I think the ”appreciation” oh the Master 9 and HE9 most likely depends on where you are located. As I mentioned in a previous post the AudioGD products do not seem to be as highly regarded here in the US as they are overseas. AudioGD is partially to blame in that they do not have a presence, such as dealers here in the US, like they do elsewhere. Also, we have the Audioscience reviews that are negative. It would probably be good for Kingwa to work with them as it’s not helping the companys’ rep to ignore them or at least appear to work with them.
Don't get my wrong I think the HE9 is awesome. As a preamp in my system it has produced beautiful sound... especially when I had my sotm in my chain. But I have so many people whispering in my ear or shouting about how crap audio gd is. So it makes me wonder are all other amps truly a lot better? 1 guy heard the master9 and said it was 'crap' and said the BHA1 was far superior.
I would really like to compare that. I would be really surprised if the bha1 was that far superior. My other friend who loves the master 9 had the dynhai and beta 22 amps and found master 9 to be at least at the same level.
Hey dudes, so people around me talking a lot of crap about master 9. I have the HE9 and I really enjoy it but I wonder for those of you heard master 9 and HE9... what amps have you compared it to? How did it compare?
I bought my Master 9 7 years ago. I have compared the M9 to a few amps and have found it to be good for the price. To me, it’s better or equal to most SS headphone amps, but not as good as a better speaker amp, which will cost much more.
My evaluation includes: Burson Soloist, Simaudio Moon HAD 430/230, Ifi micro idsd black label, Ifi Pro iCAN, Simaudio Moon 600i v1, Kinki Studio EX-M1, Marantz PM11, Advantage A 300.
Simaudio Moon 600i v1 and Kinki Studio EX-M1 is clearly better sounding, while HAD 430 and Marantz PM11 are more side steps when clearly better IMO.
Picked up a sweet Master 19 on Saturday from a local headphone enthusiast. I have been eyeing the M9 for 6 or 7 years but it was either travel or gear. COVID has me stuck at home with no place to go and this M19 showed up at the perfect time.
I guess it doesn't matter now but I'm kicking myself for not getting a Master 9 years ago. I'm loving the Master 19, driving headphones with total ease and control.
I love all types of music but every album I have put on so far has been either rock and roll or electronic. Rock for the slam and power, electronic for the separation, sound stage and clarity. Looking forward to going through the blues, jazz, indie, psychedelia...all that beautiful music.
I initially bought my Master 9 to drive SZ2000's to see if I could make myself sick while listening to bassy songs (lol) but it is nice, simple, and transparent. Ended the hunt for the "next-best-thing" ampllifiers for me! I'm totally happy with just this amp.
I agree with this and I think one of the reasons is the big effort Kingwa has been doing with power filtering and the other the use which of UPOCC wires inside. There is also so much material going into each Master 9. I would be surprised if you could find a better lone standing headphone amp...
However, better could be High End DACs with good HP amps build in (Chord TT2, Dave, dCS Bartok). The shorter signal path can trump here.
I got myself a TT2 and I am selling my amp (Questyle CMA 800)...
I've had mine for three years now, and I always wondered why more people aren't on top of it. I saw @Currawong 's older review video on YT and sat through it mostly because you know, I'm a fanboy, but his experience was just like mine. Consensus feels good
I'm sending source to it from a Teac UD-503. I'll admit it's a favorite from me since I like the AK sound.
Ya I think HE9 is just an incredible amp. The people who ignore AGD or consider it a 'scam' (audio science review) or think all Kingwa's products are bad without listening to it is just sad. They are really missing out on some incredible performance for the money. I would put he9 against any head amp in the world and I think it would do well.
Ya I think HE9 is just an incredible amp. The people who ignore AGD or consider it a 'scam' (audio science review) or think all Kingwa's products are bad without ....
If you use the pre-amp section of the HE 9 for a speaker system, it also does a really good job as well. You will be surprised how much more one has to spend to match its performance.
If you use the pre-amp section of the HE 9 for a speaker system, it also does a really good job as well. You will be surprised how much more one has to spend to match its performance.
Yep, the HE9 has replaced my PrimaLuna Dialogue Premium Pre. And I have compared side by side the Moon 740 pre, Sugden Masterclass pre, Primare, Plinius, they are all more expensive. I have also listened to others, while not side by side, and I feel the HE9 is superior in terms of its performance category.
And I'll have the HE1 next month after my credit card clears, which according to Kingwa should be even better. I asked Kingwa if I should buy the Mutec Ref10 (which he owns) or HE1, he said the improvement will be much greater with the HE1 so is am looking forward to that.
Ya I think HE9 is just an incredible amp. The people who ignore AGD or consider it a 'scam' (audio science review) or think all Kingwa's products are bad without listening to it is just sad. They are really missing out on some incredible performance for the money. I would put he9 against any head amp in the world and I think it would do well.
I would agree with the (Audio Science Review) being sort of suspect. While measurements are what they are it just doesn’t tell the whole story for me at least. I saw a review of his about a AGD dac/amp not sure which one but after it measured so poorly he said he was too mad to listen to it. For me I think if I was measuring things I would listen first and then see if the measurements met with my assessment of the sound. While I don’t care too much what others think it does upset me just a bit for others to say what I think is very good to say it is unlistenable. My Master 9 just rocks my Abyss and HD-800’s so measurements be damn.
I would agree with the (Audio Science Review) being sort of suspect. While measurements are what they are it just doesn’t tell the whole story for me at least. I saw a review of his about a AGD dac/amp not sure which one but after it measured so poorly he said he was too mad to listen to it. For me I think if I was measuring things I would listen first and then see if the measurements met with my assessment of the sound. While I don’t care too much what others think it does upset me just a bit for others to say what I think is very good to say it is unlistenable. My Master 9 just rocks my Abyss and HD-800’s so measurements be damn.
Very well said. The problem with ASR is they are trying to cram a rectangular block into a circular hole. Audio is subjective... and ultimately your ears should be the ultimate arbiters of what sounds good.. not an oscillopscope or THD graph. It is sad they cannot see this. I am all for science and objectivity when possible. But that is not audio. That is of course not to say that there are no objective aspects of audio. But dismissing a product based on measurements alone (which I have heard may have been obtained through flawed methodology) may lead to foolish conclusions.
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