[lvince95]

  Is this any more powerful than the o2/odac? I need something to give me more volume for my alpha primes.

What you need is the Project Polaris.

 

[fjrabon]

Really excited for this round of drop, as I think word is now out there that this little combo is legitimately one of the best deals in headphone audio.  For the new initiates, here's my review: http://www.head-fi.org/products/grace-design-m9xx-compact-usb-dac-with-integrated-headphone-amp/reviews/14760
 
It's probably the headphone audio product that I have been most completely satisfied with ever, with basically 0 reservations (as long as you aren't trying to power a HE6 or something that takes a small scale nuclear reactor to power).

 

[Solarium]

The only thing that's driving me right now from the drop is that the amp on this is comparable only to the Magni, which is kind of disappointing. I'll be using this with the T1 and HD800

 

[fjrabon]

  The only thing that's driving me right now from the drop is that the amp on this is comparable only to the Magni, which is kind of disappointing. I'll be using this with the T1 and HD800

How so?  It's comparable to the Magni in terms of output power levels.  But it's actually probably more similar to the Asgard in that it operates as class A at the volume levels most people will use it as (it switches to various levels of A/B at high volume levels).  Michael Grace used his HD800 to design the m9XX, and I can say from experience that it drives them very well.  No experience with the T1.

 

[Magick Man]

Snagged another for the office, these little suckers are awesome.

 

[fjrabon]

Snagged another for the office, these little suckers are awesome.

just curious if you've tried it with the HE6.  I always tell people it won't power the HE6, but I've never actually had that confirmed by somebody who owns one.  And yes, I am fighting the temptation to grab a 2nd one as well.

 

[NeoWilson]

https://www.massdrop.com/buy/grace-design-x-massdrop-m9xx-dac-amp
 
They are back..
 
fjrabon
Do you know if these are great for LCD-2, a good match? Is there anything else better than this at US$500 (AUD$725) price point, assuming i don't care about form factor. I do not own any amp dac at the moment
 
My other options would be M2/M2 stack non uber which i can get for AUD$365-$398, or M2U/M2U for AUD$507-$558
 
Considering they are double the price of M2 stack, are they worth it.. end game amp dac?

 

[fjrabon]

  https://www.massdrop.com/buy/grace-design-x-massdrop-m9xx-dac-amp
 
They are back..
 
fjrabon
Do you know if these are great for LCD-2, a good match? Is there anything else better than this at $500 price point, assuming i don't care about form factor. I do not own any amp dac at the moment

I don't own a LCD2, but somebody who commented in my review said they matched well with Audeze.  I have heard an LCD3 out of the m9XX and it sounded really good, but it was brief and during a meet, so not ideal critical listening environment.  It was powerful enough for me, so I can't see any reason why it wouldn't sound good though.

 

[ViperGeek]

  Do you know if these are great for LCD-2, a good match? Is there anything else better than this at $500 price point, assuming i don't care about form factor. I do not own any amp dac at the moment

 
They play very well with the LCD-2s.  I was just groovin' to the m9XX/LCD-2 (Fazor) combo yesterday, and after driving the LCD-2's exclusively through a balanced tube amp for weeks, I was re-impressed how well this little black box does with every pair of headphones I own.
 
- Dave

 

[NeoWilson]

Thank you guys. Can it be used as a DAC only should I upgrade to a better amp or tube amp in the future?

 

[lvince95]

  Thank you guys. Can it be used as a DAC only should I upgrade to a better amp or tube amp in the future?

Honestly, if you're planning to get another amp in the future, you might as well get something like an ODAC/Modi and get a better amp. No use in buying the Grace because the Grace is priced for being a good DAC/Amp combo with a small form factor that is transportable and can be usb-powered if you don't have access to a power supply. It won't be as bang-for-buck as the o2+odac or schiit stack.

 

[ViperGeek]

  Thank you guys. Can it be used as a DAC only should I upgrade to a better amp or tube amp in the future?

 
Yes, it can be used as a DAC by setting the volume to 90 (unity gain on the amp) and running the single-ended line outs to an outboard amp, but there's really no urgency to do so, given the quality of the m9XX amp section and its intended design purpose.  As Ivince95 said, the m9XX form factor is more suited for convenient transportability, or as a nice unassuming desktop DAC/amp.
 
- Dave

 

[NeoWilson]

  Honestly, if you're planning to get another amp in the future, you might as well get something like an ODAC/Modi and get a better amp. No use in buying the Grace because the Grace is priced for being a good DAC/Amp combo with a small form factor that is transportable and can be usb-powered if you don't have access to a power supply. It won't be as bang-for-buck as the o2+odac or schiit stack.

In the very very far future i mean e.g 3 years   Good to know it can be used as a DAC only. I think i am sold.. bugger, just got paid yesterday.

 

[MonkCanatella]

I'm interested in the current drop for the M9xx but I was curious if anyone has any comparisons with the Parasound ZDAC V.2. I've searched everywhere and can't find any A/B comparison. The ZDAC is $549 and supposedly pretty great, but it doesn't have hype the m9xx gets.
 
To anyone who has A/B compared the M2U vs M9xx, would you say the soundstage is superior in the M2U?

 

[fjrabon]

  I'm interested in the current drop for the M9xx but I was curious if anyone has any comparisons with the Parasound ZDAC V.2. I've searched everywhere and can't find any A/B comparison. The ZDAC is $549 and supposedly pretty great, but it doesn't have hype the m9xx gets.
 
To anyone who has A/B compared the M2U vs M9xx, would you say the soundstage is superior in the M2U?

I would take that review with a gargantuan bag of salt.  His claim that the m9XX's crossfeed impacts the frequency response have been empirically disproven.  And I've not seen anybody else claim that its soundstage is wider yet shallower than the modi 2 Uber.  The only difference I notice between the M2U and m9XX in the DAC section is the m9XX being a bit more transparent.  Like a crazy subtle amount more, but it is there, to my ears.  To me the soundstage is indifferentiable between the two.  Imaging accuracy is a tiny bit better on the m9XX to my ears because of the greater transparency.
 
One additional issue is that this will vary more dependent on your computer's USB port, as the Modi has no process for eliminating noise from a mediocre USB port (ie something that performs the function of the Wyrd), while the m9XX does.  If you have an issue with a crappy USB port, the m9XX could sound dramatically better.  On my macbook pro that wasn't an issue I personally had with the Modi though.