[John Q Lin]

Would it sound better with my currentt sets of headphones.

 

[fjrabon]

Would it sound better with my currentt sets of headphones.

what are your current headphones?

 

[John Q Lin]

Im think about buying a woo audio 7 firefly to complement the m9xx.

Would the paring produce greater level of fidelity.

if you mean "fidelity" in the sense of detail and flat frequency response, no, the Woo Audio firefly is less "fidelity" than the m9XX.  The firefly has some strengths, but detail and tonal accuracy aren't really amongst them.

Would it sound better than the grace. From my research it pairs well with many headphones. Would it make my headphones sound better.

 

[fjrabon]

Would it sound better than the grace. From my research it pairs well with many headphones. Would it make my headphones sound better.

I'm sorry, but this is way too vague of a question to answer.  I'd like to answer it, but of DAC/amps at this level "which sounds better?" has no answer.  Especially given that I don't know your headphones, I don't know what you value in a headphone's ability more and less, I don't know what type of music you listen to.  I could go on and on with reasons this question is unanswerable.  
 
The only answer to this question I can give you is: it would make your headphones sound very subtly different.

 

[John Q Lin]

Would it sound better than the grace. From my research it pairs well with many headphones. Would it make my headphones sound better.

I'm sorry, but this is way too vague of a question to answer.  I'd like to answer it, but of DAC/amps at this level "which sounds better?" has no answer.  Especially given that I don't know your headphones, I don't know what you value in a headphone's ability more and less, I don't know what type of music you listen to.  I could go on and on with reasons this question is unanswerable.  

The only answer to this question I can give you is: it would make your headphones sound very subtly different.

my headphones are HE 500, th900,thx00, hd650, hd600

 

[John Q Lin]

I enjoy every type of music, from metal to r&b to classical. Thanks again

 

[fjrabon]

my headphones are HE 500, th900,thx00, hd650, hd600

Neither of these amps are ideal for the HE500. m9XX will "sound better" with TH900 and THX00. Fireflies will "sound better" with HD600 and HD650.

 

[John Q Lin]

my headphones are HE 500, th900,thx00, hd650, hd600

Neither of these amps are ideal for the HE500. m9XX will "sound better" with TH900 and THX00. Fireflies will "sound better" with HD600 and HD650.

Any other recommendations for amps for the hps I have?
Thanks again

 

[fjrabon]

Any other recommendations for amps for the hps I have?
Thanks again

You'll need something super versatile. The requirements for the TH900 and HE500 are near opposite. I'd recommend a Cayin HA6. the HA6 is extremely transparent and very versatile power wise. For the DAC, you can stick with your m9XX, upgrade to the matching Cayin iDAC6 or go for a Schiit Multibit DAC. I'd actually recommend just sticking with the m9XX for your DAC, as it would also serve as a great amp for your TH900 and THX00.

A more budget friendly option would be the Schiit Lyr2. It would also allow you to change out tubes if you wanted to change the sound a bit.

 

[fjrabon]

Now that I think it's safe to say the m9XX has drifted away from "flavor of the month" land and the "hype train" has reached its station.  I still freaking love this unit for what it is.  Everyday I listen to my HD800, fed by TorpedoIII and Modi Multibit (or iDAC6, which is sort of ike an m9XX in the DAC on steroids), with SonarWorks and CanOpener helping in the chain as well.  It's the best sounding system I've heard, mine or otherwise.  And then at night, I plug into my THX00, being fed by my m9XX with just an iphone as the source.  And it holds its own, incredibly well.  The built in crossfeed is fantastic.  It provides all the power I need, with both my THX00 and HD800 (and any other headphone I currently own).  It's dead silent.  It's dynamic.  It's easy to use.  
 
Even though this unit isn't my main rig, in a lot of ways the challenges for my bedside rig are greater, because it has to at least stand up to my full rig, while having all the limitations of my bedside rig (must be closed, only one wall plug, has to be sourced directly from an iPhone, must have built in crossfeed, must be easy to control volume without even looking, easy mute mutton, must be small footprint wise).  The m9XX has been a perfect solution.

 

[ViperGeek]

  Now that I think it's safe to say the m9XX has drifted away from "flavor of the month" land and the "hype train" has reached its station.  I still freaking love this unit for what it is.  Everyday I listen to my HD800, fed by TorpedoIII and Modi Multibit (or iDAC6, which is sort of ike an m9XX in the DAC on steroids), with SonarWorks and CanOpener helping in the chain as well.  It's the best sounding system I've heard, mine or otherwise.  And then at night, I plug into my THX00, being fed by my m9XX with just an iphone as the source.  And it holds its own, incredibly well.  The built in crossfeed is fantastic.  It provides all the power I need, with both my THX00 and HD800 (and any other headphone I currently own).  It's dead silent.  It's dynamic.  It's easy to use.  
 
Even though this unit isn't my main rig, in a lot of ways the challenges for my bedside rig are greater, because it has to at least stand up to my full rig, while having all the limitations of my bedside rig (must be closed, only one wall plug, has to be sourced directly from an iPhone, must have built in crossfeed, must be easy to control volume without even looking, easy mute mutton, must be small footprint wise).  The m9XX has been a perfect solution.

 
Couldn't agree more.  The m9XX is the "little engine that could."  My highest praise is, I've completely taken it for granted.  It just works, and makes me smile every time I listen to a wide and varied set of cans driven by the graceful, little Grace DAC/HPA.
 
- Dave

 

[mandrake50]

  Now that I think it's safe to say the m9XX has drifted away from "flavor of the month" land and the "hype train" has reached its station.  I still freaking love this unit for what it is.  Everyday I listen to my HD800, fed by TorpedoIII and Modi Multibit (or iDAC6, which is sort of ike an m9XX in the DAC on steroids), with SonarWorks and CanOpener helping in the chain as well.  It's the best sounding system I've heard, mine or otherwise.  And then at night, I plug into my THX00, being fed by my m9XX with just an iphone as the source.  And it holds its own, incredibly well.  The built in crossfeed is fantastic.  It provides all the power I need, with both my THX00 and HD800 (and any other headphone I currently own).  It's dead silent.  It's dynamic.  It's easy to use.  
 
Even though this unit isn't my main rig, in a lot of ways the challenges for my bedside rig are greater, because it has to at least stand up to my full rig, while having all the limitations of my bedside rig (must be closed, only one wall plug, has to be sourced directly from an iPhone, must have built in crossfeed, must be easy to control volume without even looking, easy mute mutton, must be small footprint wise).  The m9XX has been a perfect solution.

I have to agree. This is what I use at work now exclusively. I went through a bunch of separates over time and enjoyed them, but they took up lots of desk space and power outlets and lots of cables. People at work already think I am strange, but looking at all of the equipment just reinforced the perception. Not that I care much, they have kept me around long enough that it must not matter. But I am happy with the little Surface Pro into the M9xx and driving everything I have brought in. Including the 560 and HEK. I mostly go closed at work though. HP 50 and Oppo PM3 get the most time. The best $500 I have yet to spend on headphone gear without exception. Crossfeed and ease of use are just  large bonuses.

 

[Delance26]

I think the reason the m9XX has been such a success is that they (Grace) kept it simple.  Sure they added some flair with filters and crossfeed, but other than that it is pretty simple.  They focused on what really mattered: the functionality and performance of the product.  I honestly do not consider any feature on this device to be a "gimmick."  It performs as advertised and is backed by a 5-year warranty, which is super impressive if you ask me!

 

[slex]

I really like the mute press on it.

 

[SeeSax]

  Now that I think it's safe to say the m9XX has drifted away from "flavor of the month" land and the "hype train" has reached its station.  I still freaking love this unit for what it is.  Everyday I listen to my HD800, fed by TorpedoIII and Modi Multibit (or iDAC6, which is sort of ike an m9XX in the DAC on steroids), with SonarWorks and CanOpener helping in the chain as well.  It's the best sounding system I've heard, mine or otherwise.  And then at night, I plug into my THX00, being fed by my m9XX with just an iphone as the source.  And it holds its own, incredibly well.  The built in crossfeed is fantastic.  It provides all the power I need, with both my THX00 and HD800 (and any other headphone I currently own).  It's dead silent.  It's dynamic.  It's easy to use.  
 
Even though this unit isn't my main rig, in a lot of ways the challenges for my bedside rig are greater, because it has to at least stand up to my full rig, while having all the limitations of my bedside rig (must be closed, only one wall plug, has to be sourced directly from an iPhone, must have built in crossfeed, must be easy to control volume without even looking, easy mute mutton, must be small footprint wise).  The m9XX has been a perfect solution.

 
I just read the last 20 pages of this thread (whew, lots of good info) and you are fantastically helpful. So, please allow me to impose a question
 
I'm thinking of letting go of one of my two desktop rigs (keeping the Audio-GD Master-11, selling MHDT Atlantis tube DAC + Project Ember tube amp) in favor or something with a much smaller footprint and more importantly, the ability to power sensitive IEMs. I love the sound I get from these desktop rigs, but neither is a proper solution for an IEM setup or sensitive headphone setup. As much as it pains me because I love tube rolling and whatnot, it's just too much of a pain and I find myself connecting less with the actual music and more with the gear. 
 
Okay that was a long winded way of asking this: do you still feel that for around the $500 mark, this is a good all-in-one solution for not-too-difficult to drive headphones and sensitive IEMs? Other options I noticed were the Teac UD-503 (two AKM4490 DACs, but mixed reviews) or something else entirely. I should mention that I do have a Chord Mojo and also a Centrance DACportable, but neither are a good solution for sitting on a desk permanently I don't think. I love the volume dial of the Grace and it has a very proven DAC chip (same as in the DACportable actually). Is there anything else I should consider, based on this? I don't mind spending a bit more, but it seems almost to have diminishing returns in this segment. Thank you for ANY thoughts! 
 
-Collin-