So I’ve been A/Bing the MJ3 and the Mentor and I thought I’d drop in some thoughts. I make no pretence to being able to properly review equipment, this is all my opinions and reactions. I won’t be saying anything anyone else hasn’t said. My interest is I generally prefer class A, and these are both similarly price, highly reviewed units that really go all out.
My chain is PC/ CD > MScaler and Dave > MJ3/Mentor > Meze Elite
The soundstage on the Mentor is incredible. So wide, so much separation between instruments, just the biggest I’ve heard. The MJ3s soundstage is good, but not this good. However, I do find vocals on the Mentor are further away than I’d like, and the MJ3 puts things closer and where I like them.
The Mentor’s detail is precise, clear and crisp. Neutral and excellent. At no point unpleasant. The MJ3 has detail, but there’s a definite house sound. Same with timbre and tone. The Mentor is clean, but the MJ3 has a richness that attracting and comfortable.
I feel these are both really good amps, and it’s down entirely to what you want from them. The Mentor is a technical marvel which will reproduce what your DAC can give it. The MJ3 has a definite house sound, and it’s a closer beast to my previous MHA200 than it is the Mentor. For me the MJ3 has a sense of life that the Mentor, while wider and deeper, instead has a forensic quality. I appreciate the Mentor, but I prefer the MJ3 as a daily amp. In a crude sense, science vs art. I do wonder whether other headphones will change these conclusions, I am unsure, but the plan is to give it a bit longer and consider selling the Mentor.