[ScubadudeSA]

Quoting myself from another forum ... seems to fit in here quite nicely ...
 
 
After previously posting some less than flattering comments about the Audeze Deckard on this and other forums I picked up a lightly used unit. I have now spent some serious time with this DAC/amp and am a changed man. This is a $700 amp that gives my usual $3500 SPL / Wadia rig a very good run. Not better I would say but certainly not significantly worse. Even if the Deckard is a molested Matrix M-Stage under that sleek BMW Designworks styled exterior, I now rate this as one of the best values in head-fi .... authority and finesse, clarity and warmth, and a wonderfully involving presentation of the sound stage. Mega bang for buck here!
 
OK, so I did a bit of reading on the similarities (and more importantly differences) between the Deckard and the Matrix M-Stage HPA-3U. Pics of the innards of the two amps can be found here ... http://www.head-fi.org/t/749486/audeze-deckard-class-a-amp-usb-dac/120#post_11872066 and http://www.head-fi.org/products/matrix-m-stage/reviews/13475

Clearly a lot of shared design and components here, but not identical. In all cases Deckard first, M-Stage second:

- DAC Chip: TI Burr Brown PCM5102A vs TI DSD1793
- DAC Resolution: 32/384 (no DSD) vs 24/192 and DSD64
- Power Supply: Uprated vs standard
- Component Mounting: Through-board vs surface mount
- Component Selection: Different output stage caps
- Buffer Stage: Discreet "diamond buffer" vs integrated circuit
- Exterior Industrial Design: BMW Designworks vs Chinese utilitarian
- Output Impedance: 3 ohm vs 0.4 ohm
- Power Output: 4W at 20 ohms, 795mW at 33ohms, 465mW at 300ohms, 235mW at 600ohms vs 2800mW at 33ohms / 420mW at 300ohms / 210mW at 600ohms at THD+N=0.01%
- Mass: 2.1 kg / 4.6 lbs vs 1.7 kg / 3.75 lbs
- Price: US$699 vs US$419

So definately not identical twins these! I have not heard the M-Stage but after spending some quality time with the Deckard I am quite smitten!

 

[TWerk]

It sure is a great amp, and amp + dac combo unit to use as a USB all-in-one solution. So sexy too!

 

[Pharmaboy]

  Quoting myself from another forum ... seems to fit in here quite nicely ...
 
 
After previously posting some less than flattering comments about the Audeze Deckard on this and other forums I picked up a lightly used unit. I have now spent some serious time with this DAC/amp and am a changed man. This is a $700 amp that gives my usual $3500 SPL / Wadia rig a very good run. Not better I would say but certainly not significantly worse. Even if the Deckard is a molested Matrix M-Stage under that sleek BMW Designworks styled exterior, I now rate this as one of the best values in head-fi .... authority and finesse, clarity and warmth, and a wonderfully involving presentation of the sound stage. Mega bang for buck here!
 
OK, so I did a bit of reading on the similarities (and more importantly differences) between the Deckard and the Matrix M-Stage HPA-3U. Pics of the innards of the two amps can be found here ... http://www.head-fi.org/t/749486/audeze-deckard-class-a-amp-usb-dac/120#post_11872066 and http://www.head-fi.org/products/matrix-m-stage/reviews/13475

Clearly a lot of shared design and components here, but not identical. In all cases Deckard first, M-Stage second:

- DAC Chip: TI Burr Brown PCM5102A vs TI DSD1793
- DAC Resolution: 32/384 (no DSD) vs 24/192 and DSD64
- Power Supply: Uprated vs standard
- Component Mounting: Through-board vs surface mount
- Component Selection: Different output stage caps
- Buffer Stage: Discreet "diamond buffer" vs integrated circuit
- Exterior Industrial Design: BMW Designworks vs Chinese utilitarian
- Output Impedance: 3 ohm vs 0.4 ohm
- Power Output: 4W at 20 ohms, 795mW at 33ohms, 465mW at 300ohms, 235mW at 600ohms vs 2800mW at 33ohms / 420mW at 300ohms / 210mW at 600ohms at THD+N=0.01%
- Mass: 2.1 kg / 4.6 lbs vs 1.7 kg / 3.75 lbs
- Price: US$699 vs US$419

So definately not identical twins these! I have not heard the M-Stage but after spending some quality time with the Deckard I am quite smitten!

 
"Even if the Deckard is a molested Matrix M-Stage under that sleek BMW Designworks styled exterior, I now rate this as one of the best values in head-fi .... authority and finesse, clarity and warmth, and a wonderfully involving presentation of the sound stage. Mega bang for buck here!"
 
Molested Matrix M-Stage! Awesome word-smithing there.
 
Well, I'm fascinated by this post. I've been jonesing over the Audeze (on & off) for months, and this really ups the ante (this + the previous post about great bass w/the Audeze--I'm a total bass 'ho).
 
"clarity and warmth" being a truly rare combination, I'm really interested.
 
I flat-out love the original Matrix M-Stage HPA-1, so much so that I bought 2, 1 for me, 1 for my brother. Listening to it right now. It's a warm, lush, just-relax-and-listen HP amp & preamp (terrific pre-amp). By contrast, the HPA-3U has been described as the HPA-1 shorn of the warmth & romance: very accurate, flat, even clinical (in other words, count me).
 
So I'm even more interested in the way people describe the Audeze, in light of its evident lineage as a re-badged (or reimagined) HPA-3U. Clearly, more than just that sexy exterior has been changed.
 
I really have too many headphone amps (and a couple HP amp/preamps) already. But I'm interested in this one, all the same.

 

[TWerk]

Anyone use this with an HD650? I'm curious for the HD6XX drop coming up.

 

[harpo1]

  Anyone use this with an HD650? I'm curious for the HD6XX drop coming up.

Drives them with no problem with plenty of head-room left to spare.  Sound great too!

 

[Dkoukou]

Just allow the Deckard at least 30 minutes of warm-up before any listening session.
It definitely improves sonically when the upper lid gets warm to the touch.

 

[DanDorn]

The best review I could give the Deckard (for a DAC/amp in its price range) is this:
 
I purchased the Deckard to replace my Centrance Dacmini CX mac desktop unit, which I'd had in place for years. I'd always thought it was pretty good. Then I bought the Deckard because, well, I just needed something new -- a new toy, which Head-Fi-ers can relate to. I was really impressed with the Deckard, thinking, "wow, this is a great improvement." I'd put the Centrance away, thinking I'd sell it on ebay eventually.
 
Then, the other day I decided as an experiment to switch back to the Centrance to do a comparison to the Deckard (and mInd you, the Centrance is about 100 bucks more expensive than the Deckard). WOW. By comparison, the Centrance was a dud to me. I found the midrange to be recessed and lifeless, the soundstage small, and the highs anemic. The Deckar bests it on all counts. No where near as flat-out brilliant as the Chord Hugo when I hook it up to my Mac, but a great sound at its price range.

 

[Scott Branham]

For Deckard fans/owners, how would the Denon d5000 pair? I will have and LCD-2, DT770 Pro, HE-400s, and d5000 and would like a an amp that can make them all sing to potential.

 

[Hifi59]

For Deckard fans/owners, how would the Denon d5000 pair? I will have and LCD-2, DT770 Pro, HE-400s, and d5000 and would like a an amp that can make them all sing to potential.

I have heard all LCDs,fostex th-900 ( similar signature to d-5000) and Hifiman with the Deckard and they all sound great! It also drives my rather inefficient LCD-4 headphones nicely. A lot of bang for the buck with this amp.

 

[TWerk]

Also, the lower the impedance, the more power (watts) the amp can provide.
 
It does like 4 watts into 20 ohms, so those lower impedance Denon and Fostex cans should have ear deafening levels of volume with the Deckard.

 

[TWerk]

I have heard all LCDs,fostex th-900 ( similar signature to d-5000) and Hifiman with the Deckard and they all sound great! It also drives my rather inefficient LCD-4 headphones nicely. A lot of bang for the buck with this amp.

 
I wish I had my Deckard when I owned the TH900. Many seem to say it is a great match.

 

[Scott Branham]

I have heard all LCDs,fostex th-900 ( similar signature to d-5000) and Hifiman with the Deckard and they all sound great! It also drives my rather inefficient LCD-4 headphones nicely. A lot of bang for the buck with this amp.

​Thanks for giving you opinion on those Hifi59. Glad to know as I decided to take the plunge for the Deckard. Maybe in a few days I will get to experience it for myself!

 

[ironpeg]

Just picked up Deckard. It drives LCD-3 pretty good on high gain.

 

[pmronline]

  Just picked up Deckard. It drives LCD-3 pretty good on high gain.

My Deckard drives LCD-2F in low gain and pretty loud in medium gain.  Did not (want to) try high gain!

 

[pmronline]

  It powers the LCD2.2s just fine, even on low gain. I think their literature kinda sells the amp short of its capability. The K1000 is actually too loud for me past about 2 O'Clock on the dial. I just bought this for my work rig, but it is really very good.

BTW, what is the ideal gain setting for LCD-2Fs - low or medium?