[glorkaglickflic]

Has anyone connected the m9xx to any of the Stax electrostatics?

 

[Hunki Chunki]

Has anyone connected the m9xx to any of the Stax electrostatics?

I have! I use to have my srs 3100 connected to the Grace Design M9xx. the sound is very nice, warmish and mellow. Currently I am connected to my Schitt Modi 2 Multibit, the Schitt is a lot brighter.

 

[vampirehunterd]

This little device is wicked and a perfect pairing with Audioquest Nighthawk/Nightowls. It's almost worth it alone for the volume control but the ultra clean DAC and amp section makes it a total package for computer audio playback. I'll second the comments regarding low end control and an exceedingly neutral presentation. You do literally forget this device is in the chain and just enjoy the music. Now I just need to buy a second one for my office.

 

[Maelob]

+1 also very nice pairing with the Z1R- this is probable one of the most underrated Dac/ amp combos

 

[davehutch]

I bought my m9xx back in Feb '16 and I'm running it on a Mac.
My question is regarding firmware. How do I check my current firmware and is there any benefit in upgrading if there is a new version?

Although I can now see the updater software for Mac is not compatible with Sierra, let alone High Sierra so I can't currently update it.

Cheers

 

[peoplee]

Recently, I start to be interested in MQA, which leads to wonder if m9xx has any chance to support MQA by updating firmware simply like Dragonfly red and Explore2.

 

[davehutch]

I bought my m9xx back in Feb '16 and I'm running it on a Mac.
My question is regarding firmware. How do I check my current firmware and is there any benefit in upgrading if there is a new version?

Although I can now see the updater software for Mac is not compatible with Sierra, let alone High Sierra so I can't currently update it.

Cheers

Grace Design (Alex) kindly supplied me with the answer to this one:

In terminal, `sudo spctl --master-disable`, 9without the quotes) then start the app.
If this works (mine did), then repeat the terminal command with --master-enable and try to start the app again. It shouldn't start this time.

Basically you're switching on and then back off again, the ability for OS Sierra to open an older version of software. Everything worked fine and I now have the newest firmware.

 

[krleonard]

I have an HD650 and an Audioquest Dragonfly Red. I'm quite satisfied with the sound, but I'm not sure how much a more powerful amp would add to the experience. I've recently came across the Grace m9xx and now i'm really wondering if it would be a better choice for the HD650. Does anybody have any experience with the Grace compared to the Dragonfly Red? Would it provide significantly more power?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Roger Gu]

Don’t think it would make much difference for HD650. M9xx is not for power, but neutral, clear sound. It really shines with high sensitivity low impedance phones thanks to the extreme low input impedance and noise.

If you want something different from what you have, I would explore tube amp.

 

[krleonard]

Don’t think it would make much difference for HD650. M9xx is not for power, but neutral, clear sound. It really shines with high sensitivity low impedance phones thanks to the extreme low input impedance and noise.

If you want something different from what you have, I would explore tube amp.

Thanks! You've probably just saved me couple of hundred bucks.

 

[PopZeus]

Thanks! You've probably just saved me couple of hundred bucks.

I feel like part of the fun of owning the HD 650 is getting sample all kinds of tube amps. Ultimately, you might not save any money if you start exploring that whole side of audio gear...

 

[Woodrow Stool]

I feel like part of the fun of owning the HD 650 is getting sample all kinds of tube amps. Ultimately, you might not save any money if you start exploring that whole side of audio gear...

Can't recommend enough the Woo Audio WA7 "Fireflies" tube amp to go along with the HD650s. It is really an exceptional combination. Drop dead gorgeous when lit as well.

 

[krleonard]

I feel like part of the fun of owning the HD 650 is getting sample all kinds of tube amps. Ultimately, you might not save any money if you start exploring that whole side of audio gear...

A couple of years back I promised myself that I won't buy more hifi gadgets. I've put together a decent - at least for me and for the price i've paid - DAC, amp, speaker chain. I wasn't really into headphones and was perfectly satisfied with my HD555. I bought the HD650 last week out of curiosity. It seemed to me that general consensus is that the HD650 is kind of a legend. After the break in (50 hrs) I really like how it sounds with the Dragonfly, but the old hifi instincts returned and I've started wondering how much better could this be. Hopefully I won't get consumed by audiophile phenomenon once again. I swear it's worse than drugs

 

[mixpro]

Don’t think it would make much difference for HD650. M9xx is not for power, but neutral, clear sound. It really shines with high sensitivity low impedance phones thanks to the extreme low input impedance and noise.

If you want something different from what you have, I would explore tube amp.

I think Roger meant "extremely low Output impedance." That is what's important for neutral, uncolored sound. Higher output impedance amps can actually react with the headphone load to color the sound. Not as big a deal with the high 300 ohm impedance HD650's, but still..
The Grace is an excellent DAC/Amp but I agree you wouldn't notice that much difference from the Dragon Fly unless you're short on power with that setup.

 

[WilliamLeonhart]

A couple of years back I promised myself that I won't buy more hifi gadgets. I've put together a decent - at least for me and for the price i've paid - DAC, amp, speaker chain. I wasn't really into headphones and was perfectly satisfied with my HD555. I bought the HD650 last week out of curiosity. It seemed to me that general consensus is that the HD650 is kind of a legend. After the break in (50 hrs) I really like how it sounds with the Dragonfly, but the old hifi instincts returned and I've started wondering how much better could this be. Hopefully I won't get consumed by audiophile phenomenon once again. I swear it's worse than drugs

I really really like the Dragonfly, but the M9xx is jdt on another level... Sorry I’m doing this to your wallet