[MickeyVee]

Well.. just ordered the Audinst based on project86's review.. great review BTW & thanks!! It's going to replace my Arcam R-Pac which I'm not too thrilled with (going up for sale on the weekend). There are times where I just want to run my external speakers or just use my headphones without firing up the Schiit Stack and waiting for the tubes to warm up.  Glad to hear that it pairs well with the HE500 (and hopefully the Sen HD700). Also like the fact that it has 1/8 in jack so I can use my vModa M100's without an adaptor.  I can see that it may definitely have multiple uses for me. Was surprised that within a hour of the eBay order, I got shipping confirmation.  Sweet! it's just a waiting game now.

 

[aikoN]

The only place to buy MX2 is ebay?
 
Does anyone want to sell me used MX2? From Europe!
 

 

[Verloren]

AFAIK, yes, eBay only. You don't pay shipping though. =P

 

[MickeyVee]

I ordered mine via eBay. No shipping charges and it came surprisingly quickly considering it ships out of South Korea. I never get stuff this fast when I order from the US.
 
Just picked it up from the post office about 1/2 an hour ago and fired it up with my HD700.  Not bad at all. With some of the entry level amps I've tried (Schiit Magni, Arcam rPAC) I literally had to rip the HD700 off my head.. way too bright.  Not sure I call this little puppy energetic as the HD700 would bring that out right away.  This may be a great combo for casual listening with the HD700.  Right out of the box I noticed a better soundstage than my AQ DragonFly. Nice start.
 
Only listened to one song with the HE500 and it seems to be straining a little just on USB power.  I'm not sure that I even want to go with the plug unless I want to use my iPad Mini as the source.  
 
I'll let it run and break in over the next few days. Any suggestions on break in time?
 
 
Quote:

AFAIK, yes, eBay only. You don't pay shipping though. =P

 

[Kema]

Im deciding between this and the O2+ODAC Combo, can anyone help?

 

[rock-solid]

Just want to let you briefly know that the MX2 drives my 600-Ohm-Cans quite well. Volume knob is about 12-1 o´clock with the 880 and 11-12 o´clock with the 990 (as they are in real 560 Ohms). Resolution is great. Lowest bass-notes on the 880s could probably be better. With the 990s I´m satisfied over all frequencies. For sure will a dedicated tube-amp drive them even better - but the output of the Audinst is very pleasing.
Quite stunning is the possibility to drive both 600-Ohm-cans at the same time with this tiny box.

 

[akinari-kun]

I'm not looking at the MX2, but at the MX1 rather, but the MX1 thread has died quite some time ago. Can any MX2 owner (or ex-MX1 owner?) chime in on the quality of the volume adjustment on the MX2/MX1? I'm looking to use it to power my Fostex PM0.4n monitors via line out, volume adjustment is something I place very high on my priority list since the ODAC and the Modi don't offer volume adjustment and the volume knobs are on the rear of my monitors, very inconvenient.
 
Does lowering the volume (from max?) on the MX1/MX2 "decrease" SQ at all? Assuming it's analog volume attenuation, bit perfect audio can still be achieved/does not effect SQ? 
 
Wondering if the MX1/MX2 would be the same as Windows volume, where it's best to leave it at 100% and adjust volume from the monitors instead, but since it's so inconveniently located on my monitors, I would like to adjust the volume on the MX1/MX2 itself, want to know if it would effect SQ in any way.
 
Thanks!

 

[lithium1085]

Quote:

I'm not looking at the MX2, but at the MX1 rather, but the MX1 thread has died quite some time ago. Can any MX2 owner (or ex-MX1 owner?) chime in on the quality of the volume adjustment on the MX2/MX1? I'm looking to use it to power my Fostex PM0.4n monitors via line out, volume adjustment is something I place very high on my priority list since the ODAC and the Modi don't offer volume adjustment and the volume knobs are on the rear of my monitors, very inconvenient.
 
Does lowering the volume (from max?) on the MX1/MX2 "decrease" SQ at all? Assuming it's analog volume attenuation, bit perfect audio can still be achieved/does not effect SQ? 
 
Wondering if the MX1/MX2 would be the same as Windows volume, where it's best to leave it at 100% and adjust volume from the monitors instead, but since it's so inconveniently located on my monitors, I would like to adjust the volume on the MX1/MX2 itself, want to know if it would effect SQ in any way.
 
Thanks!

I don't have an audinst, but since the volume attenuation is in the analog domain, I wouldn't expect any decrease in sound quality. Someone with an audinst can chime in as well.....

 

[akinari-kun]

I would like my DAC to have volume attenuation built-in, but sometimes I wonder if it's best just to skip all that stuff to avoid possible sources of distortion/another thing breaking down and go with something barebones like a Modi or an ODAC. I need an Audinst owner to confirm 100% than the volume attenuation works perfectly fine on line out, and Windows volume can be left at 100%

 

[project86]

For the mx1, some people had issues with low volume channel tracking. Once it opened up to 25% or so it would even out. This is a common problem with many amps, and it was hit or miss on the mx1 - some people had it, some didn't. I also heard some complaints of "static" during volume adjustments - again a common problem with other amps as well.
 
So far I've not heard of any problems with the mx2 at all. Seems they updated the potentiometer or just used a better QA process. I leave my Windows volume set at 100% and then use the mx2 for volume since my speakers also have the knob to the rear. It works great. 

 

[akinari-kun]

Awesome, thanks for the info. Now I will just have to convince myself that the $100 premium on the MX2 is actually worth it over an ODAC, which may better suit my needs as the headphone amp portion of the Audinst is a complete waste for me as I don't use very high impedance cans, and I won't for some time. 

 

[Ipzd123]

Currently I am in the market to buy a DAC/amp combo and I am not looking to spend too much. I am trying to decide between the mx1 and mx2. If I can get the original mx1 used for around $120 give or take $10 would that be a good amp/dac for the AKG K272 HD (same driver as K272 MKII) or would it be overly bright or cold sounding? Would I see much difference between the mx1 and mx2 for my low impedence, low sensitivity cans? Used mx2's are hard to come by because it's a newer product, but let's say I can get it for $180-190, would it be better than the mx1 for $120 for my application, price over performance. Compared to the mx1 and mx2, how does the Aune T1 stack up (with upgraded tubes for $170), or is it a bad match for the AKG's I have? Sorry for all the questions, I am just a bit lost here and a noob in terms of amps and dacs. Thank you for any help. 

 

[Modulus]

Can anyone share a more detailed comparison against the O2/ODAC and Schiit stack?
 
Thanks!

 

[doco]

i just noticed there is a slight channel imbalance on the right channel. i have to turn up the volume knob on the amp until i hear the right channel seems to even out with the left. anyone else have this problem? it's a bit annoying since i prefer to have windows and the source at 100% volume while controlling the volume with the amp knob.

 

[xProvidence]

I have channel imbalance as well at low volumes. My chain is 100% at windows > 100% at Winamp > 10 o'clock with the mx2 using Mad Dogs. The left channel is noticeable stronger than the right, but it fixes itself after past the first tick so its not really an issue for me.