[Articnoise]

 
I use the M11 with Marantz PM11 amp/Harbeth SHL5 and I find the M11 at max output works best 4 me..

 

I have bought a used Marantz PM11 S1, but have not tried it yet. 

 

[defbear]

Oops missed my quote

Congratulations on getting M11 working. Here is an added thought that may be useful. On Windows machines many times you have to go into Control Panel and choose your output device. Sometimes you do not need Control Panel if your music player allows you to choose output source. So if it worked and stops working, check that your machine is pointing at the correct output.

 

[bimmer100]

  I would advise not judging based on dac chip. a lot of people here like to generalize about different dac sound signatures based on the chip used, but I do feel like I've heard a bit of variation with quite a few different dacs that use the same dac chip. there are nice and poor implementations for any dac chip.
 
I would definitely recommend trying out some r2r dacs as well, but honestly there are some very nice sounding delta sigma dacs out there as well. r2r dacs are more expensive typically because those dac chips are out of production or no longer mass-produced.
 
the price of the dac chip or the type of dac chip or brand name of dac chip doesn't always correlate with the performance of the dac.

Well, I've heard a couple R2R dac's and close to a dozen Sabre dac's that are fairly highly rated and expensive too. other delta sigma like the Mousai MSD192 (Wolfson WM8740) and the "other" sabre dac from Ayre QB-9 is a great implementation. My ears tell me one thing, I still prefer my M11 R2R or even the DAC19. That's my opinion and I appreciate yours as well. We all hear differently. I never said Sabre dac's don't sound good. My NFB28 is pretty darn good compared to most all the sabre dac's i've heard. Personally I can't stand most dac's from Schiit. Each company has their own signature sound, each computer implements the dac chip differently. I agree with that much. But all the sabre's i've heard have a distinct sound to them, some more than others. Nothing has come close to the sound of the M11 in my opinion.
I hate to generalize dac's based on the chip alone...there are many variables that can make or break a dac's true audio performance. 
 
R2R dac's are not only expensive for the reasons you mentioned. the main reason is production cost. laser trimmed etc.
 
 
Give them all a listen and decide then.  hopefully you'll be listening to them all with the same headphones and under the same or similar conditions. 
I've tried a bit of a/b testing with my M11 under my own comfortable setting in my office.
 
http://www.mother-of-tone.com/conversion.htm
 
http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue65/dac.htm
 
http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue66/dsd.htm

 

[munce31]

  Well, I've heard a couple R2R dac's and close to a dozen Sabre dac's that are fairly highly rated and expensive too. other delta sigma like the Mousai MSD192 (Wolfson WM8740) and the "other" sabre dac from Ayre QB-9 is a great implementation. My ears tell me one thing, I still prefer my M11 R2R or even the DAC19. That's my opinion and I appreciate yours as well. We all hear differently. I never said Sabre dac's don't sound good. My NFB28 is pretty darn good compared to most all the sabre dac's i've heard. Personally I can't stand most dac's from Schiit. Each company has their own signature sound, each computer implements the dac chip differently. I agree with that much. But all the sabre's i've heard have a distinct sound to them, some more than others. Nothing has come close to the sound of the M11 in my opinion.
I hate to generalize dac's based on the chip alone...there are many variables that can make or break a dac's true audio performance. 
 
R2R dac's are not only expensive for the reasons you mentioned. the main reason is production cost. laser trimmed etc.
 
 
Give them all a listen and decide then.  hopefully you'll be listening to them all with the same headphones and under the same or similar conditions. 
I've tried a bit of a/b testing with my M11 under my own comfortable setting in my office.
 
http://www.mother-of-tone.com/conversion.htm
 
http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue65/dac.htm
 
http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue66/dsd.htm

Thanks for those articles. Those were an interesting read and have 'opened' my eyes. 
 
I think you've convinced me to go for the M11 now and considering it is only a couple of hundred (not thousands) more than the NFB-27H, it kind of makes it a no-brainer.
 
Does anyone know if Audio gd allow for split payment?

 

[Youth]

  Thanks for those articles. Those were an interesting read and have 'opened' my eyes. 
 
I think you've convinced me to go for the M11 now and considering it is only a couple of hundred (not thousands) more than the NFB-27H, it kind of makes it a no-brainer.
 
Does anyone know if Audio gd allow for split payment?

 
They do

 

[munce31]

Okay, i've just sent an inquiry for a quote to audio gd. 

 

[bimmer100]

  Okay, i've just sent an inquiry for a quote to audio gd. 

when I ordered my M11 I had to do some split payments too. It was a bit of an expense I didn't quite plan for. Yet definitely DO NOT regret the purchase in the slightest.

 

[TomNC]

Hello,
 
    I wonder anybody here can comment on the imaging capability of the M11. Now I have a Gungir Multibit. I am pleased with its dynamic range, sound stage, resolution, and tonality (though I can appreciate a touch more warmth and lushness). The only area I think it is lacking is imaging---separation of individual instruments/voices and rendering each sound with clear definition of border and texture as if you can "see" or "touch" each of them in the perceived stage space. To me, that is one of the hallmarks of audiophile system from my experiences of listening to high-end speaker systems.
 
    As a reference, I think AURALiC Vega is a good DAC (coupled with Taurus MK II amp) that can do imaging to my satisfaction.
 
    Where does the M11 stand on imaging ability? If it does well, it may be a good option for my next purchase as I am searching for a good amp to drive my HD800 and HE6.
 
    Thanks.

 

[cans4dessert]

  What are your impressions?
 
Have you tried connecting your phone via an OTG adaptor via USB?

I've been listening to two different setups:
M11 --> HD800 (single ended)
M11 --> Beta22 --> HD800 (single ended)
 
The DAC part of M11 is for sure a huge step up from my ODAC (keep in mind that my M11 is at a mere 8hr mark). I wish I had more experience with DACs but ODAC has been my primary for a long while now. Here are some of the common improvements I found with M11 DAC section through the two setups mentioned above:
- instrument resolution is improved especially within complex passages
- music sounds more full and lush, and soundstage has definitely improved
- like many people with R2R experience said, the instruments do sound more realistic to my ears
 
With the amp section of M11 though, I must say it sounds quite different from my B22. M11 amp sounds more relaxed (even a bit slow i would say), notes are rounded, some frequencies sound a little bit veiled. I cannot tell which frequencies exactly, but an instrument such as a cello sounds not as pronounced, feels very distant and out of focus ... My B22 however is full of energy, has better attack of notes and has blacker background and is more engaging.
 
I hope the amp section of M11 improves as it burns in. I especially hope that my M11 amp section is not faulty lol. Only time will tell.
And unfortunately, I don't have a balanced cable for my HD800 so I can't try out and see if it would sound better and more energetic through heaphone balanced out.
Does anyone have any experience with HD800 SE vs. Balanced on M11 through the headphone out? I do plan on getting balanced cable before the end of the year though. Maybe i will grab one around Black Friday.

 

[cans4dessert]

Oops missed my quote

Congratulations on getting M11 working. Here is an added thought that may be useful. On Windows machines many times you have to go into Control Panel and choose your output device. Sometimes you do not need Control Panel if your music player allows you to choose output source. So if it worked and stops working, check that your machine is pointing at the correct output.

Thanks! everything is working fine now except that when I play through Foobar2000, the first second of each track gets cut off. It's just a minor annoyance. Also, my windows system sound gets cut off in the middle (such as the "ding" sound that's played when I double click to open a folder) which is also not a big deal. I wonder if there is a solution to this. If not, i can still live with it.

 

[pervysage]

  Thanks! everything is working fine now except that when I play through Foobar2000, the first second of each track gets cut off. It's just a minor annoyance. Also, my windows system sound gets cut off in the middle (such as the "ding" sound that's played when I double click to open a folder) which is also not a big deal. I wonder if there is a solution to this. If not, i can still live with it.

 
I have this same issue and would like some input from other owners as well on this. Are you playing through ASIO by the way?
 
I only get the issue when playing through ASIO. Playing through DS is fine.
 
Like you said, not the biggest deal in the world.

 

[cans4dessert]

   
I have this same issue and would like some input from other owners as well on this. Are you playing through ASIO by the way?
 
I only get the issue when playing through ASIO. Playing through DS is fine.
 
Like you said, not the biggest deal in the world.

I get that when I play through either WASAPI (event) or WASAPI (push). When I play through DS, it is still there but the initial cut off is much much shorter.

 

[Rockin_Zombie]

yes I have the same issue. Never bothered to find a fix, as it's not that big a deal. 

 

[Ivan303]

  yes I have the same issue. Never bothered to find a fix, as it's not that big a deal. 

Are these issue unique to USB/Windows or are they across the board; i.e. OS-X, S/PDIF, etc.?

 

[Rockin_Zombie]

  Are these issue unique to USB/Windows or are they across the board; i.e. OS-X, S/PDIF, etc.?

I am pretty sure it's just a driver issue, so just windows.