Matrix Element X2 Pure

When I started my apprenticeship in high-end French Restaurants there are certain techniques you must master before they will put you on the line for service. Make a proper stock. Make a proper sauce out of that stock. Learn the 5 Mother French Sauces. Perfect making scrambled eggs. Learn to make a Custard Sauce. Without a doubt the two hardest disciplines for me were learning to make a proper Beurre Blanc (without cheating by adding cream to stabilize), and to make Creme Anglaise, which is a custard sauce that most Michelin French Restaurants will then use as either a sauce for a dessert or a base for ice cream. They are not easy, and I broke them time and time again. Hundreds of times. Finally, I figured it out. How to manipulate temperature, how to move the pan on and off the heat, when to stir, when not to, when to add the butter to a Beurre Blanc, how to temper the eggs in a creme anglaise so as not to curdle them; and with both, when I knew I achieved the perfect emulsification. I remember the day I figured out each. Now when I go to a mediocre French restaurant and they are serving either of these sauces I order them. Curious to see if their cooks have mastered these very important techniques. Generally they have not. Which is ok, as it is not easy and it takes months to perfect them properly. When they are made right, they are unmistakable. That is how I feel about DACs. When they are made right, their sound is unmistakable. It may be an R2R, or a Delta Sigma, or an FPGA, or a DSD DAC, but when they are implemented properly they just have a way of making music sound rich, alive, honest and organic. I get the same feeling in my ears as I do on my palate when I taste a perfect Beurre Blanc or a perfect Creme Anglaise. I know that the person creating the product has taken the time to learn their discipline and achieve something that must be consumed. The delight of hearing a proper DAC in my chain is no different than the delight of a perfectly made Beurre Blanc covering a perfectly seared piece of Salmon. Perfection!

When I started to learn about DACs and then Streamers the process was no different. It took me a lot of time to really understand how a DAC fits into my system, or any system for that matter. Could I hear the differences? At first, I don't think so. But, over time I learned what I was hearing and how they melded with my amps and headphones. There are so many DACs on the market and each is claiming their own version of a few different types of topology; their own way of implementing each of the stages of a DAC, and why their version is best. Then there is the measurement wars. I read a post (place to remain nameless) where they stated that the technology of making a DAC had been figured out a long time ago and anything that isn't a Delta Sigma DAC using the latest and greatest chipset with the highest levels of SNR and THD and a complete lack of distortion is a waste of money. In fact, you don't even need to listen to the DAC. The numbers will tell you if it is good and you can get basically perfect for $200 now. If this is the case then why are there DACs ranging from $50 to $100,000 with topologies ranging from Ring Dacs, to Delta Sigma to R2R, to FPGA, to DSD and beyond? If this is the case then is everyone not making a Delta Sigma DAC with the latest ESS or AKM Chipset snake oil? Are they losing their minds and wasting everyone's money? My opinion is NO! Budget always plays a factor, and I will always recommend that someone gets the very best they can afford and no more. There are fantastic DACs in each price range. Find the right one for you and be happy.

After years in this hobby, I can proudly say that I have a complete system with every aspect of my personal audio chain accounted for. It took me 8 yrs of trial and error. Just like the Beurre Blanc and Creme Anglaise, sometimes you need to learn. Sometimes you need to keep trying until you find what works best for you. After all, listening is a muscle unlike any other muscle. Just like your palate, or throwing a baseball, hitting a baseball, learning golf, or any other discipline. If you want to truly master it, or become proficient enough to know what is best for you, you must try things, learn them and let your ears guide you by training them and by making mistakes along the way. In short, the more you listen, the better you hear. The more you will understand, and the more fulfilling your experience will be.

Enter the Matrix X2 Pure. Matrix's 10th Anniversary Roon Ready DAC & Streamer.



The X2 Pure as I will call from here on out entered my listening station about a year ago. I immediately knew that something special had entered my space. The hairs stood up on my neck instantly. Pacing was perfect, extremely wide bandwidth with lightning quick transients and impeccable micro properties. My music had a snap, a dynamic sound with incredible detail and extension. The bass was fast, the midrange was full of information and the treble was edgeless and felt like it extended forever.

Before I forget, this review is coming from my crazy mind, and are my own thoughts and inclinations. I would like to thank Matrix and Power Holdings for this opportunity. And an apology for taking this long to write. There are a few other very positive reviews online, but I am fairly sure no one has spent as much time as me with this DAC. I am thousands of hours in and understand this DAC through and through. It is Pure, as the title says.

System for this review consists of the following:
Ethernet Switch
Roon NUC10
Matrix X2 Pure
Meier Corda Soul MK2
Musician Taurus R2R
CFA3
Mjolnir Pure BiPolar Mk2
Eddie Current Aficionado
HEKv2 Non-Stealth
Final D8K Pro
LFF Code X
Smattering of ZMFs (AO,VC, CC)

So Why Did Matrix Create This DAC When They Had The Wildly Successful Element X2:
To quote Matrix, "The word "Pure" indicates "to achieve the purest thing", it carries Matrix's original intention of pursuing the pure sound, also expresses the design concept of simplicity that Matrix always believed in. We make the product more excellent, just for your picky ears, enjoy the music and meet the expectations of every listening."

Essentially, Matrix wanted to create the very best DAC & Streamer they could. This meant ditching the headphone amp (a welcome thing in my opinion) and starting from scratch. There are certain aspects of the Matrix X2 that is similar to the X2 Pure, such as the UI which is where we will begin.

But, for those who want to see the specifications of this DAC/Streamer here they are:



Sorry, no way to get all of this onto one page so I have split it up into 3 different photos to show the flexibility of this unit and what it is capable of doing. The Matrix X2 Pure is essentially 3 things:
1. DAC
2. Streamer
3. Preamp with a +10db gain which can be accessed through the MA app.

To Start:
The Matrix X2 Pure has a fantastic touch screen that will welcome you upon turning on. You will swipe right on the screen and it will give you a list of options. Inputs, Filters and Settings. Click on Settings and it will allow you to access the network you want to use, product info, language (it will be set up in Chinese, so you have to change to your language preference), remote control, updates (all updates occur either through the App or through the touch screen), and all your verifications to ensure everything is working properly.

Matrix's UI and App:
Their UI, which they are incredibly proud of starts very simply. You must download it with your Android or Apple Device.

Once you have set up your X2 Pure either through the Ethernet Port of by Wi-Fi you will be able to see your X2 Pure on your app and it will look like this...

Then you click on configure and it will give lots of options.. First, as a streamer, you can plug an SSD or HDD External via USB C to the back and you can stream to your hearts content. But, as a Roon Ready device you can also let your Roon Core pick up the device and it will automatically show up as a Roon Ready Endpoint. This is how I use the X2 Pure. I love the fact that it is Roon Ready and the only cable I need is an ethernet cable and my Roon Core automatically picks up my X2 Pure. I have a 4 TB SSD plugged into my NUC so that I can listen to all of my music plus stream if I choose. The app allows you to do so much more. You can choose if you want to use Synchronous or Asynchronous. I use Asynchronous.

You can choose whether or not you want to use the DAC fixed, adjustable using Matrix's very capable digital and analog hybrid volume control, or you can choose to use as a Preamp where it will add an extra 10 DB. I do not use as a Preamp as I am not using speakers and it is way too much gain for my system. However, you have this option and you can only access it through the app.

The volume control is quite unique and will apply a mixture of both analog and digital when you hit -20db of attenuation. For example, if you need a -25db of attenuation the device will give you -20db of analog by resistors and -5db of digital. However, if you are below -20db it will revert to straight digital. If you are at -20db you will be using only the analog resistors for attenuation. Essentially, you will never use more than -20db of digital volume and will mostly provide your volume from the analog resistors. In any event, the hybrid digital/analog volume control is quite unique and leads to a very clear and consistent sound with very little to no channel separation and perfect balance.

Going further into the app's configuration you can choose from the following settings to make your user experience more of your own...

And Lastly if you are an I2S user, it has all the different configurations for you at the ready.

As you can see, the App is extremely useful. Most important to know is that you MUST use the App to access all that the X2 Pure can do.

Matrix X2 Pure's Design:
The Matrix X2 Pure employs ESS's newest flagship DAC chip, the 9039 Pro. It has two in dual mono. A little known fact is that the 9038 Pro and the 9039 Pro are essentially two of the 9018S in one. The reason these DAC chips are so big, and the reason they are so hard to properly implement. Therefore, each chip has 16 channels per side, or 32 channels per chip. The X2 Pure has 2, which means that the DAC essentially is operating off of 32 channels per side in quad mode, meaning that each channel has 4 groups of 8 channels. This causes a lot of heat and takes an enormous amount of engineering know how to implement and not have the DAC be too bright, hot or out of balance. Matrix's engineers are very smart and worked hand in hand with ESS to properly implement two of these chips into the X2 Pure. In addition, the X2 Pure has electrically isolated all 4 stages with LDO's being fed into a new in-house built O Core Transformer with silver wiring. All stages are isolated creating symmetry, balance, zero interference, and an incredibly quiet background. For those who love numbers; fantastic SNR and THD numbers which can be seen above in the specifications. In short, the DAC coupled with the user friendly UI of their app and touchscreen has created a truly unique and wonderful product.

In addition, the X2 Pure is equipped with Ceramic Ball Vibration Buffers called CBVB Pads and is the first Matrix product equipped with CBVB pads. The core of CBVB is made of ceramic balls and silicone rubber. There are 6 ceramic balls in each pad to minimize the noises caused by mechanical vibration. The transparency of the sound is further improved, creating a wide and clear sound stage for you.

Lastly, they have equipped the X2 Pure with all Nichicon KG Caps. They have extremely low internal resistance and inductance which can effectively match the energy requirements of large dynamics and continuous rich low frequencies playback.

Sound Impressions:

The Matrix X2 Pure is an incredibly clean, pure and honest sounding DAC. It is fast, dynamic, subtle and possesses incredible levels of detail and resolution. The sound is on the neutral side, which for me is exactly what I want from my DAC. I want it to be a truth serum and for it to faithfully represent my music's true essence. If I want to add color I can do that in other ways; such as amps or headphones. The X2 Pure has one purpose and that is to faithfully represent the 1s and 0s of the source files I am giving it. In this way, the X2 Pure is incredibly proficient.

The bass is very fast with lightning quick decay and transients. If the song has elevated bass the X2 Pure plays it. If the song has soft and subtle bass, that is what the X2 Pure plays. The sound is not thick, it is not syrupy, and it is certainly not thin. It is balanced! They couldn't have named the DAC better. The sound is so pure and life-like. The midrange is extremely articulate with a tad bit of warmth which gives the instruments bite and grit. Every sound is heard, there is nothing missing. Details come at you fast, and from all angles. The treble is subtle and beautiful. It extends passed my hearing abilities, and it shows its most impressive attributes when dealing with cymbals and percussive instruments.

The X2 Pure has absolutely no edge or brightness to it. It is dynamic without being overly so, it is fast without being too fast, it decays at the speed of the music, and it honestly portrays every aspect of my music.

Since I have spent so much time with the X2 Pure, I have listened to all manner of music. The Pure's ability to handle complex passages, display all low level detail and do so while being both powerful and subtle simultaneously, makes it a truly remarkable DAC.

A great place to start is always with Miles Davis. I put on Bitches Brew and "Miles Runs The Voodoo Down"

I plugged in my Final D8K Pro into my Eddie Current Aficionado and went to musical heaven. The ECAF is a perfect match to the X2 Pure. The X2 Pure is very micro focused, whereas the ECAF is extremely macro focused. A perfect match. Coupled with the D8K Pro's world class detail and resolving properties I couldn't stop smiling. Mile's trumpet was searing my brain while Chick Corea, Wayne Shorter, John McLaughlin, and Dave Holland filled in the space. There is so much space between the notes, I feel that I am in the studio with them creating this masterpiece. The X2 Pure perfectly personifies the power and subtlety that is all Miles.

Next I gave one of my favorite urban funk bands a listen. The Greyboy Allstars and my favorite of their tunes, "Happy Friends"

GBA is anchored by Karl Denson, Robert Walters and Elgin Park. They are a band that sprung loose in the San Diego funk scene in the early to mid 90's. I used to see them a lot in San Francisco in the early to mid 2000's. They are funky, with an infectious groove anchored by Chris Stilwell's bass and Aaron Redfield's Drums. The X2 Pure sets a deep pocket and lets Karl's sax, Robert's Organ/Piano and Elgin's Guitar take flight floating above the pocket. Happy Friends is an absolute joy on the X2 Pure coupled with the ECAF and D8K Pro. So much energy and you can feel the vibe of that Urban Funk groove. It makes you shake and move and the X2 Pure captures every last detail. Most importantly, the X2 Pure is full of musicality. The X2 Pure never sounds plastic and it never sounds out of place. It always sounds like the music I am listening to.

My last listen on the D8K Pro and ECAF was Quincy Jones's "Walking in Space".

"Walking in Space" is one of my absolute favorite albums and songs. This is the perfect song to show the X2 Pure's ability to handle low level detail and listen as the music builds. Vocals are out front in the upper mids, but not overly so. The Flute is organic and flowing, and the bass makes you feel like you are strolling down the street on a sunny day listening to a jukebox next to your head. Every musician has space, and true to the name, the X2 Pure has you "Walking in Space."

X2 Pure with Mjolnir Pure BiPolar:

When I was 21 I spent a month traveling around Europe. I met this guy in Paris and he gave me a drive down to Nice. A 7 hour drive. His English wasn't great, and my French about the same. He only had one tape in his car. Astral Weeks. We listened to it for 7 hours straight. To this day, every time I smell Shalimar Perfume I think of that trip. So I thought it apt to start my X2 Pure journey with the Pure BiPolar listening to Astral Weeks on my LFF Code X. My all time favorite headphone. The X2 Pure grabs every ounce of emotion on "Madam George". Image Specificity is spot on. Van's voice coming straight through my forehead, the bass rolling through the left channel while the violin pervades the right channel with Van's subtle acoustic guitar underneath the music. The X2 Pure picks up all of it! The sound is sweet, evoking every emotion I have from that magical day driving through the French country side.

The PB is a very special amp. Being a Dynalo circuit it possesses an extremely stable drift, which gives it the perfect compliment of 2nd order harmonic distortion, which adds a beautiful note weight and saturation that turns into resolution with the slightest hint of wetness. The X2 Pure doesn't change this, but allows it to take place. Each amp has its own character and the X2 Pure's brilliance is that it never gets in the way of the amp or headphones character. It simply presents the music as it was recorded and then I can flavor it through other parts of my chain.

The X2 Pure is so good at presenting music exactly as it was recorded. Transients are accurate to the song, and every part of the Frequency is dialed into the recordings center.

X2 Pure with CFA3:
Another Dynalo circuit with less note weight, but incredible extension and my version is buttery smooth. It isn't thin, just so balanced and extended that I find this amp to be a total revelation. So, I went for Radiohead's "High and Dry" to hear something a bit more modern. It also happens to be my favorite Radiohead song.

The CFA3/X2 Pure playing "High and Dry" was an emotional moment. I love this song, and the combination brings out every ounce of energy, subtlety and beauty from this mid tempo song. Vocals are rich, edge free and every instrument is laid bare. Again the space between the notes allows the song to open up beautifully. Imaging is perfect and decay is happening at the right time and pace.

I don't tend to write about transients in my reviews, but I want to make the point strongly that the X2 Pure is masterful when dealing with transient response. If the song calls for fast transients it is fast, and if the song lingers, the X2 Pure allows the notes to linger and fall off at just the right pace. I can't express strongly enough that everything is laid bare. There is weight, subtlety, dynamics, detail, resolution and balance. It is a truly incredible DAC. Transients are something that took me a long time to really understand to the point where I could tell whether or not they were helping, hindering or just part of the process. But, when it comes to the X2 Pure transients are just about perfect. They take on the music's essence and move at the pace of the music. Not much more you can ask for and I believe the way they designed the X2 Pure with it being dual mono and isolated with its own transformer has given the X2 Pure complete control of the transient response leading to a larger amount of information all coming at you from all angles while still being accurate.

Comparisons:
X2 Pure vs Musician Taurus
Two very different DACs. The X2 Pure is a DS DAC and the Taurus is an R2R DAC. The Taurus is 32lbs and a full size component. The X2 Pure is approximately 10lbs and not nearly as big. That in and of itself is something to think about as you are building your system. The Taurus is big. In addition, the Taurus is not Roon Ready like the X2 Pure and just a pure DAC. So, very different use case. When listening to the X2 Pure I am able to use my ECAF and one of my Dynalo Amps as well as my Corda Soul MK2 hooked into my NUC. With the Taurus I can only use it with my ECAF and one of my Dynalo Amps.

For the Taurus, I used the USB hooked into my NUC with a USBe Perfect. The USB implementation on the Taurus is as good as any I have used. Coupled with my Silver Dragon USB Cable and my Core Technology USBe Perfect, the sound was so clear, open and musical. I love this DAC. It sounds soft, natural and full of energy. It is fairly neutral, maybe a touch north of neutral, but neutral at its core. The warmth that sounds just north of neutral is very much an R2R tuning and is very much welcome when it comes to listening to music. It is detailed and big sounding. The Taurus has incredible macro properties and does very well with my Dynalo amps. The first thing I noticed was that I was hearing sounds off in the distance easier than on the X2 Pure. My ECAF also is macro focused and the combo with the Taurus while good, isn't as good as it is with my Pure BiPolar and CFA3. It is almost too much of a good thing with the ECAF. The sound while great, was a bit more diffuse than with the X2 Pure. This was not an issue with my Dynalo amps. However, there is no taking away from how good the Taurus sounds and I can say without question that the Taurus is the best R2R DAC I have had in my listening room. The sound is very detailed and full of life while having a softness that is so alluring. A great place to hear the Taurus's abilities was listening to Billy Strings and his new album Renewal. I love the song "Secrets".

Billy's band is incredible, but it is all about Billy. There is a reason he has been lauded the future of bluegrass and the best young guitar player on the planet. Bluegrass and the Taurus with ZMF's new Caldera Closed is just an incredible combination. I could happily live with this sound and never complain.

The X2 Pure takes a different path, but equally as wonderful. Its micro focus allows all of the detail and macro properties of my amps and the Caldera Closed to lay bare. The X2 Pure is fast, dynamic and honest. It is no more or less neutral than the Taurus. It just doesn't have that softness of the Taurus or the soundstage size which makes it a better listen for me with the ECAF. It counters with speed, dynamics and incredible transients. However, I wouldn't consider either the winner. I think they are lateral when it comes to sound quality. If you haven't had a chance to hear the Caldera Closed, you owe it to yourself as that headphone is so sweet, enveloping, fast and full of detail and top end resolution. It isn't the sonic scalpel that the Caldera Open is, but the thicker mid-band and slightly elevated bass pairs incredibly well with the Taurus and the X2 Pure.

One of the main reasons I prefer the X2 Pure is that it has more flexibility being Roon Ready and that for me is very important. So, while sonically the Taurus is more than up to the task, the X2 Pure allows me to do more with my system and that gives me more comfort. It is not a matter of better, just a matter of synergy with how my system is set up. Either DAC could easily live in my system and the music flowing would be reference level.

X2 Pure vs Corda Soul MK2:
This is a tough comparison as the Corda Soul is an AIO and you cannot isolate the DAC without engaging the Preamp and for me that isn't my use case for the Soul. I use the Soul principally as an AIO. I can say that the Soul is as good an AIO as I've heard and I have heard many, including the Bartok Apex and many others. It is that good. The DAC on the Soul is tremendous. It is fast, round, detailed and full of resolution. It is also extremely neutral while being simultaneously musical and full of micro and low level detail. But, it is hard to know how much the Soul's incredible amp is affecting the sound. For that reason I cannot say whether the Soul's DAC is better or worse. I can only say that they are both to my preference and that my use case for each is very different.

Both the X2 Pure and Soul are neutral and incredibly balanced at their core and neither has any edge or peaks to the sound. They are extremely smooth, round and full of musicality. I love them both and the X2 Pure being Roon Ready allows me to use them both as endpoints and that makes them a tie for me. I love knowing they are both at the ready with a push of a button.

Conclusion:
The X2 Pure is an incredibly flexible, musical and unique device. I personally believe they were very smart to pull out the headphone amp and use that space to make the very best DAC and Streamer they could. Some may feel the price is high for a Matrix product, but I can attest after hearing many DACs up to $15,000 and beyond that the X2 Pure punches way above its price class and for your $4500 you get a world class DAC and Streamer with easy to use UI, a great App, Roon Ready, and most importantly, fantastic sound. Two big Thumbs Up! I like the X2 Pure so much that I bought my review sample and have been happily living with it in my system for almost a year. Bravo Matrix for creating a product that is so easy on the ears and wonderful to use.