[WillBright]

Generally speaking, most products are shipped from our fulfillment center in NJ. Other products are dropshipped straight from the manufacturer. 
 
We prefer drop shipping where possible because it reduces costs (thus price to customer) and reduces shipping time (A to C instead of A to B to C). 
 
These are being drop shipped straight from Grace so they'll be shipping out from CO by the 20th. 

 

[m8o]

Much thanks for letting us know how the sausage is made.

 

[psonoda]

20th Is the shipping date. If you live near NJ, you'll probably get it sooner than others.

The 20th? I feel like a kid on Christmas Eve eyeballing the gift I think is the latest toy. I'll never make it.

It will be interesting to compare this to my Wyrd/Modi/Vali/HD700 combo. I wonder if the Wyrd will have any impact on the Grace. I guess we will find out AFTER the 20th. Killing me.

 

[159650]

I'm not sure about that anymore. This happened with one of my items but the other 3 shipped from around the US. Leads me to believe now they're drop shipped from the manufacturer to the buyers. But I really don't know. Maybe that's the case for some items, not the case for others

Well, as Will has said. This one will ship from Grace, but not before the 20th it seems.

 

[KickServes]

  Generally speaking, most products are shipped from our fulfillment center in NJ. Other products are dropshipped straight from the manufacturer. 
 
We prefer drop shipping where possible because it reduces costs (thus price to customer) and reduces shipping time (A to C instead of A to B to C). 
 
These are being drop shipped straight from Grace so they'll be shipping out from CO by the 20th. 

That's great news. I live less than 10 miles from their office. So I should have it in a day.
 

 

[159650]

 
That's great news. I live less than 10 miles from their office. So I should have it in a day.
 

Yeah, I'd just drive there if I were you and pick it up as well. Please post impressions and maybe do a mini review if you can.

 

[m8o]

Now, what do I use to feed this M9XX? By either USB, or Optical? And if optical, it must be able to stream 24bit/96KHz.

Let me explain.

1) My Cowon D3 that I use to drive my FiiO E17 only has coax spdif; and due to OS limitations will not stream HD files without down sampling them. So maybe I get another DAP; but I really don't care about its own builtin dac or amp.

2) And my personal laptop is a 9lb. 17" IPS screened i7-940xm workhorse that is so power hungry won't even boot if not plugged-in.

I'm thinking a Microsoft Surface Pro 4. Tho something even smaller, with optical, but lots of ssd/sd space, could be better. And other than I use on my D3, I am a Foobar2K fan and user. So that's the reason I suggest using a full blown Windows as the source. But I could be willing to switch if android streaming works well.

....and, discuss/recommend.

 

[project86]

Now, what do I use to feed this M9XX? By either USB, or Optical? And if optical, it must be able to stream 24bit/96KHz.

Let me explain.

1) My Cowon D3 that I use to drive my FiiO E17 only has coax spdif; and due to OS limitations will not stream HD files without down sampling them. So maybe I get another DAP; but I really don't care about its own builtin dac or amp.

2) And my personal laptop is a 9lb. 17" IPS screened i7-940xm workhorse that is so power hungry won't even boot if not plugged-in.

I'm thinking a Microsoft Surface Pro 4. Tho something even smaller, with optical, but lots of ssd/sd space, could be better. And other than I use on my D3, I am a Foobar2K fan and user. So that's the reason I suggest using a full blown Windows as the source. But I could be willing to switch if android streaming works well.

....and, discuss/recommend.

 
I've been using the Surface Pro 3 for a long time and I love it. The 4 looks good too, but not enough over my 3 to upgrade. I've got the 256GB drive plus a fast 128GB microSD which is plenty for storing my OS, programs (aka Apps for the younger crowd here), some video, and lots of music. It makes a great USB transport! Running Jriver or Foobar plus JPLAY or streaming Tidal using their desktop program, it's the best small "laptop" I've owned. 
 
I also happen to have a beast of a laptop - Dell M series 15", quad core 2nd gen i7, 16GB RAM, IPS, roughly 8 pounds and basically lives on the charger. So I know where you are coming from. That thing still has a special place in my heart but the Surface is killer most of the time. 

 

[m8o]

Thanx [project86]. Surprised more people aren't all over this. Too OT?

 

[159650]

Thanx. Surprised more people aren't all over this. Too OT?

Yeah, I joined within minutes of the drop coming on live because I thought it would sell out within hours. The expressed interest in the DAC was so strong prior to the drop going live that over a 1000 requests were made. Yet, only a bit over 260 were actually sold and it looks like a few may have dropped out as well. 

 

[sheldaze]

Perhaps the m9XX fell into an odd price category? It is perceived as too cheap, to those willing to spend $800+ on just an amplifier and another $1200+ on just a DAC. It is certainly perceived as too expensive for those in the market for an O2+ODAC or Schiit Magni/Modi stack.
 
The reason I jumped in is because of a recent admiration for sound quality - having recently fallen into the rapture of the Mojo, and noting a significant sound upgrade to my ears. This I hope is another example of quality, above the entry level USB DAC sticks and the two stacks mentioned. I jumped into this with two feet, within seconds of the drop start. I too was surprised it did not sell out, quickly.

 

[m8o]

I actually meant dunno why more didn't jump all over recommending me a good source device. But your discussion is better and on topic.

I do think it's due to caution over an untested new product. But 260 sales in this little corner of the world is nothing to scoff at. I also haven't met another person not on a forum that knows what Massdrop is. I have exposed my Facebook subscribers to its name at least by sharing it on my wall after a purchase. Can't tell who bothered to read or visit them tho.

 

[159650]

  Perhaps the m9XX fell into an odd price category? It is perceived as too cheap, to those willing to spend $800+ on just an amplifier and another $1200+ on just a DAC. It is certainly perceived as too expensive for those in the market for an O2+ODAC or Schiit Magni/Modi stack.
 
The reason I jumped in is because of a recent admiration for sound quality - having recently fallen into the rapture of the Mojo, and noting a significant sound upgrade to my ears. This I hope is another example of quality, above the entry level USB DAC sticks and the two stacks mentioned. I jumped into this with two feet, within seconds of the drop start. I too was surprised it did not sell out, quickly.

OH!!! Could you please post comparisons between the Mojo and the m9XX when you get a chance? Pretty please?

 

[sheldaze]

  OH!!! Could you please post comparisons between the Mojo and the m9XX when you get a chance? Pretty please?

Sure

Though I hopefully get it the week of Thanksgiving, before work gets too busy

 

[159650]

I actually meant dunno why more didn't jump all over recommending me a good source device. But your discussion is better and on topic.

I do think it's due to caution over an untested new product. But 260 sales in this little corner of the world is nothing to scoff at. I also haven't met another person not on a forum that knows what Massdrop is. I have exposed my Facebook subscribers to its name at least.

Actually, 500 units on the first round of sales on a product is very ambitious. This isn't like the K7XX which people can compare to a product that's already out there. The AKG 7 series (sounds like a BMW) is almost an audiophile rite of passage. There are no shortages of reviews on the AKG K/Q7XX headphones to whet the appetites of budding audiophiles looking to take the AKG plunge. Grace Design on the other hand is a name known to those on the inside of the industry. Equipment originally developed for professional use is something that only professionals would know anything about. As one other HF member stated, he would rather buy an iFi (a marketed consumer oriented product) rather than "this unknown amp". This may have been another reason why nobody wanted to take the plunge on this one; it simply isn't mainstream enough and any reviews out there of the m920 or any Grace Design product would have had different standards and so would have been difficult to gauge based on said reviews. It certainly wasn't easy for me to see through the clout of audiophile jargons and measurements whether the m920 was any good despite the clear praises garnered by the device. So at 500 dollars a pop and 250+ sold in the first round of sales, I would definitely consider it a resounding success. The other great unknown Massdrop product, Ei.XX by Custom Art sold out within 48 hours if memory serve me right. But they only sold 50 of those babies at 600 dollars each. So definitely respect for the m9XX.