[EinZweiDrei]

if i were to get an external amp for m9xx.
which would be the best choice for around $450 or less.
since its mentioned that m9xx's DAC is like bitfrost.
im think about the valhalla 2. any other suggestions?
if so i like some details on that.

 

[Psalmanazar]

  if i were to get an external amp for m9xx.
which would be the best choice for around $450 or less.
since its mentioned that m9xx's DAC is like bitfrost.
im think about the valhalla 2. any other suggestions?
if so i like some details on that.

That would be pointless for headphones since you can't bypass the amp portion of the Grace m9xx

 

[Ormia]

  That would be pointless for headphones since you can't bypass the amp portion of the Grace m9xx

 
Really? Wouldn't this be valid if you wanted to get into tube rolling, or needed a more capable amp for those harder to drive headphones? 

 

[EinZweiDrei]

  That would be pointless for headphones since you can't bypass the amp portion of the Grace m9xx

the user manual saids the rca outs are for speakers, preamps, or headphone amps. so why wouldn't that be possible to use
the DAC portion only?
 

 

[Psalmanazar]

The sound from the DAC would be colored by the m9xx's amp which is acting as an analog stage to get a standard 2  volt signal. You can do what you want. I am just stating the obvious. Just because the DAC has the same AKM chip as the Bifrost doesn't mean it will sound the same as the Bifrost either so you wouldn't buy the m9xx as a substitute for the Bifrost if you want the Bifrost in a smaller package, with a solid state amp built in, etc.

 

[Magick Man]

Liking this more and more. It isn't the best amp in the world, by a stretch, but the DAC part is lovely. Not that the amp is junk, it's good for the price and has a neutral tone, but it's a shade too brittle and doesn't have the lowest noise floor I've heard, sensitive cans like the T70p reveal this, but what do you want for $500?

I have a Unitek 105W USB power supply (10 ports on it, up to 2.4A & 12W /port) that may be better suited, with ripple and electrical noise suppression, so I may try that and see if it makes a difference. Anyone else done this?

 

[Magick Man]

That would be pointless for headphones since you can't bypass the amp portion of the Grace m9xx

It does bypass the amp (I have mine hooked up to an external amp as well), it doesn't bypass the preamp section, which allows you to still control the volume with the knob.

 

[slex]

I have a Unitek 105W USB power supply (10 ports on it, up to 2.4A & 12W /port) that may be better suited, with ripple and electrical noise suppression, so I may try that and see if it makes a difference. Anyone else done this?

I did it with linear USB power supply. Better then the filmsy stock power adapter:

http://m.aliexpress.com/item/32553584631.html

 

[Psalmanazar]

It does bypass the amp (I have mine hooked up to an external amp as well), it doesn't bypass the preamp section, which allows you to still control the volume with the knob.

I thought it just lets on part of the amp act as a preamp and mutes one of the headphone jacks? Wouldn't the pot have to be in a different location for the pot to still be used to control the preamp volume without accessing the amp portion? The pot is digital though and also selects gain so I have no idea.

 

[shigzeo]

Liking this more and more. It isn't the best amp in the world, by a stretch, but the DAC part is lovely. Not that the amp is junk, it's good for the price and has a neutral tone, but it's a shade too brittle and doesn't have the lowest noise floor I've heard, sensitive cans like the T70p reveal this, but what do you want for $500?

I have a Unitek 105W USB power supply (10 ports on it, up to 2.4A & 12W /port) that may be better suited, with ripple and electrical noise suppression, so I may try that and see if it makes a difference. Anyone else done this?

No, it's better than just for the price. It is very good. It is one of the most stable all-in-one DAC/amps out there, regardless of price. There may be amps that get louder, but considering the m9XX's power constraints, it is phenomenal.

 

[fjrabon]

  I thought it just lets on part of the amp act as a preamp and mutes one of the headphone jacks? Wouldn't the pot have to be in a different location for the pot to still be used to control the preamp volume without accessing the amp portion? The pot is digital though and also selects gain so I have no idea.

can't speak to the former, but you have the muting backwards.  The right headphone mutes the RCA, plugging in an RCA doesn't do anything to either of the headphone jacks. 

 

[Magick Man]

can't speak to the former, but you have the muting backwards.  The right headphone mutes the RCA, plugging in an RCA doesn't do anything to either of the headphone jacks. 

Correct. It functions as a proper preamp, despite its diminutive size.

I did it with linear USB power supply. Better then the filmsy stock power adapter:

http://m.aliexpress.com/item/32553584631.html

I'll look into one of those, looks interesting.

No, it's better than just for the price. It is very good. It is one of the most stable all-in-one DAC/amps out there, regardless of price. There may be amps that get louder, but considering the m9XX's power constraints, it is phenomenal.

The midrange is simply too compressed and thin for me to think of the amp as phenomenal. It's fine, even good for its size, but it doesn't sound like a proper, full-sized Class A amplifier. Which for me is fine, an Xmos DAC with these features, especially with a sub-1Ω amp built-in, is definitely well worth 5 Franklins. Right now I have it attached to my recapped and modified NAD 3020a and it's truly sublime.

 

[mammal]

Hey guys/gals,
 
I have a strange problem with playing music via my m9xx, could you help me out?
 
As I am still waiting for my CIEMs to arrive, I was impatient and wanted to test the m9xx out, I decided to try it with the only headphones I have here, which is Bose QC25. So I connected m9xx to both USB and power outlet (using provided cables), plugged in headphones (using 6.3/3.5mm adapter), fired up settings and selected m9xx USB as the source.
 
Now the strange part, I can hear music playing, but I cannot hear vocals. For example when listening to Daft Punk "Get Lucky", music is really nice and spacious, but I don't hear anyone singing. Then when I tried to play Armin Van Buuren's SoT, the music was completely distorted. I've also tried Audirvana Plus, Decibel and BitPerfect, all playing DSD64/128, FLAC, ALAC from 44 to 352kHz.
 
Higher I go, better it sounds - but still unusable. I should also state, that I am using 12 inch MacBook, you know the one with USB-C, while running OS X El Capitan 10.11.2
 
I read that currently El Capitan has problems with USB DACs, but it was always mostly about not hearing any audible output, or having disconnections, not hearing music without vocals.
 
What do you think could be the problem? Is it the new MacBook's USB-C and using USB-C to USB adapter, or is it this weird El Capitan DAC support?
 
I've tried both USB Audio Class 1 and 2, Crossfeed ON and OFF, all DAC filters, running on low and high power modes, but nothing helps.
 
I could try to ask someone in the office who has MacBook Pro to try it directly with USB 2, but I know for sure that they are also running El Capitan.
 
I am thinking about booting up some Linux distro, but that wouldn't be a long term solution for me.
 
Last thing to add, I've also tried basic Apple EarPods, but result was the same.
 
Thanks guys/gals for any help.

 

[fjrabon]

  Hey guys/gals,
 
I have a strange problem with playing music via my m9xx, could you help me out?
 
As I am still waiting for my CIEMs to arrive, I was impatient and wanted to test the m9xx out, I decided to try it with the only headphones I have here, which is Bose QC25. So I connected m9xx to both USB and power outlet (using provided cables), plugged in headphones (using 6.3/3.5mm adapter), fired up settings and selected m9xx USB as the source.
 
Now the strange part, I can hear music playing, but I cannot hear vocals. For example when listening to Daft Punk "Get Lucky", music is really nice and spacious, but I don't hear anyone singing. Then when I tried to play Armin Van Buuren's SoT, the music was completely distorted. I've also tried Audirvana Plus, Decibel and BitPerfect, all playing DSD64/128, FLAC, ALAC from 44 to 352kHz.
 
Higher I go, better it sounds - but still unusable. I should also state, that I am using 12 inch MacBook, you know the one with USB-C, while running OS X El Capitan 10.11.2
 
I read that currently El Capitan has problems with USB DACs, but it was always mostly about not hearing any audible output, or having disconnections, not hearing music without vocals.
 
What do you think could be the problem? Is it the new MacBook's USB-C and using USB-C to USB adapter, or is it this weird El Capitan DAC support?
 
I've tried both USB Audio Class 1 and 2, Crossfeed ON and OFF, all DAC filters, running on low and high power modes, but nothing helps.
 
I could try to ask someone in the office who has MacBook Pro to try it directly with USB 2, but I know for sure that they are also running El Capitan.
 
I am thinking about booting up some Linux distro, but that wouldn't be a long term solution for me.
 
Last thing to add, I've also tried basic Apple EarPods, but result was the same.
 
Thanks guys/gals for any help.

that's really bizarre, and I don't even understand how a DAC could do that, A DAC wouldn't have have access to individual instrument/vocal tracks.  Have you tried playing the track through the computer's built in speakers?

 

[mammal]

Thanks for getting back to me
 
Playing songs via internal speakers, Bose QC25, or Apple EarPods directly has been working without any issue for the last three months
 
Yesterday my m9xx arrived and here we are... I tried my best to record the output from Bose QC25 using iPhone's microphone with and without m9xx:
 
Without m9xx in chain (consider this being baseline): https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/6698289/1.m4a
With m9xx connected (weird vocals, right?): https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/6698289/2.m4a
 
Should I contact Grace Design directly?