Grace Design x Massdrop m9XX DAC/Amp Review: First Impressions

[lovetroniq]

Sheldaze,thanks a lot for the replay but now i'm more confused.So,to your ears apogee is even better than chord mojo as far as sound quality? The reason why i haven' joined the Grace drop yet is because several people said that it's bass is pretty shy and i like to have my bass.Do you think chord mojo has a better bass than m9xx? And how is apogee in that department?

 

[m8o]

Bass 'shy'? Nope. It's neutral and accurate. Not bloated and fat.

 

[fjrabon]

Sheldaze,thanks a lot for the replay but now i'm more confused.So,to your ears apogee is even better than chord mojo as far as sound quality? The reason why i haven' joined the Grace drop yet is because several people said that it's bass is pretty shy and i like to have my bass.Do you think chord mojo has a better bass than m9xx? And how is apogee in that department?

It isn't going to add bass, but it's completely neutral. If you want more bass just use EQ instead of using a colored amp.

 

[Psalmanazar]

@sheldaze
How would you compare the amp portion of the Grace M9XX to your Meier Corda Rock? Both are supposed to be slightly warm but the Meier actually has a slightly rolled off treble while some say the Grace is a little bloomy in the upper bass and lower mids.

 

[monkey046]

  I checked seems AK4490 DAC also used on some less than $100 DAC. Wondering how good is M9xx work with HD800, will it better than Burson Soloist SL I am currently use?

The Burson is a solid unit. I don't think there will be a considerable difference in the quality of sound. Probably will have a different sound signature if any, so it all boils down to your associated equipment and sound preference. 

 

[159650]

Yes, I agree. If you already have a solid performing unit, then the Grace would be more a side-grade than an upgrade. I love my m9XX though in the short time I've had it and can't imagine a better sounding DAC. It just seems to do everything well. 

 

[StolenToast]

I wasn't going to spend $900 this week but then massdrop did the Fostex thing. And then I saw this too...

 

[bl42ed0]

I wasn't going to spend $900 this week but then massdrop did the Fostex thing. And then I saw this too...

 
Hah!! Exactly why I'm here too!! Sigh...

 

[hardbop]

This amp/DAC has an impressive amount of separation. Each micro detail is given its own little space to attack and resolve. It's especially true when paired with my LCD 2.2's, which is an aspect I hadn't been floored by since I first started listening to them.
 
I was originally struck by the airiness of the Audeze's, but I had grown accustomed to that quality. The m9xx brought that wonder all the way back.

 

[olek]

Totally agree on micro detail. It can not be easily heard with Q701 (lovely sound signature, but detail retrieval is not quite there), but is there for HD600 and HE400i to grab, and T70 is showcasing it just spectacularly - "Far more drums" by Brubeck is absolutely stunning for example.
 
Moving between amps, Q701 is driven almost the same by Apogee Groove as m9xx (m9xx has an edge of a tiniest bit more detail, and Groove has as edge in slightly warmer and smoother sound), but for other headphones Groove falls behind m9xx fairly quickly.
 
Mind you, I do like Groove and think it is a very fine dac/amp for carrying around (best sound quality portable I ever had), but it can not compete with m9xx in sound quality. Groove design constraints are skewed in direction of being easy to carry around, and it is about perfect for that.
 
In my opinion, m9xx dac is in the same ballpark as highly regarded DACMini, and its amp is more musical and less analytical.

 

[hardbop]

Yeah, the amp is still very musical and pleasant to listen to with every headphone I've plugged into it. It's a little on the bright side of neutral, but not harsh at all.
 
It was a little brighter right out of the box and my Grados were almost unlistenable because of the harsh highs. It was smoothed over after about 20 hours, though.

 

[sheldaze]

  Sheldaze,thanks a lot for the replay but now i'm more confused.So,to your ears apogee is even better than chord mojo as far as sound quality? The reason why i haven' joined the Grace drop yet is because several people said that it's bass is pretty shy and i like to have my bass.Do you think chord mojo has a better bass than m9xx? And how is apogee in that department?

Chord Mojo is still an upgrade, definitely! But due to the odd nature, the current drive amplifier in the Apogee Groove, you can get some good pairings with it (in my opinion).
I would still generally rank:
 

• Grace Design m9XX
• Chord Mojo
• Apogee Groove

 
EDIT: And everything else I agree with what was written. The Grace Design is not going to impart some additional character, such as to add bass, which could get in the way of the original music. It simply plays, with clarity, what it is fed.

 

[sheldaze]

  @sheldaze
How would you compare the amp portion of the Grace M9XX to your Meier Corda Rock? Both are supposed to be slightly warm but the Meier actually has a slightly rolled off treble while some say the Grace is a little bloomy in the upper bass and lower mids.

I would have to do more listening, with a bunch of headphones, on the Corda Rock. My instincts tell me it is warmer than the Grace.
 
Looking forward to the mini-meet so you can try it yourself 

 

[lovetroniq]

  Chord Mojo is still an upgrade, definitely! But due to the odd nature, the current drive amplifier in the Apogee Groove, you can get some good pairings with it (in my opinion).
I would still generally rank:
 

• Grace Design m9XX
• Chord Mojo
• Apogee Groove

 
EDIT: And everything else I agree with what was written. The Grace Design is not going to impart some additional character, such as to add bass, which could get in the way of the original music. It simply plays, with clarity, what it is fed.

Ok,i don't know why but i already ordered Mojo,just went with my gut feeling,i hope i'm going to like it I also like Grace but i can't take it to the train on my commute,even if it's better sounding,thanks for your reply.

 

[sheldaze]

Ok,i don't know why but i already ordered Mojo,just went with my gut feeling,i hope i'm going to like it I also like Grace but i can't take it to the train on my commute,even if it's better sounding,thanks for your reply.

I'm listening to this right now via Mojo > EL-8C