[chaz_flhr]

The Matrix Trademark is transparency.
Its going to let your source and your headphones decide how the music sounds.
Now, by "transparent" i dont mean lean sounding, as that suggests lacking bass or low end detail.
Transparent means : Straight Wire.

Sometimes you read,..
"well, the headphones have a lean sound"..
No they dont, they have a reduced or "cut" low mid...
(see the Senn HD560S for an update).

Everything affects everything else in your life..... and regarding SQ, its the same situation regarding the chain of sound.
For example, whatever is lacking in a Headphone's FR causes the rest to sound exaggerated.
So, "neutral" is "real"....and anything else is " sounds like something is not right".
The good news is, most people like what isn't neutral, and that sound is easier to create.
Getting the Treble right, is the hard part for a sound designer, but getting the Midrange right is where the Sonic Gold lives.

Another Example.: Speakers sound like : the room that is their speaker box.
Think about that...

The Matrix is designed by the designer to give you transparency.
There is a reviewer online who stated that the i-3 has a "hint of warmth"..which is really just their way of saying its not "cold" or "sterile".
That'll work.......but that hint is a hint, as the gear is very transparent.

Thanks for the response.
Agreed this hobby / passion is not only subjective as we all hear differently with different tastes the whole chain plays a role in the overall sound.
Guess the only way to tell if it will be what I am looking for is to try it.

 

[buffalomatt]

Does anyone know what the watt rating is for this? Particularly balanced. I keep seeing the power as vrms and I honestly don't know how to translate that into watts?

 

[FullBright1]

Does anyone know what the watt rating is for this? Particularly balanced. I keep seeing the power as vrms and I honestly don't know how to translate that into watts?

He'll probably get to it.
Its a really good review.
This guy is invested in accuracy.

 

[Dionysus]

Just ordered, very excited to have an all in one solution for my headphones and Roon streaming.

 

[gearocdguy]

This appears to be awesome, except for the high output impedance. Has anyone had any issue with low impedance headphones? Or as a pre-amp? Thanks

 

[gearocdguy]

 

[Y26-Day]

Hi All,

Been away for a long time and out of touch.

Interested in this DAC as it is Roon ready.

How is this Matrix Mini-i 3 pro Dac compare to PS Audio Perfectwave MKI? Could today's sub $1000 dac be better than older gen product?

Thanks for all the help.

 

[1-MiC]

So this is a streamer? It will play Tidal?
I see roon being mentioned by I stream tidal without roon

Edit: Well I see Soundnews review is using airplay, maybe that answers my question. I was hoping it used the phone as a controller vs as the source.

 

[gearocdguy]

Lots of information from Matrix on this thread at ASR (https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/info-on-new-matrix-audio-mini-i.15095/). You can stream Tidal thru Roon, via USB or AirPlay. The have applied for Tidal Connect but no info on if it will be available on the mini or when.

 

[1-MiC]

Ah I see. Thanks.
Yes, Tidal Connect is what I'm looking for! Something I can move to a speaker set up at some point.

 

[Xinlisupreme]

sue with low impedance head

I had same dubt, how can match with 25-32ohm cans and iems?
I read mini-I 3 / I-3 Pro has 22ohm max output impedance...

 

[rde01]

Yeah it kinda sucks that they integrated a headphone amplifier that can drive very high impedance headphones but now kinda low impedance headphones.
You can always connect it to an external amp with its xlrs or rcas out i guess.
I ownder if and ifi iematch would work https://ifi-audio.com/products/iematch/ too.

 

[Xinlisupreme]

Yeah it kinda sucks that they integrated a headphone amplifier that can drive very high impedance headphones but now kinda low impedance headphones.
You can always connect it to an external amp with its xlrs or rcas out i guess.
I ownder if and ifi iematch would work https://ifi-audio.com/products/iematch/ too.

Same thing for DX7 pro but has half impedance of matrix mini-i 3 pro, i read some review and they say no problem with low impedance IEM at all.

 

[Dionysus]

I received my unit today and powered it on, by default it’s on 220 volt so you need to switch it 110.
Connected the Mini i to the network and checked the firmware, latest build was already loaded.
Updated the the Roon software to 1.8 on my Mac mini core, iPad and iPhone. Then proceeded to connected to Roon which it connected flawlessly. The unit has a beautiful display super bright high res, and the controls and construction are top notch. Running thru the menu was a breeze and intuitive.
Then I started to play music balanced on HD800s, the amp is robust enough to drive the 800 without breaking a sweat.
As for the sound, well it’s an excellent amp/dac combo. The sound is detailed, linear, open, precise, transparent and a much better match for the 800s then the topping D90 which I previously used “ a hair to bright” .
In fact I’m selling the D90 as well as my THX789 and using the all in one for now.
I have my eyes on a few amps but honestly it’s not required here, maybe down the road.
I think this is a fantastic all in one solution with everything but the kitchen sink, and it sounds great.
highly recommended.

 

[ivanrocks321]

been using this for about a month perhaps longer. Its been working really great. will be using it as a preamp later one. A few notes you can have both outputs as fixed or adjustable volume but not one each at same time. I was hoping to set one as a preamp the other as dac only but it seems theres a hardware limitation. I do like the RCA in I can feed my chord questest into it and it pass it via the xlr and rca outputs. Overall very happy, was not sure about it at first and the slight let down with not able to have fixed and adjustable outputs at same time but its a really compelling package without much issues I can find.