[devilboy]

I was going to wait a day or two but I feel the rubber band mod gets the thumbs up. Gets a bit dusty and there could be better "bands" out there yet to discover but I like it.

Sweet! I love mine.

 

[devilboy]

Plus, I like the added clearance from the shelf that the Live Vibe points provide. I have no obstruction when I change volume.
The MJ3 I had placed the volume pot so low to the shelf because the factory feet were so short. Raising the unity was a necessity. I simply don't know why those feet were so short. Total PITA to use.

 

[Fibre101]

Plus, I like the added clearance from the shelf that the Live Vibe points provide. I have no obstruction when I change volume.
The MJ3 I had placed the volume pot so low to the shelf because the factory feet were so short. Raising the unity was a necessity. I simply don't know why those feet were so short. Total PITA to use.

Do the vibration isolators help the performance of the m9?

 

[devilboy]

Do the vibration isolators help the performance of the m9?

100% yes.
I have then under all four components in my rack including the power distribution. They made an audible difference for me.

 

[devilboy]

Better pic.

 

[oqvist]

Audio-GD Master 19 in the house (ignore the MCRU LPS on the right, yes that is supposed to be a led blocker)​

My first impressions of Audio-GD Master 19 vs. Massdrop THX AAA™ 789 headphone amps as promised:

• Soundstage, especially height, more spacious and natural with M19. THX 789 soundstage in comparison is compressed and seems to be limited to left-center-right with space between somewhat hollow. The most vivid first impression was the first song I played with M19 and thought to myself that this is the most speakerlike sound I have ever heard from traditional headphones without crossfeed technology.​
• THX 789 emphasizes leading edges of the notes, reminds me of NAIM speaker amplifiers quite a lot, decay seems unnaturally fast. M19 has more balanced approach making listening experience more relaxed (not boring).​
• M19 has better distinction and more natural timbre with instruments and vocals. THX 789 makes every cymbal sound the same.​
• THX 789 has punchier bass but on some records it feels almost forced. Again M19 sports more variation and detail retrieval of lower registers seems to be couple of notches higher.​
• With M19 even in studio recordings it feels like you are listening in a natural lifelike setting. There is more space around the instruments and overall sound is effortless. THX 789 is almost like listening in a laboratory rather than a studio or live gig.​
• EDM is where THX 789 shines, probably because there is no reference to how different artifical samples are supposed to sound like. M19 can't reach the same level of "urgency". Still undecided if M19 is slow or that I have gotten used to THX 789 sound (probably the latter).​

Overall for around €1000 with 10 years manufacturer warranty I am completely ecstatic about this purchase. The external build quality also surprised me. This monster doesn't picture that well but doesn't look out of place at all in my main rig.

The feeling that I would missing out too much when forced to swap from speakers to headphones with the same front end is finally gone. Mission accomplished!

edit: I checked Filip's preview video after my writeup and have to add that I agree with his impressions about dynamics as well. Compared with THX 789 this is another standout and easy victory for the M19.

Associated equipment used in comparison
headphones: MrSpeakers Ether Flow 1.0 with Forza AudioWorks Noir Hybrid HPC (Furutech XLR 4-pin)
sources: Simaudio Moon MiND 180 (streamer) + MCRU LPS via Lifatec TLTLG-OS (optical) & Oppo BDP-103 (media player) via UIT Audio DMP-RCA (coax) to Burmester 052 (dac, also Pure Class A)
interconnectors: UIT Audio IMP-RCA interconnect cables from dac to M19/THX 789 AAA (RCA unbalanced connection, dac has only one set of XLR outs unfortunately)
power: AudioQuest NRG-Y2 (THX 789 AAA), Shunyata Diamondback (BDP-103, M19 & Moon MiND 180) and Siltech SPX-800 (Burmester 052) power cables via Burmester 038 power conditioner with Shunyata Copperhead to wall outlet
audio sources: .flac files stored on a NAS drive & blu-ray concert lossless .m2ts files (LPCM Stereo) played from a USB thumbstick with full 24bit resolution (optical blu-ray discs limit to 16bit via coax due to copy protection)

Excellent comparison! All the crappy things the thx 789 AAA do is perfectly listed here. Its an awful amplifier and I am not that picky to be honest I have a audio gd c-2 and I am contemplating if the master 19 could be C2 just better. The C2 already has plenty of power so not sure how much balanced would help me but having the audio gd ref 9 as DAC it would stack pretty well I guess I am necrobumping here but how do you like it with the ether flows? I have the ether c flow

 

[393699]

I used to own a C-2. The Master 19 is a big step up in sound quality from the C-2. You would be very impressed with the upgrade.

 

[Nayyte]

The temptation to say screw all this other gear I have and just buy a HE-9 Mk3 with a clear top is INSANE. I would use every single one of its features. Problem is everything I currently own is already great. It would replace my RCA input modded Questyle CMA400i, which already produces a sound that is at least posing to be in the $1000+ range as a $400 amp with a broken DAC stage. $$$

 

[sajunky]

The temptation to say screw all this other gear I have and just buy a HE-9 Mk3 with a clear top is INSANE. I would use every single one of its features. Problem is everything I currently own is already great. It would replace my RCA input modded Questyle CMA400i, which already produces a sound that is at least posing to be in the $1000+ range as a $400 amp with a broken DAC stage. $$$

I would suggest to get first middle level Audio GD DAC like R-8HE, but I noticed your CMA combo do not have a preamp input. In this case getting one of three R-27 version is more appropriate. Capability of the headamp is between Master 19 and Master 9. Each one has a preamp, it helps with comparing to other DAC's. If you want save money, R-28 NOS HPA section is also quite capable.

I noticed your activity on the Chord / Holo Audio comparison thread. Is one of them in your plans or your other DAC by a chance?

 

[Nayyte]

I would suggest to get first middle level Audio GD DAC like R-8HE, but I noticed your CMA combo do not have a preamp input. In this case getting one of three R-27 version is more appropriate. Capability of the headamp is between Master 19 and Master 9. Each one has a preamp, it helps with comparing to other DAC's. If you want save money, R-28 NOS HPA section is also quite capable.

I noticed your activity on the Chord / Holo Audio comparison thread. Is one of them in your plans or your other DAC by a chance?

Nope, you must be mistaken because I have never visited those threads. Maybe in short passing but I never posted anything there.

I agree, there are many paths to take with audio-gd. Currently its the trusty R-1 NOS feeding RCA to the CMA400i which I have added RCA inputs to. I don't really want to swap DAC's much since I know I like the R-1 NOS. If I got the R-27RE and I wasn't a fan of the oversampling features then I would feel a little like I should have just stuck with the R-1 NOS. It's all a matter of which I want, an all in one or two separate units. I don't know if I would like the sound of the master 19 or 9LE/HE. I'm also considering the Flux Mentor. I don't need to worry about indecisions now since what I have works and is very enjoyable. I have a suspicion that the sound of the Master 19 and my questyle would be similar in resolution/quality.

This is a ramble but I won't be purchasing anything new for a while. My desk is full or gear as it is.

 

[ZHIFENG]

helps that headamp is a sponsor here

 

[OCC7N]

The temptation to say screw all this other gear I have and just buy a HE-9 Mk3 with a clear top is INSANE. I would use every single one of its features. Problem is everything I currently own is already great. It would replace my RCA input modded Questyle CMA400i, which already produces a sound that is at least posing to be in the $1000+ range as a $400 amp with a broken DAC stage. $$$

Invest in other places on the chain. Source....did I mention source?

The Pink Faun Bridge I2S V2 is probably gonna be released before summer, from my assumptions though. However the V1 is amazing with Audio-gd anyway

 

[sajunky]

Nope, you must be mistaken because I have never visited those threads. Maybe in short passing but I never posted anything there.

I agree, there are many paths to take with audio-gd. Currently its the trusty R-1 NOS feeding RCA to the CMA400i which I have added RCA inputs to.

Oh, it was a new post from naynay on my notification screen, not yours sorry.

Now your interest in Master 9 makes sense, I didn't know about your modification. Not sure however there is another user who would compare it to the Questyle, it is quite inexpensive combo considering capabilities. I see you consider Master 19. It is now entry level since ending NFB-1AMP production. I am afraid it can be discontinued too due to cost increases. It is matching your R-1 NOS very well. ACSS makes a difference.

 

[393699]

In the summer at some point, my next upgrade will be going from the Master 19 to the HE-9 LE.

 

[OCC7N]

In the summer at some point, my next upgrade will be going from the Master 19 to the HE-9 LE.

Not curious about ACSS - what dac do you have?

The art of audio-gd sound experience is the whole current based experience, especially on headphones

--

You can buy DI24 and R1N … if you dont already got one of them.