[MINORISUKE]

Native is better?

The judgement is up to you.
Let the excellent ES9038PRO chip handle DoP directly rather than transcoding into DSD RAW on a PC the performance of which is unknown.

 

[omniweltall]

The judgement is up to you.
Let the excellent ES9038PRO chip handle DoP directly rather than transcoding into DSD RAW on a PC the performance of which is unknown.

You have a point there. Thanks.

 

[rq1111]

I have tested Matrix X-Sabre Pro against Benchmark DAC3 a few days ago to decide which one to buy.

I have decide to buy the Matrix X-Sabre Pro. The sound is more expansive, exciting and balance. Clarity and bass is very balance. The vocal is also better in Matrix than DAC3. I just so enjoy listening to it. After decided on Matrix then i order one and I am the 1st buyer for Matrix X-Sabre Pro as the shop just got the dealership during CamJam in Singapore.

I went back to test my Qutest on my own setup. The setup is the same as the shop which is Cayin Idap6 and Iha-6 amp with Matrix X-Sabre Pro. From memory, the Qutest has the same sound quality as Matrix X-Sabre Pro. The Matrix is using balance when testing in the shop while Qutest is using unbalance . The Matrix win Qutest on the vocal part but that does not mean Qutest is not good in vocal. Qutest is very good in vocal but Matrix is even better.

I was curious if balance is better than unbalance therefore i was looking for another dac with balance. Now, I still wonder if balance is better than unbalance as Qutest is equally good as Matrix but Matrix is using balance while Qutest is unbalance. Qutest is quite a good value as it is cheaper than Matrix.

Now, I am looking forward to receive my Matrix next week when the shop receive the stock. The shop order only black colour stocks but i request for silver Matrix as my setup are silver in colour to match.

 

[tejanolibre]

I have tested Matrix X-Sabre Pro against Benchmark DAC3 a few days ago to decide which one to buy.

I have decide to buy the Matrix X-Sabre Pro. The sound is more expansive, exciting and balance. Clarity and bass is very balance. The vocal is also better in Matrix than DAC3. I just so enjoy listening to it. After decided on Matrix then i order one and I am the 1st buyer for Matrix X-Sabre Pro as the shop just got the dealership during CamJam in Singapore.

I went back to test my Qutest on my own setup. The setup is the same as the shop which is Cayin Idap6 and Iha-6 amp with Matrix X-Sabre Pro. From memory, the Qutest has the same sound quality as Matrix X-Sabre Pro. The Matrix is using balance when testing in the shop while Qutest is using unbalance . The Matrix win Qutest on the vocal part but that does not mean Qutest is not good in vocal. Qutest is very good in vocal but Matrix is even better.

I was curious if balance is better than unbalance therefore i was looking for another dac with balance. Now, I still wonder if balance is better than unbalance as Qutest is equally good as Matrix but Matrix is using balance while Qutest is unbalance. Qutest is quite a good value as it is cheaper than Matrix.

Now, I am looking forward to receive my Matrix next week when the shop receive the stock. The shop order only black colour stocks but i request for silver Matrix as my setup are silver in colour to match.

Howdy Pal,
How are you doing today ? Doing well I trust !
Nobody even bothers to inquire these days anymore!
My honest and personal preference is the Woo WA-22 in the Silver option but only because I believe that it definitely accentuates the beautifully sculptured and classic design aspects clearly , drastically and IMHO a lot better than the black version. Might just be my personal taste .
Worth the 3 week waiting period !
Plus the contrasting Tubes and adapters and the Glorious "Angel Fire" definitely doesn't hurt a bit !

https://wooaudio.com/amplifiers/wa22

Happy Listening !

Tejan Libre

 

[Jay Smith]

Can you tell me more about the sonic difference between Qutest vs X-Sabre Pro? I am on the fence. My setup is Beyer T1.2/ T90, A2 amp, X-sabre and Mojo Dac. Thank you.

I have tested Matrix X-Sabre Pro against Benchmark DAC3 a few days ago to decide which one to buy.

I have decide to buy the Matrix X-Sabre Pro. The sound is more expansive, exciting and balance. Clarity and bass is very balance. The vocal is also better in Matrix than DAC3. I just so enjoy listening to it. After decided on Matrix then i order one and I am the 1st buyer for Matrix X-Sabre Pro as the shop just got the dealership during CamJam in Singapore.

I went back to test my Qutest on my own setup. The setup is the same as the shop which is Cayin Idap6 and Iha-6 amp with Matrix X-Sabre Pro. From memory, the Qutest has the same sound quality as Matrix X-Sabre Pro. The Matrix is using balance when testing in the shop while Qutest is using unbalance . The Matrix win Qutest on the vocal part but that does not mean Qutest is not good in vocal. Qutest is very good in vocal but Matrix is even better.

I was curious if balance is better than unbalance therefore i was looking for another dac with balance. Now, I still wonder if balance is better than unbalance as Qutest is equally good as Matrix but Matrix is using balance while Qutest is unbalance. Qutest is quite a good value as it is cheaper than Matrix.

Now, I am looking forward to receive my Matrix next week when the shop receive the stock. The shop order only black colour stocks but i request for silver Matrix as my setup are silver in colour to match.

 

[rq1111]

Can you tell me more about the sonic difference between Qutest vs X-Sabre Pro? I am on the fence. My setup is Beyer T1.2/ T90, A2 amp, X-sabre and Mojo Dac. Thank you.

In terms of sonic between Qutest and Matrix, they sounds quite similar in fact. As for vocal, Matrix is more clear and hear the articulation better. I am using Ananda headphone to compare both dacs. But for Qutest, I base on my memory to compare with Matrix as the shop do not have Qutest but dac3 to compare on the spot. Moreover, Matrix is using balance while Qutest is unbalance. Matrix might have wider and deeper soundstage but cannot be sure by now as base on memory.

So if you need balance then Matrix X-Sabre pro is a good buy else Qutest for unbalance. I really enjoy X-Sabre pro even with HD800S. Matrix has more functions too so this area also can take into consideration.

It is best if you can try both by yourself. Either one should not be wrong in terms of sound.

 

[Jay Smith]

In terms of sonic between Qutest and Matrix, they sounds quite similar in fact. As for vocal, Matrix is more clear and hear the articulation better. I am using Ananda headphone to compare both dacs. But for Qutest, I base on my memory to compare with Matrix as the shop do not have Qutest but dac3 to compare on the spot. Moreover, Matrix is using balance while Qutest is unbalance. Matrix might have wider and deeper soundstage but cannot be sure by now as base on memory.

So if you need balance then Matrix X-Sabre pro is a good buy else Qutest for unbalance. I really enjoy X-Sabre pro even with HD800S. Matrix has more functions too so this area also can take into consideration.

It is best if you can try both by yourself. Either one should not be wrong in terms of sound.

Thank you so much!

 

[omniweltall]

In terms of sonic between Qutest and Matrix, they sounds quite similar in fact. As for vocal, Matrix is more clear and hear the articulation better. I am using Ananda headphone to compare both dacs. But for Qutest, I base on my memory to compare with Matrix as the shop do not have Qutest but dac3 to compare on the spot. Moreover, Matrix is using balance while Qutest is unbalance. Matrix might have wider and deeper soundstage but cannot be sure by now as base on memory.

So if you need balance then Matrix X-Sabre pro is a good buy else Qutest for unbalance. I really enjoy X-Sabre pro even with HD800S. Matrix has more functions too so this area also can take into consideration.

It is best if you can try both by yourself. Either one should not be wrong in terms of sound.

Not to mention the look and build quality.

 

[omniweltall]

Guys,

When do I use "sync" instead of "a-sync"? My source is PC fed through ifi iPower+Gemini. Which one should I choose to maximize it?

 

[technobear]

Guys,

When do I use "sync" instead of "a-sync"? My source is PC fed through ifi iPower+Gemini. Which one should I choose to maximize it?

This is an RTFM problem (page 13 in my copy).

 

[LoryWiv]

I am using HQ Player 4.02 playback software and one of the settings asks if DAC can do 48k DSD playback in addition to 44.1k DSD. I know the X-Sabre pro can accept 48k PCM and multiples thereof, but does it also support output of these files to DSD w/o conversion back to 44.1?

 

[brocrusher]

So I just got the X Sabre Pro with MQA and i cant seem to get it to sample above 24bit 44.1khz despite having tidal playing and it set to stream as Master settings. I made sure to update with the latest firmware as well. Am I doing something wrong or is there a setting I am missing?

 

[brocrusher]

So I just got the X Sabre Pro with MQA and i cant seem to get it to sample above 24bit 44.1khz despite having tidal playing and it set to stream as Master settings. I made sure to update with the latest firmware as well. Am I doing something wrong or is there a setting I am missing?

nvmd I figured it out

 

[Dukebb13]

I received my Sabre pro MQA last Friday. It is the first stand alone dac that I have ever had. I am using my laptop as a source and the Violectric V280 amp with HD800S headphones. I am blown away by how good this sounds. Wide, deep and tall soundstage. Crystal clear sound without being harsh at all. I love Pink Floyd. I listened to Atom Heart Mother last night and it was honestly like hearing it for the first time. The separation of all of the instruments was crazy. Ever song I throw at it I am amazed. Has anyone used the X-SPDIF 2 with the MQA version? I am wondering if it still sounds better with it? I know the MQA version has a new usb section so I am not sure if using the I2S input would still be better. I hope you are all enjoying it as much as I am.

 

[Yviena]

There's a big chance of making the sound worse using the X-SPDIF2 especially when used with a external PSU according to the measurements done to it here.
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...of-matrix-audio-x-spdif-2-usb-converter.6597/

Most of the time asynchronous USB-i2S will be better, and there's no way knowing if a SPDIF converter/i2s actually does give better performance, and not just a "different" sound without actually doing measurements, and worse THD+N can actually give the impression of a wider soundstage maybe that's desirable for some but for reference/studio work not really correct.

The Singxer Su-1 that was hyped up a year or two ago, has had measurements done on ASR and it actually measures worse than the Gustard U12 Converter:
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...f-singxer-su-1-usb-to-s-pdif.7095/post-161505

If you truly want to use a SPDIF converter then i recommend the allo digione/signature edition
which measures very close to the AP precision analyzer https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ements-of-allo-digione-rpi-s-pdif.5418/page-3 , but it only supports 192khz.

On another note, has anyone compared this DAC to RME ADI 2, and benchmark dac3, I'm looking for a new dac atm.