impressive job at bring a high resolution to the table. At 2:23 I hear the helicopter sound better than I have with other dac/amps.
The Human Soldier – the nature of this song makes the highs a bit forward, although left/right differentiation is definitely better than other DAC/amps I’ve heard. The extra details are also easily heard in this track, a leagues ahead of the budget stuff – clarity is also much better, and there is no veil in the highs. Not much instrument separation at 1:15, and at 1:45 it’s very easy to hear the “tick tick” in the background. Nice punch at 2:29, even though it doesn’t extend deep I don’t think it’s supposed to.
Siren Synapse - Very nice bass punch at 0:21, this has many ways to go wrong, and it doesn’t. At 0:38 there’s a wonderful bass response, well rounded and articulate. Same goes for 2:23. Bass in this song is sublime.
The Woven Web – 0:15 guitar is a little too bloated for my tastes, although that’s definitely due to the 650’s extra bass, not the m9XX. 1:29 seems a little slow, although it’s interesting that at 1:45 the (slightly overbloated bass) doesn’t overpower the rest of the spectrum.
Para Mexer – this is a little better, although the HD650 still has too much bass and a veil for this song to really shine. Bloat’s there, albeit at a lesser level. 1:08 the “hissing” is clearly audible (don’t worry, that’s part of the song), and apart from the rest of the spectrum.
Adele: Set Fire to the Rain – the piano is tamer than I would like, her vocals are a little lacking in resolution, and a little “compressed” or veiled, as it were.
Apex 2014: New Challenger – bass here is good for once, extends low and is articulate (not over the top quantity wise though), but I don’t only listen to this song, and on other tracks bass is a hit or miss.
Uoon I – this sounds good for once, and the imaging is on point. Piano sounds great here, and the song is really enjoyable. Detail is high throughout the song.
The Human Soldier – the nature of this song makes the highs a bit forward, although left/right differentiation is definitely better than other DAC/amps I’ve heard. The extra details are also easily heard in this track, a leagues ahead of the budget stuff – clarity is also much better, and there is no veil in the highs. Not much instrument separation at 1:15, and at 1:45 it’s very easy to hear the “tick tick” in the background. Nice punch at 2:29, even though it doesn’t extend deep I don’t think it’s supposed to.
Siren Synapse - Very nice bass punch at 0:21, this has many ways to go wrong, and it doesn’t. At 0:38 there’s a wonderful bass response, well rounded and articulate. Same goes for 2:23. Bass in this song is sublime.
The Woven Web – 0:15 guitar is a little too bloated for my tastes, although that’s definitely due to the 650’s extra bass, not the m9XX. 1:29 seems a little slow, although it’s interesting that at 1:45 the (slightly overbloated bass) doesn’t overpower the rest of the spectrum.
Para Mexer – this is a little better, although the HD650 still has too much bass and a veil for this song to really shine. Bloat’s there, albeit at a lesser level. 1:08 the “hissing” is clearly audible (don’t worry, that’s part of the song), and apart from the rest of the spectrum.
Adele: Set Fire to the Rain – the piano is tamer than I would like, her vocals are a little lacking in resolution, and a little “compressed” or veiled, as it were.
Apex 2014: New Challenger – bass here is good for once, extends low and is articulate (not over the top quantity wise though), but I don’t only listen to this song, and on other tracks bass is a hit or miss.
Uoon I – this sounds good for once, and the imaging is on point. Piano sounds great here, and the song is really enjoyable. Detail is high throughout the song.
HiFiMAN HE400S:
The HE400S sounds a lot like the HD650, so it makes sense that they would have the same results with the m9XX. Although it sounds good, certain things like the bass and vocals sound held back and “veiled”. Even though the HE400S are planar magnetic, like Head-fi reviewer Money4me247 said, these are tuned like a dynamic headphone for the low end, so other planar magnetics will work much better than the HE400S in this regard. The HE400S (and HD 650) don’t really scale nearly as well as the K7XX does; if I had two compare the two using only the m9XX, I would say the K7XX is the better headphone by far.
Para Mexer – This song is very detailed, but the guitars seem a little unnatural, and a little to upfront for me to tell anything else.
Set Fire to the Rain – Vocals seem a little suppressed, which surprises me knowing how good the HE400S can sound with vocals. Details are excellent, I can hear the background sounds very well.
Peel me a Grape – Vocals here are still not the best I’ve heard, although the detail is great again.
Second Hand News – Vocals are muddy here, confirms my suspicion that this pairing isn’t great for vocals.
Aja – There’s a nice sense of imaging here – you can tell where everything is coming from, and gives you a very 3D-like sound.
A New Challenger – Bass extends really deep here, and shows the planar magnetic quality of these.
Juggling Molecules – Detail is really great here, and imaging is spot on too. Gives this song the attention it deserves, in my opinion.
The Woven Web – A little too much bass here in the guitars, seems bloated like the HD 650. It’s different from the HD 650 in respect to 1:29, where the HE400S holds up quite well and doesn’t seem clustered, while the HD 650 is just all over the place with that part of the song.
Set Fire to the Rain – Vocals seem a little suppressed, which surprises me knowing how good the HE400S can sound with vocals. Details are excellent, I can hear the background sounds very well.
Peel me a Grape – Vocals here are still not the best I’ve heard, although the detail is great again.
Second Hand News – Vocals are muddy here, confirms my suspicion that this pairing isn’t great for vocals.
Aja – There’s a nice sense of imaging here – you can tell where everything is coming from, and gives you a very 3D-like sound.
A New Challenger – Bass extends really deep here, and shows the planar magnetic quality of these.
Juggling Molecules – Detail is really great here, and imaging is spot on too. Gives this song the attention it deserves, in my opinion.
The Woven Web – A little too much bass here in the guitars, seems bloated like the HD 650. It’s different from the HD 650 in respect to 1:29, where the HE400S holds up quite well and doesn’t seem clustered, while the HD 650 is just all over the place with that part of the song.
HiFiMAN HE-400i:
The HE-400i is fantastic paired with the m9XX, and I highly recommend the pairing. The planar magnetic bass quality is definitely present in full force here, and I’m just in love with everything this pairing has to offer. The only downside I can imagine is that the highs can a bit tame at times. Other than that, there’s nothing I could fault it with.
A New Challenger – The bass here digs DEEP – definitely see the planar magnetic bass in these. It’s rich, articulate, and clear, nothing like the HD 650. Highs are a *tad* tamed, but still noticeable and listenable.
Seven Songs for Seventh Saga: II. Water – Cello is nice hear, although I’ve heard it more naturally represented (this is because of the HE-400i’s sound signature). Bass response is spot on again, really digging the bass on these. Highs aren’t too tamed here. Separation is good between the different cellos.
Gorrillaz: Plastic Beach – instantly can hear the clarity of the air, and the wide soundstage. Separation is good, especially given there’s a lot going on this track.
Mai Nozipo – the extra bass is perhaps a bit unnatural sounding here, but otherwise the drums are sublime. This track is VERY detailed with this pairing.
Uoon 1 – The highs are more present during this song, and more “in your face.” The low response extends really down low throughout the whole song, which can be missed with other headphones due to its very subtle low-end sound. The high “noise” is very detailed here.
Second Hand News – loss in clarity from the beginning, and I know that’s not from the recording. Other pairings of the m9XX has this song singing, this one doesn’t. It seems to be due to the headphone, though I can’t imagine why. Vocals could be better here.
The Woven Web- very good pairing. The Guitars here are top notch. 1:29 is fast and accurate, and clean. Good bass, but extremely clean and no sign of overpowering, like the HD 650.
Symphony No. 9 – the HE400i’s extra bass doesn’t hurt it too much here, although I wouldn’t use this headphone for orchestral recordings in the first place – it doesn’t seem to fit its sound signature.
Set Fire to the Rain – everything here is sublime; the piano, the bass response (which I previously missed before with the HD 650) is clean and planar magnetic here. Vocals are jaw-dropping, I could literally listen to this all day with this pairing.
Seven Songs for Seventh Saga: II. Water – Cello is nice hear, although I’ve heard it more naturally represented (this is because of the HE-400i’s sound signature). Bass response is spot on again, really digging the bass on these. Highs aren’t too tamed here. Separation is good between the different cellos.
Gorrillaz: Plastic Beach – instantly can hear the clarity of the air, and the wide soundstage. Separation is good, especially given there’s a lot going on this track.
Mai Nozipo – the extra bass is perhaps a bit unnatural sounding here, but otherwise the drums are sublime. This track is VERY detailed with this pairing.
Uoon 1 – The highs are more present during this song, and more “in your face.” The low response extends really down low throughout the whole song, which can be missed with other headphones due to its very subtle low-end sound. The high “noise” is very detailed here.
Second Hand News – loss in clarity from the beginning, and I know that’s not from the recording. Other pairings of the m9XX has this song singing, this one doesn’t. It seems to be due to the headphone, though I can’t imagine why. Vocals could be better here.
The Woven Web- very good pairing. The Guitars here are top notch. 1:29 is fast and accurate, and clean. Good bass, but extremely clean and no sign of overpowering, like the HD 650.
Symphony No. 9 – the HE400i’s extra bass doesn’t hurt it too much here, although I wouldn’t use this headphone for orchestral recordings in the first place – it doesn’t seem to fit its sound signature.
Set Fire to the Rain – everything here is sublime; the piano, the bass response (which I previously missed before with the HD 650) is clean and planar magnetic here. Vocals are jaw-dropping, I could literally listen to this all day with this pairing.
AKG K7XX:
The m9XX and the K7XX make for a really great pair – the m9XX loads every song with detail, and with the K7XX’s large soundstage it’s a scary combo. If it seems like overkill to get a $500 DAC/amp for a $200 headphone, know that I thought the same thing before listening to this pairing. The K7XX scales very well with the m9XX, and you’d be hard pressed to tell this is a $200, or even $400 headphone.
Peel me a Grape – Vocals are much better here than other sources I’ve listened to. Cello doesn’t go very low though, not like the HE400i does. Detail is spot on here, and much, much better than the budget DAC/amps I’ve used.
Second Hand News – Left/right differentiation is really great here, and separation is excellent too. Soundstage is wide enough for me to know I’m listening to the K7XX here, so I’m glad about that.
A New Challenger – Soundstage is wide here yet again, but the bass doesn’t go as low as I’d like it too. This I think is more a problem with the K7XX than anything.
Uoon I – Very detailed, I’d think I was listening to a higher tier headphone just from the detail alone. Bass extends nice and low here, very happy about that.
The Woven Web – Guitars have a nice helping from the bass, and overall the song sounds clean, not like the HD650. Detail is great enough for me to hear the cymbals (which is very much in the background) well. 1:29 isn’t clustered by any means, and the song on a whole seems to flow rather well.
Seven Songs for Seventh Saga: II. Water – The cellos here are very detailed, and are very musical.
Mai Nozipo – The drums here are nice, but with a bit too much help from the bass. Violins here seem technical, and not musical.
Para Mexer – This song really shines, the guitars are just fantastic. I can hear background sound I know I wasn’t able to hear with the X1S, or any of the other budget DAC/amps I’ve tried. I know this is getting a bit repetitive, but the detail here is again, spot on, and nowhere near what the X1S/ODAC/O2 can provide.
Second Hand News – Left/right differentiation is really great here, and separation is excellent too. Soundstage is wide enough for me to know I’m listening to the K7XX here, so I’m glad about that.
A New Challenger – Soundstage is wide here yet again, but the bass doesn’t go as low as I’d like it too. This I think is more a problem with the K7XX than anything.
Uoon I – Very detailed, I’d think I was listening to a higher tier headphone just from the detail alone. Bass extends nice and low here, very happy about that.
The Woven Web – Guitars have a nice helping from the bass, and overall the song sounds clean, not like the HD650. Detail is great enough for me to hear the cymbals (which is very much in the background) well. 1:29 isn’t clustered by any means, and the song on a whole seems to flow rather well.
Seven Songs for Seventh Saga: II. Water – The cellos here are very detailed, and are very musical.
Mai Nozipo – The drums here are nice, but with a bit too much help from the bass. Violins here seem technical, and not musical.
Para Mexer – This song really shines, the guitars are just fantastic. I can hear background sound I know I wasn’t able to hear with the X1S, or any of the other budget DAC/amps I’ve tried. I know this is getting a bit repetitive, but the detail here is again, spot on, and nowhere near what the X1S/ODAC/O2 can provide.
Audio Technica ATH-R70x:
This pairing isn’t one that will wow you on first sight, but definitely benefits from the m9XX’s detail, and opens up the bass in the ATH-R70x. I would recommend it over pairings with budget dac/amps (i.e. ODAC/O2, DACport Slim, Aune X1S) – the even-handedness of the pairing and the detail brought to the table really opens the R70X up. If you want a pairing that is the jack of all trades, this one should do it, and everything well.
Aja – Bass response is good, clean without having a lot of quantity. Imaging is very decent, soundstage is not overly large, but has a nice amount of space. Separation is good here too.
Plastic Beach – better on the HE-400i, but still loaded with detail. It’s as good as it’s going to get with this specific headphone.
Mai Nozipo – Drums here are spot on, and incredibly detailed because of the m9XX. Violins are nice, and don’t seem tamed here. The different types of drums here are easily differentiable, and are all a massive treat for my ears.
Uoon 1 – Bass doesn’t disappoint here and extends very well; that’s really all I was testing this track for with the R70x. Piano is okay here, and separation is nice.
Chrono Cross: Scars of Time – This song is one of my favorites despite being a soundtrack, and the guitar here is nicely detailed without being too over the top. Bass extends well here as well, especially in the second half of the song. The song on a whole sounds fantastic with this pairing.
Juggling Molecules – Soundstage here isn’t huge, but is well rounded and well defined. Seems a little tame, but speed is spot on – more so than other pairings.
The Woven Web – guitar is good here, and nice separation compared to other DAC/amps. A little more clustered though than with the HE-400i.
Set Fire to the Rain – nice vocals, although it seems a bit held back, and also seems very neutral. Separation is good here, and soundstage is nice and wide as well.
Plastic Beach – better on the HE-400i, but still loaded with detail. It’s as good as it’s going to get with this specific headphone.
Mai Nozipo – Drums here are spot on, and incredibly detailed because of the m9XX. Violins are nice, and don’t seem tamed here. The different types of drums here are easily differentiable, and are all a massive treat for my ears.
Uoon 1 – Bass doesn’t disappoint here and extends very well; that’s really all I was testing this track for with the R70x. Piano is okay here, and separation is nice.
Chrono Cross: Scars of Time – This song is one of my favorites despite being a soundtrack, and the guitar here is nicely detailed without being too over the top. Bass extends well here as well, especially in the second half of the song. The song on a whole sounds fantastic with this pairing.
Juggling Molecules – Soundstage here isn’t huge, but is well rounded and well defined. Seems a little tame, but speed is spot on – more so than other pairings.
The Woven Web – guitar is good here, and nice separation compared to other DAC/amps. A little more clustered though than with the HE-400i.
Set Fire to the Rain – nice vocals, although it seems a bit held back, and also seems very neutral. Separation is good here, and soundstage is nice and wide as well.
Grado RS1e:
These two are excellent for any classical or jazz lover, who doesn’t mind semi-bright highs. Not too much bass here, but this headphone isn’t meant for that. If you have audiophile recordings, this pairing will serve you well.
Set Fire to the Rain – Vocals are crispy clear, can almost be too much brightness for those not used to the Grado sound. No sibilance though.
The Woven Web – Guitars are crisp here, no bloating of the bass. 1:29 is fast, the m9XX/RS1e doesn’t lose any speed or get caught up in a tangle, at this pairing handles the song with aplomb.
Seven Songs for Seventh Saga: II. Water – Cello here could be a bit more detailed, but still a very enjoyable experience. Smooth sound throughout the song.
Chrono Cross: Scars of Time – Flute isn’t overly bright, a relief. Guitar is nicely done, and I can every detail of it. Good song for this pairing. Second half of the song is displaying so much detail I’m FEELING the emotion of it.
Para Mexer – Very, very good separation and imaging, and this pairing doesn’t fall being in any way. I’m hearing new things in this song I wouldn’t have thought I could get at this price.
Uoon 1 – Pianos could be more detailed, although detail of the “noise” is again, spot on. Bass is good here, the pairing doesn’t omit any of it.
A New Challenger – bass doesn’t seem to go really down low, although that’s the headphone, not the m9XX.
Peel me a Grape – A wonderful pairing, everything is how it’s supposed to be. The background cello is rich and not too upfront, vocals are clear and full of emotion.
Second Hand News – The song sound great here, not compressed in any way. Guitar in the background is lovely, and the vocals sound as good as ever.
Symphony No. 9 – I won’t go into all the details, but this is a marvelous match up – the way a real orchestra should sound.
Sweet Georgia Brown – You can really delve into all the nuances of this audiophile recording. Not to mention the soundstage and imaging is amazing here. Cymbals sound excellent, trumpets sound a bit harsh, but that’s partially due to this recording, and partially due to the bright nature of the RS1e.
The Woven Web – Guitars are crisp here, no bloating of the bass. 1:29 is fast, the m9XX/RS1e doesn’t lose any speed or get caught up in a tangle, at this pairing handles the song with aplomb.
Seven Songs for Seventh Saga: II. Water – Cello here could be a bit more detailed, but still a very enjoyable experience. Smooth sound throughout the song.
Chrono Cross: Scars of Time – Flute isn’t overly bright, a relief. Guitar is nicely done, and I can every detail of it. Good song for this pairing. Second half of the song is displaying so much detail I’m FEELING the emotion of it.
Para Mexer – Very, very good separation and imaging, and this pairing doesn’t fall being in any way. I’m hearing new things in this song I wouldn’t have thought I could get at this price.
Uoon 1 – Pianos could be more detailed, although detail of the “noise” is again, spot on. Bass is good here, the pairing doesn’t omit any of it.
A New Challenger – bass doesn’t seem to go really down low, although that’s the headphone, not the m9XX.
Peel me a Grape – A wonderful pairing, everything is how it’s supposed to be. The background cello is rich and not too upfront, vocals are clear and full of emotion.
Second Hand News – The song sound great here, not compressed in any way. Guitar in the background is lovely, and the vocals sound as good as ever.
Symphony No. 9 – I won’t go into all the details, but this is a marvelous match up – the way a real orchestra should sound.
Sweet Georgia Brown – You can really delve into all the nuances of this audiophile recording. Not to mention the soundstage and imaging is amazing here. Cymbals sound excellent, trumpets sound a bit harsh, but that’s partially due to this recording, and partially due to the bright nature of the RS1e.
Grado GS1000e:
Sweet Georgia Brown – Drums are spot on, and this song seems to have “impact” now. Separation is really nice, and everything is incredibly accurate. Welcome to the audiophile world.
Peel me a Grape – The vocals are still a bit sharp (due to the Grado sound), but the bass here is nice and extended, and the detail is effortlessly in front of you; you don’t have to go looking for it.
Uoon 1 – The bass here is very nice and extended, and the song sings now.
Peel me a Grape – The vocals are still a bit sharp (due to the Grado sound), but the bass here is nice and extended, and the detail is effortlessly in front of you; you don’t have to go looking for it.
Uoon 1 – The bass here is very nice and extended, and the song sings now.
I’ve tested this headphone with many other songs, though there’s not much else to say. They all follow the same trend – rich bass (though not planar magnetic quality), extremely detailed, transparent, and very accurate; but there’s sometimes bright highs. I’m not such a fan of this headphone to begin with, but I can see from this pairing how someone might be. This pairing doesn’t leave anything else out for another DAC/amp to fill, in my opinion.
Beyerdynamic T90:
The T90 is a very analytical headphone, so paired with the m9XX, some may feel it needs some warmth, which the m9XX understandably doesn’t provide – the m9XX is more neutral than anything. However, this pairing is strong on all its technical aspects, though I can’t help but feel that the T90 would really benefit from a warm amplifier like the Beyerdynamic A20. Detail and imaging are very high throughout every song I listened to though, and for critical listening tests, it’s a very good pairing.
The Search for Ambrosia – Sub-bass is lacking a bit, although the detail is very good here and spot on.
Uoon I – Detail is better here than with the other headphones I’ve tried, probably due to the T90’s resolving nature. Sub-bass is present here, although it does seem a little left back. The song is very enjoyable, but it does seem a little technical.
Set Fire to the Rain – Pianos are great here, and so are vocals. This pairing seems to be really nice with this song.
The Woven Web – Guitars sound a bit thin, although it handles the speed of the song very well, and is very detailed.
Uoon I – Detail is better here than with the other headphones I’ve tried, probably due to the T90’s resolving nature. Sub-bass is present here, although it does seem a little left back. The song is very enjoyable, but it does seem a little technical.
Set Fire to the Rain – Pianos are great here, and so are vocals. This pairing seems to be really nice with this song.
The Woven Web – Guitars sound a bit thin, although it handles the speed of the song very well, and is very detailed.
Beyerdynamic T1 2nd generation:
There’s a lot this pairing has to offer, although I can imagine a better pairing. Be careful when using songs with deep bass, as this will go so low it will start echoing back at you a little bit. Soundstage disappoints here, and I would probably suggest (ideally, anyway) a tube amp to bring out the richness in the sound; it seems that it would go better with the T1.
Uoon I – Piano is very accurate, and smooth. Sub-bass is also smooth and very nice sounding. Highs aren’t tame, but are a bit smooth, not forward.
Peel me a Grape – I’m seeing a trend here now, the T1 makes everything smooth while keeping the detail, which comes really in handy in this song.
Aja – separation is very good, and sub-bass is nice, clean and extended once again. It’s easy to get into the groove of this song.
A New Challenger – It’s scary how deep the bass goes here, to the point I even here the echo/rumble. Extremely clear. The m9XX leaves nothing out here.
The Search for Ambrosia – 1:56 seems to get a tad muddy, although this is talking about compared to an ideally perfect sound. Other than that, highs, mids and lows, are spot on and top notch.
Mai Nozipo – Drums sound good here, but again with a bit of the echo/rumble I talked about before. Violins aren’t bright or in your face,
Set Fire to the Rain: Vocals here are a real treat, and imaging is freakishly good, especially the background sounds.
Juggling Molecules: Soundstage here is a bit small for my liking, and this song is usually the one I use to test for soundstage. A bit disappointed in that regard.
Peel me a Grape – I’m seeing a trend here now, the T1 makes everything smooth while keeping the detail, which comes really in handy in this song.
Aja – separation is very good, and sub-bass is nice, clean and extended once again. It’s easy to get into the groove of this song.
A New Challenger – It’s scary how deep the bass goes here, to the point I even here the echo/rumble. Extremely clear. The m9XX leaves nothing out here.
The Search for Ambrosia – 1:56 seems to get a tad muddy, although this is talking about compared to an ideally perfect sound. Other than that, highs, mids and lows, are spot on and top notch.
Mai Nozipo – Drums sound good here, but again with a bit of the echo/rumble I talked about before. Violins aren’t bright or in your face,
Set Fire to the Rain: Vocals here are a real treat, and imaging is freakishly good, especially the background sounds.
Juggling Molecules: Soundstage here is a bit small for my liking, and this song is usually the one I use to test for soundstage. A bit disappointed in that regard.
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m9XX’s amplifier compared to the Beyerdynamic A20 (a $600 standalone amplifier):
The A20 at $600 seems to drive the T1 2nd generation better than the m9XX does. Soundstage has improved, and the bass response is better. The sound becomes a bit warmer, and vocals seem more natural, and fuller. This isn’t too much of a surprise, as the both the headphone and the amplifier are made by Beyerdynamic (thus made for each other). The A20 is also a hundred dollars more, as well as only an amp (vs. the m9XX’s DAC/amp capabilities and features), so I wasn’t too surprised when the A20 was a better match. However, in this pairing, the m9XX isn’t too far behind.
With the HE-400i, however, I enjoyed it much more with the m9XX – with the A20, it’s more tame and dry. You simply don’t get to see the planar magnetic bass qualities of this headphone. The m9XX though, is a fantastic match for it, and drives the bass very well here. Vocals are almost a tie, with the m9XX being slightly better in detail and tonality.
So surprisingly, the A20 isn’t miles ahead of the m9XX – despite being much bigger, more expensive, and only an amplifier. In fact, the m9XX is a much better match with the HE-400i than the A20 is. This leads me to believe that the A20 is tuned for Beyerdynamic headphones, and for other headphones (especially planar magnetics) the m9XX will drive them better.
With the HE-400i, however, I enjoyed it much more with the m9XX – with the A20, it’s more tame and dry. You simply don’t get to see the planar magnetic bass qualities of this headphone. The m9XX though, is a fantastic match for it, and drives the bass very well here. Vocals are almost a tie, with the m9XX being slightly better in detail and tonality.
So surprisingly, the A20 isn’t miles ahead of the m9XX – despite being much bigger, more expensive, and only an amplifier. In fact, the m9XX is a much better match with the HE-400i than the A20 is. This leads me to believe that the A20 is tuned for Beyerdynamic headphones, and for other headphones (especially planar magnetics) the m9XX will drive them better.
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DAC/amp Comparisons:
m9XX vs Nuforce uDAC-2:
Highs are harsher on the uDAC-2, and things seem more clustered. Separation isn’t that great, and songs feel like a wall of sound compared to the m9XX. Detail is worse on the uDAC. Bass extends lower on the uDAC, but is muddy compared to the m9XX. All but the best recorded vocals seem flat on the uDAC, but that’s every headphone paired with it, nothing new there.
Switching over to the m9XX, everything seems more natural, especially vocals and drums. Bass becomes cleaner, and the song feels more 3D-like. Details become more noticeable, and every song sounds a lot more like it should.
Is there a difference between the two? Absolutely; there's a very noticeable difference between the two DAC/amp's, and the m9XX is definitely seen as an upgrade.
Switching over to the m9XX, everything seems more natural, especially vocals and drums. Bass becomes cleaner, and the song feels more 3D-like. Details become more noticeable, and every song sounds a lot more like it should.
Is there a difference between the two? Absolutely; there's a very noticeable difference between the two DAC/amp's, and the m9XX is definitely seen as an upgrade.
m9XX vs. CEntrance DACport Slim:
On the Slim, songs feel a lot more forward (a bit too much, in my opinion), and doesn’t really do well in terms of soundstage. Sub-bass, while not muddy, is bloated on the Slim. Very noticeable in “Mai Nozipo” (Pieces of Africa) where the drums feel very unnatural and unnecessary bloated – it takes over the entire frequency, and I can’t really hear anything else. Vocals, while pleasant, are a definite step down from the m9XX, can be a bit harsh at times, and aren’t detailed at all. Resolution is worse on the Slim, although it does put in a good effort for its price.
Conclusion: Although the DACport Slim is an amazing DAC/amp for the price, it can’t nearly compete with the detail of the m9XX. The Slim’s sub-bass alone makes me want to switch over to the m9XX, and clarity is much better on the m9XX. Is there a difference between the two? Absolutely, and it’s not even close. While the Slim is a fabulous match for the K7XX tonality-wise, the m9XX is simply better in every way, even with the K7XX.
Conclusion: Although the DACport Slim is an amazing DAC/amp for the price, it can’t nearly compete with the detail of the m9XX. The Slim’s sub-bass alone makes me want to switch over to the m9XX, and clarity is much better on the m9XX. Is there a difference between the two? Absolutely, and it’s not even close. While the Slim is a fabulous match for the K7XX tonality-wise, the m9XX is simply better in every way, even with the K7XX.
m9XX vs. Tralucent DacAmp One ($400 portable DAC/amp):
Conclusion: The DacAmp One has a Sabre DAC – and it really shows in the detail here. It’s definitely a closer call between these two than the others, but the m9XX wins in the end – the DacAmp One seems cold and technical compared to the m9XX, and not nearly as musical. The m9XX also offers slightly more details, both macro and micro, has a much larger soundstage, and provides better imaging. The DacAmp One has more treble, although it does seem a bit too unnaturally “crisp”. Is there a difference between the two? Yes, although it did take me a few songs to pinpoint exactly what those differences were, aside from the soundstage. Listening to both for extended amount of times though, I definitely like the m9XX’s sound better, and believe it is a worthwhile upgrade that will definitely be noticeable in the long run.
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Conclusion:
$500 is not pocket change – it’s mid-tier for audio equipment, and a big investment. However, in terms of sound, it punches much higher than its price bracket. The m9XX simply brings a lot more detail, clarity, and accuracy to the table than all the other “budget” offerings I’ve heard (Aune X1S, ODAC/O2, Schiit Stack, etc.), and even compared to DAC/amps similarly priced to the m9XX it does very well.
The m9XX has many features that other DAC/amps in the mid-tier category leave out. It has a display, two headphone outputs, anti-aliasing filters, and many more that aren’t usually included in this price range. The m9XX is not only a desktop solution – it also has a portable option, and is quite small. Neither the ODAC/O2 combo, Schiit stack, or Aune X1S are portable by any means, and the first two aren’t much of an option for IEM’s and CIEM’s either. In addition to sounding very good with IEM’s, it was nearly dead silent with the hiss-prone DN-2000J until the 90th volume step.
In terms of driving full-sized cans, it had enough power for anything I threw at it, doing very well with both the 470 ohm Audio Technica ATH-R70x, and the 600 ohm Beyerdynamic T1.
Driving power is fantastic, and much better than I was expecting from the physical size of the m9XX.
So should you get it? If you have enough room in your budget to buy the m9XX, I would say yes, provided that your headphone pairs well with it. Common sense and Google should tell you if your headphone pairs exclusively well with a tube amp, and in that case every solid-state DAC/amp should be off your radar. I wouldn’t skimp out and by an ODAC combo or the X1S unless it’s specifically known to pair well with your headphone - there’s a large difference between the m9XX and the budget DAC/amps, all of which I liked a lot until I heard the m9XX.
To me, the m9XX is an upgrade that is well worth its price – the HE400i sounds better than I have ever heard it, and the K7XX is on a whole new level with this pairing. Even moving up to the higher-priced headphones, it paired well with all but the Beyerdynamic T1. Considering its versatility and all that it has to offer, the m9XX is one DAC/amp I wouldn’t want to miss out on.
- Avishai Zitron
Tony in Michigan