There has been a lot of fanfare regarding the Matrix-Mini i 24/192 Balanced DAC + HP amp ($335). Has anyone compared the mini to the CyroParts Pop Pulse 1796 DAC ($260)? I'm interested in the difference in sound quality of the DAC's, as I would use the Matrix as a DAC only as I have a headphone amp.
If you haven't listened to both of them, are you familiar with the chips? Any thoughts regarding the difference in designs regarding jitter and/or interference? The S/N ratio and Dynamic spec out better for the Pop Pulse, whereas the Matrix has lower THD (though one doesn't know how the THD was measured). Of course, the Matrix offers balanced outputs, which I can't use now, but who knows about down the road.
TIA!
Matrix-Mini:
Matrix mini-i 24/192 Balanced DAC + Headphone Amp - eBay (item 350235725907 end time Mar-31-10 20:13:10 PDT)
Digital Input:
- Optical: toslink, 32-192kHz
- Coaxial: 75 ohm RCA/BNC, 32-192kHz
- USB: USB-B, 44.1-48kHz
- AES/EBU: Standard XLR balanced, 32-192kHz
# Digital Output:
- Coaxial RCA
- 32-192kHz
- Support AC3/DTS Pass Through
Analog Interface:
- RCA/XLR
- Frequency Response: 20-20kHz
- Signal to Noise Ratio: 105dB
- Dynamic Range: 108dB
- Distortion 0.0002% (1kHz)
CryoParts Pop Pulse:
CryoParts Pop Pulse 1796 DAC
Digital coaxial input level: 0.5vp-p
Input impedance: 75ohm
Digital optical input level: -15dBm
Digital encoder: 24 bit / 192 KHz
D/A converter: 24 bit / 192 KHz
Audio output: 2.0v (1kHz, 0dB)
USB Terminal input: USB 2.0 Standard
S/N: 116dB
Dynamic range: 118dB
THD: .0015%
Frequency response: 18Hz-20kHz
Power supply: AC 230v/115v (+/- 10%) 50/60Hz
--------------
* Dell XPS 8100 (i7 860 (2.8GHz), 8 GB ram, running Windows 7 x64), Realtek HD Audio SC w/ Tru Studio PC software (Creative/THX), Swann D1080 Mk II speakers
* Senn HD 650, Perreaux Sihoutte SXH1 amp
* Denon AVR 3806, Denon DVD 1920, Revel Concerta F12 speakers
* Monster HTS 3500 Mk II and various cables.
If you haven't listened to both of them, are you familiar with the chips? Any thoughts regarding the difference in designs regarding jitter and/or interference? The S/N ratio and Dynamic spec out better for the Pop Pulse, whereas the Matrix has lower THD (though one doesn't know how the THD was measured). Of course, the Matrix offers balanced outputs, which I can't use now, but who knows about down the road.
TIA!
Matrix-Mini:
Matrix mini-i 24/192 Balanced DAC + Headphone Amp - eBay (item 350235725907 end time Mar-31-10 20:13:10 PDT)
Digital Input:
- Optical: toslink, 32-192kHz
- Coaxial: 75 ohm RCA/BNC, 32-192kHz
- USB: USB-B, 44.1-48kHz
- AES/EBU: Standard XLR balanced, 32-192kHz
# Digital Output:
- Coaxial RCA
- 32-192kHz
- Support AC3/DTS Pass Through
Analog Interface:
- RCA/XLR
- Frequency Response: 20-20kHz
- Signal to Noise Ratio: 105dB
- Dynamic Range: 108dB
- Distortion 0.0002% (1kHz)
CryoParts Pop Pulse:
CryoParts Pop Pulse 1796 DAC
Digital coaxial input level: 0.5vp-p
Input impedance: 75ohm
Digital optical input level: -15dBm
Digital encoder: 24 bit / 192 KHz
D/A converter: 24 bit / 192 KHz
Audio output: 2.0v (1kHz, 0dB)
USB Terminal input: USB 2.0 Standard
S/N: 116dB
Dynamic range: 118dB
THD: .0015%
Frequency response: 18Hz-20kHz
Power supply: AC 230v/115v (+/- 10%) 50/60Hz
--------------
* Dell XPS 8100 (i7 860 (2.8GHz), 8 GB ram, running Windows 7 x64), Realtek HD Audio SC w/ Tru Studio PC software (Creative/THX), Swann D1080 Mk II speakers
* Senn HD 650, Perreaux Sihoutte SXH1 amp
* Denon AVR 3806, Denon DVD 1920, Revel Concerta F12 speakers
* Monster HTS 3500 Mk II and various cables.
