Matrix M-Stage amp review: simple, cheap, and excellent.

[hifimanrookie]

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I've been away from this thread for a while - wow, lot's of posts to catch up on!
 
I wanted to pop in to advise an update - Matrix now has an official distributor covering the USA. HERE is a link to their website which is matrix-digi-usa.com
 
Orders will still ship from the factory in China but any type of technical support or return shipping for RMA will be handled by the local agent in New Jersey. This is kind of a big deal in my opinion, because return shipping on stuff like this can be rather expensive. He is also a native English speaker which is helpful. 
 
No disrespect to excellent sellers like Jeffrey Tam or wsz0304 from eBay - those folks have done a great job supporting the brand and many of us have had positive experiences with them. But as Matrix expands they are starting to have dedicated distributors for certain parts of the world. That's a good thing in my opinion. 

Welcome back dude, and thanks for the info

 

[burrrcub]

That matix mini portable looks nice.  Anyone have anymore information/impressions on them?  Searching has limited reviews, only one from headfonia and one review on headfi.

 

[1llest]

Which AD797 opamp should I get? There is AD797BZ, AD797AR, AD797ANZ and very confused which one to get. Tried to look for it on tam audio and this came up http://tamaudio.com/store/index.php?route=product/product&path=39_46&product_id=90
Would that be a good opamp ?

 

[Mad Max]

AD797 BRZ and AD797AR(Z) are surface-mount chips and look like the one that you linked to when soldered to a 2x1 adapter.  AD797ANZ is a through-hole DIP version, looks something like this.  It will overheat to hell in the M-Stage, though, as it is not suited to the circuit.  I recommend OPA1652, OPA209, OPA1611, or OPA1641 as they are each sonically somewhat similar to 797 in a few ways, 1611 more than the others.  They all come in surface-mount form, so they each need an adapter for compatibility with the M-Stage.  If you cannot find one of those mounted on an adapter, there's OPA602BP which is a great chip and just needs an adapter like this one (it actually won't have the extra bit of PCB sticking out on the front and back as seen there), no soldering required.

 

[kazaakas]

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I didnt pay anything eventhough the dutch customs are blood hounds when concerning paying for customs 

 
Oh hell they are, got "fined" >20$ four out of five times with international shipments already

 

[1llest]

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AD797 BRZ and AD797AR(Z) are surface-mount chips and look like the one that you linked to when soldered to a 2x1 adapter.  AD797ANZ is a through-hole DIP version, looks something like this.  It will overheat to hell in the M-Stage, though, as it is not suited to the circuit.  I recommend OPA1652, OPA209, OPA1611, or OPA1641 as they are each sonically somewhat similar to 797 in a few ways, 1611 more than the others.  They all come in surface-mount form, so they each need an adapter for compatibility with the M-Stage.  If you cannot find one of those mounted on an adapter, there's OPA602BP which is a great chip and just needs an adapter like this one (it actually won't have the extra bit of PCB sticking out on the front and back as seen there), no soldering required.

 
I think I found the one 
http://cimarrontechnology.com/single-to-dualop-ampadapterpn020302.aspx
another member from here linked me to that one.

 

[rawrster]

So I have always wanted the M-Stage but never got the chance to. Anyone know how it deals with AKG headphones?
 
I would like something for a SE setup as I have two setups but they are both balanced. I don't want to switch between my D1 as a dac only and as a dac/amp every time I want to switch headphones. Also I have wanted the matrix mini i for a long time too so getting a M-Stage and Matrix mini i could do for a nice budget setup.

 

[Fearless1]

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So I have always wanted the M-Stage but never got the chance to. Anyone know how it deals with AKG headphones?
 
I would like something for a SE setup as I have two setups but they are both balanced. I don't want to switch between my D1 as a dac only and as a dac/amp every time I want to switch headphones. Also I have wanted the matrix mini i for a long time too so getting a M-Stage and Matrix mini i could do for a nice budget setup.

It is awesome with the Q701s and the 167s(can't speak for anything other AKG offering, it is all I've heard).
 
No matter what other amps I buy, I still keep it around for the way it sounds with some of my cans.

 

[bracko]

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So I have always wanted the M-Stage but never got the chance to. Anyone know how it deals with AKG headphones?
 

 
It is great with K701 and K501.

 

[NinjaVampire]

I was recent advised against getting a M Stage in favour of an ODAC+O2 combo as I was told the M Stage is very noisy. Is this the case or would' anyone have any opinions in relation to the M Stage vs the O2?

 

[beaver316]

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I was recent advised against getting a M Stage in favour of an ODAC+O2 combo as I was told the M Stage is very noisy. Is this the case or would' anyone have any opinions in relation to the M Stage vs the O2?

 
I own the odac + m-stage, no noise whatsoever to my ears.

 

[Monir]

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I was recent advised against getting a M Stage in favour of an ODAC+O2 combo as I was told the M Stage is very noisy. Is this the case or would' anyone have any opinions in relation to the M Stage vs the O2?

 
I didn't find the M-Stage that noisy. However, when I used the LM4562 the noise floor was def noticable on my sensitive headphones, note the LM4562 was bought via digikey. And then I tried another cheaper LM4562 I bought from Ebay some month ago, and the noise floor was substantially quieter. Wierd.

 

[K_19]

When I tried my (now gone) M-Stage at 0 gain with the low impedence and relatively sensitive K550's, there was no hiss that I can hear at reasonable gain levels. With gain switch at 10db there was some definite hiss, but you're likely not going to use sensitive headphones with a higher gain setting than 0db anyway.  

 

[dogwan]

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I was recent advised against getting a M Stage in favour of an ODAC+O2 combo as I was told the M Stage is very noisy. Is this the case or would' anyone have any opinions in relation to the M Stage vs the O2?

This has been asked before in this thread several times.
 
They are different beasts.. Depends on what you are looking for.
 
I have had both at the same time. Kept the M-Stage, sold the O2. Never had an issue with noise with the Matrix. My issue was I found the O2 too sterile. Fans of the O2 will say that the Matrix is colored.
 
My experience is that you should take any recommendations for the O2 with a grain of salt. The fanboy club around the product tends to outshout those who didn't care for it. Everytime I say I didn't like it someone pipes in that I must like distortion and coloration. That is not the case, I just like to enjoy my music rather than revel in how true to the source my amp is.  My music, my tastes, my gear. my opinion. Yours may vary.
 
Now, just watch the reaction....

 

[Taowolf51]

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I was recent advised against getting a M Stage in favour of an ODAC+O2 combo as I was told the M Stage is very noisy. Is this the case or would' anyone have any opinions in relation to the M Stage vs the O2?

 
I have an ODAC and M-Stage. At 18db of gain (almost max gain) on 25 ohm headphones with no music playing, I can start hearing a small amount of noise at around 3/4 full volume. Listening volume is a bit above 1/4.
 
However, when turning on the amp there is a fairly noticeable pop. I would say that's the only noise I hear, otherwise the amp is super quiet.