[Ivan303]

   
 
 
 
also consider the RJ45 to HDMI I2S option if you want to upgrade to an external high performance DDC...the OR6 is in beta stages...said to use the xmos IC, and I wonder if it will be the new 16core Xmos. anyhow, RJ45 isn't as common as HDMI or ideal. But Audio-gd uses it's own pinout for I2S HDMI. I had my Gustard U12 modded with a new IC that corrected the Pinout for HDMI I2S. also new crystek clocks and 3300uF Panasonic Caps. Anyhow, you can always add the HDMI module later, but its cheaper to just order it now and not worry about it later if you want to try it out.
 
-T

 
Thanks

 

[bimmer100]

 Pretty sure I have no idea what a DDC or an OR6 are or exactly what I would be using the HDMI to I2S for in the future?
 
Any explanation appreciated.
 
TIA

the OR6 is the Empiral Audio Off Ramp 6.
it's in beta stages now...but the OR5 is considered an excellent I2S DDC(digital to digital convertor) takes USB signal input, converts to I2S and streams out through an HDMI cable into the HDMI I2S port of the Master 11 and is most direct this way and keeps potential interference outside of the master11.the amanero I believe does basically the same thing yet USB PHY IC can create a lot of noise and is located closely to to internals of the master11. I don't know or claim to know the technical side of this. Take what I say with a grain of salt  Soundstage can be slightly different with the OR5, OR6, Gustard U12, Breeze Audio, HydraZ, PUC2 and a few others i'm likely missing.
 
But really... 
 
You probably don't need them, I just like to tweak and squeeze a little extra out of everything. Aka audiophool. I'm likely wasting my time and money in the opinion of some people. That's ok. 
 
They offer it for a reason, it's a way to bypass all the onboard components and direct stream to the dac. The amanero combo 384 (factory USB input for the Master11) takes the usb signal and sends it I2S, and does quite well, so save your money and likely you'll be happy with that. I just have the obsession to tweak and try new things. As do many people on headfi. Join the Gustard U12 thread and learn how passionate some of those guys are with modding their stuff. 

 

[bimmer100]

bimmer100: Are you sure about that? From what I have heard from Mr. Kingwa it seems that Master 11 is kinda like Reference 10.32 on steroids. And Reference 10.32 when used with SE headphones or via RCA SE uses all 4 PCM1704UKs.

After getting a reply from Kingwa. I stand corrected! All 4 are used in SE mode as well. And he recommends 24x5 running only to reset software of the dsp... Not for heat reasons

I need to hunt down the thread where I was told only two pcm1704uk's are used in SE and be sure to let that guy know. I guess that's what I get for assuming he knew what he was talking about.

 

[defbear]

What does 24X5 mean. Does that mean leave it on all week and turn it off on the weekends?

 

[wmedrz]

  What does 24X5 mean. Does that mean leave it on all week and turn it off on the weekends?

I think he means to turn it off for a little while. Not 2 days. 
 
It makes me really happy to see many purchasing this wonderful product.

 

[bimmer100]

What does 24X5 mean. Does that mean leave it on all week and turn it off on the weekends?

That's what Kingwa wrote and I interpreted the same. Just need to turn it off for a little bit to reset the dsp.

 

[pervysage]

So the M11 needs to always be kept running to sound its best? You can't just turn it off and turn it on when you want to listen? 
 
Why does he suggest running it 24x5?

 

[Rockin_Zombie]

So the M11 needs to always be kept running to sound its best? You can't just turn it off and turn it on when you want to listen? 

Why does he suggest running it 24x5?

There's no such requirement. What kingwa meant is the opposite,DON'T run it 24x7.if you really want to keep it on at least turn off for two days a week. It's a class A amp so generates considerable heat. I'd just turn it on when needed.

 

[bimmer100]

There's no such requirement. What kingwa meant is the opposite,DON'T run it 24x7.if you really want to keep it on at least turn off for two days a week. It's a class A amp so generates considerable heat. I'd just turn it on when needed.

On the flip side to all this. I believe it sounds better once it's warmed up about 24hours. And seems to sound its best in the late hours of the night. But takes at least 8 hours to warm up to sound pretty good. So I like to leave mine on all the time. And just turn it off briefly once in a while. For 5min, and restart. He said it's not really a heat issue. It's likely the stutters I had were related to the dsp needing to be reset. He compared it to windows... Hahaha. Needs a reboot once in a while. Lol

 

[pervysage]

On the flip side to all this. I believe it sounds better once it's warmed up about 24hours. And seems to sound its best in the late hours of the night. But takes at least 8 hours to warm up to sound pretty good. So I like to leave mine on all the time. And just turn it off briefly once in a while. For 5min, and restart. He said it's not really a heat issue. It's likely the stutters I had were related to the dsp needing to be reset. He compared it to windows... Hahaha. Needs a reboot once in a while. Lol

 
Interesting..
 
Expecting the M11 to be delivered tomorrow! 

 
 
I hope single-ended performance will mull me over till I can get my hands on a good balanced cable. I'm looking to get the Draug 2 but need to wait until they have the color I want in stock (right now they only have the clear copper). Will probably have to live with single-ended for at least a month or two. M11 performance should still be pretty darn good single-ended, no?
 
I could get something cheaper in the meantime but don't really want to waste money on something knowing that I will just want to upgrade it later down the road. Going to go for the big guns right away 

 

 

[Khragon]

Just bought this cable, HD800 sound stage opens up a bit and bass hit a bit harder, which is very welcoming, best part is $126 shipped for 15 feet XLR cable.
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/221506101403
 
Check it out.
 
I do plan to get Norne later too, but not yet ready to drop $400+.
Later when I did upgrade to Norne, I plan to re-terminate this cable and turn it into an XLR extension, win-win I think.

 

[defbear]

Here's my two cents on current Master 11 topics. My M11 is plus nothing. Plain vanilla except I changed the rj11 to hdmi. Thank you Bimmer100 for telling me what it's good for.
WARM UP: Mine sounds better warmed up. It's easy. Listen to a tune with M11 cold and come back an hour later and re-listen. And I just mean an hour or so. 10 hours does not make it sound better. I let the thing run for three days with music playing through HD800's at normal listening volumes. I had fun doing other fun tests. I was concerned that this was going to be an Yggystradil needing to be left on in order to sound good. Nah! M11 sounds good out of the box. I first plugged in HD800's and upon first listen I was relieved that I hadn't made a mistake. It sounds way better now. At the heart of it, M11 is just a specialized computer built to do one turn - key task. The DAC has to deal with a variety of inputs feeding data from various operating systems and I don't know what else. They need to be turned off for about 20 seconds every once in a while. You won't lose your 'heat'.
I bet Kingwa was was being very literal. It seems they work a 5 day week. I bet they turn the sample units on when they come in Monday and turn them off Friday evening. In the photos they look pretty bundled up. The machines could be a source of heat. Seriously I have M11 in a spot where I can utilize it's warmth this winter.
Bimmer100, you are not wasting your time or money. I play guitar and all of us are forever tweaking our setup. We all keep searching for the holy grail of tone. I quit when there was nothing else to possess. There are far more harmful things to do than collect and use some nice audio equipment. Unless it's running up credit cards that can't be paid off.
The M11 is the right track. I can listen for hours with my balanced hd800's. And I listen to some pretty shricky stuff.
And the blue SE cable looks beautiful. I have one from another popular ebay seller but I can't recommend it. Thanks for the ebay link

 

[pervysage]

  Just bought this cable, HD800 sound stage opens up a bit and bass hit a bit harder, which is very welcoming, best part is $126 shipped for 15 feet XLR cable.
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/221506101403
 
Check it out.
 
I do plan to get Norne later too, but not yet ready to drop $400+.
Later when I did upgrade to Norne, I plan to re-terminate this cable and turn it into an XLR extension, win-win I think.

 
Oooh, that looks nice! How long did it take to get it after placing your order? One thing I noticed for custom cable sites is some of the wait times can get pretty insane.
 
Does cable length play any role in sound quality? (for example, getting a really long run?) If it's the same price, I'm thinking might as well get the 15ft so I can listen to the HD800 while I lay in bed 

 

[Khragon]

   
Oooh, that looks nice! How long did it take to get it after placing your order? One thing I noticed for custom cable sites is some of the wait times can get pretty insane.
 
Does cable length play any role in sound quality? (for example, getting a really long run?) If it's the same price, I'm thinking might as well get the 15ft so I can listen to the HD800 while I lay in bed 

Haha, listening on my bed is exactly the reason why I got 15 feet, not sure if sound quality suffered from 10' to 15', technically it make sense that there will be additional cable resistance at longer length, but 5' really isn't much difference at all.
 
The cable was shipped out in a week after I place the order, and took another 3-4 days to get to me.  It's good to check the lead time first with elo-studio, I was quoted a week and that what it took.

 

[PiNa.cz]

There's no such requirement. What kingwa meant is the opposite,DON'T run it 24x7.if you really want to keep it on at least turn off for two days a week. It's a class A amp so generates considerable heat. I'd just turn it on when needed.

 
For Reference 10.32 (predecessor of Master 11) Mr. Kingwa recommended using it only up to 8 hours in one run. There is a lot of heat generated inside and longer runs decrease longevity of its components - especially electrolytic capacitors. Dunno how it goes with Master 11 but Reference 10.32 is quite hot after couple of hours of listening.
 
Previously I had DAC19MK3 SE + C2C headamp + K702. At the beginning it was mind blowing combo but after couple of years I decided I need more and moved to Reference 10.32 + balanced HD800 and it was end game setup for me. When Master 11 came out I have asked Mr. Kingwa if it is worth to sell it and get Master 11 instead and he said NO, the difference is not that big to be worth it. So I decided to keep it, will upgrade its USB32 to Anamero one day and that is it. If you are into classical, jazz or other acoustic music this is the combo to get - I mean Master 11 + balanced HD800.