[MarcadoStalker7]

Anyone tried the Matrix M-Stage with a pair of HD-598's? I will notice a difference vs typical ipod unamped headphone out?
I know it is a very easy to drive pair of hp's, but i heard more soundstage and refinement out of a integrated headphone amp of a Realtek integrated sound a time ago. And i think i need an amp, and this is the best i find for less than 300$.
 
My source is an iPod touch 5G (which is very good but lacks power), and i will connect it with a 3.5 to RCA cable into the amp. I can do that, right? (The guy who made this review connected the Fuze like that, i think. And others connected other DAP's like the iPod classic this way too).
 
Noob questions, i know. but thank you!

 

[Chris J]

Anyone tried the Matrix M-Stage with a pair of HD-598's? I will notice a difference vs typical ipod unamped headphone out?
I know it is a very easy to drive pair of hp's, but i heard more soundstage and refinement out of a integrated headphone amp of a Realtek integrated sound a time ago. And i think i need an amp, and this is the best i find for less than 300$.

My source is an iPod touch 5G (which is very good but lacks power), and i will connect it with a 3.5 to RCA cable into the amp. I can do that, right? (The guy who made this review connected the Fuze like that, i think. And others connected other DAP's like the iPod classic this way too).

Noob questions, i know. but thank you!

Does the 5G use that damned Lightning connector? :veryevil:

I have an older generation of iPod, I typically take a Line Out signal from the 30 pin connector, which bypasses the iPod's headphone jack.

As a former M Stage owner I do think the M Stage is a very good amp, it does sound more refined and has a better sense of space than, for example, a FiiO E12 or E09K.

 

[MarcadoStalker7]

Does the 5G use that damned Lightning connector? :veryevil:

I have an older generation of iPod, I typically take a Line Out signal from the 30 pin connector, which bypasses the iPod's headphone jack.

As a former M Stage owner I do think the M Stage is a very good amp, it does sound more refined and has a better sense of space than, for example, a FiiO E12 or E09K.

Its a very good first amp, indeed.

To your question, no. I don't refer myself to use any adapter. I mean sending pure analog signal direct of the headphone out to the input of the M-Stage or another amp.
The iTouch 5G has the annoying lightning connector, but i don't want to connect a portable amp so i don't care.

See the photo of the first page of this review, the guy connected a Sansa Fuze to the M-Stage directly without any sort of adaptor, only a 3.5 to RCA cable.

I have my doubts about that. I see a lot of people here using iPods, YES, ONLY A ******** iPod! as source. (Music files + DAC, obviously). That sends direct analog signal to the amplifier and that is.
All those things confuses me a lot because people here buy DAC's and stuff like that and the few who uses other sources with built-in DAC's like iPods, Sanza's and those things and connect it to a desktop amp don't say anything about that!

I've read a lot of things about iPods as Hi-Fi sources and everyone on other page says good iPods like the Classic, Video and Touch are as good if not better than any DAC you see on Head-Fi. But, what happens? No one ******** ghost say any word about that. All people uses 10.000$ ultra audiophile DAC's and call iPods junk.

I just don't know what to think, that confuses me so much

 

[Liu Junyuan]

To bypass the amp in the iphone5 amp, you can buy a dock from the Apple website.

 

[MarcadoStalker7]

To bypass the amp in the iphone5 amp, you can buy a dock from the Apple website.

You don't need to do that if you want to connect it to a desktop amp.
Simply buy a 3.5 to RCA cable and connect it to the amp, done. Nothing more. If you want to bypass the DAC, then you need to use adaptors and those things.

Like i say before, nobody says nothing about connecting iPods/iPhone/iPad directly to a desktop amp this way, I don't know why... Too much audiophilia and fantasy perhaps? :rolleyes:

 

[Liu Junyuan]

If you do that, wouldnt you be double- amping? The point of the line-out dock (which was like 30 dollars) is to disable the iphone's amp, which cannot drive the headphones I own. When the device is docked, I can only use the volume on my O2 amp. If you double amp, you risk a degree of distortion. Whether this distortion is noticeable or not is debatable. However, if I am amping cans that need it, I would rather dispose of the iphone amp altogether and maximize output of the O2.

This is just my portable setup, and since the iphone 5's internal dac is fairly solid, I only bother with an external amp (the O2) and forego an external dac altogether. My desktop rig is a different story.

So, no audiophile sorcery here. I think the dock is definitely worth it for me to bypass the internal amp and to rely solely on the external amp for my armchair setup.

 

[MarcadoStalker7]

If you do that, wouldnt you be double- amping? The point of the line-out dock (which was like 30 dollars) is to disable the iphone's amp, which cannot drive the headphones I own. When the device is docked, I can only use the volume on my O2 amp. If you double amp, you risk a degree of distortion. Whether this distortion is noticeable or not is debatable. However, if I am amping cans that need it, I would rather dispose of the iphone amp altogether and maximize output of the O2.

This is just my portable setup, and since the iphone 5's internal dac is fairly solid, I only bother with an external amp (the O2) and forego an external dac altogether. My desktop rig is a different story.

So, no audiophile sorcery here. I think the dock is definitely worth it for me to bypass the internal amp and to rely solely on the external amp for my armchair setup.

Yes, it will be double-amping that way. I noticed that. Thank you 

 

 

[Liu Junyuan]

No problem! Best of luck.

 

[ArcticPete]

Hi all. Got my M-Stage HPA-2 USB yesterday. What an improvement - over the headphone outs on my cd-player and iMac. One thing I'm not sure about though is whether my mac is actually using the dac on the M-Stage. Am I just supposed to believe that it does so?

 

[Chris J]

Hi all. Got my M-Stage HPA-2 USB yesterday. What an improvement - over the headphone outs on my cd-player and iMac. One thing I'm not sure about though is whether my mac is actually using the dac on the M-Stage. Am I just supposed to believe that it does so?

If you have your Mac connected to the M Stage via USB, then yes, you are using the DAC in the M Stage.
The USB connection is a digital connection, not an analog connection.

 

[ArcticPete]

If you have your Mac connected to the M Stage via USB, then yes, you are using the DAC in the M Stage.
The USB connection is a digital connection, not an analog connection.

Cheers. The reason I was wondering was that on my Ubuntu machine I could choose between several modes. Digital or analog out on the m-stage.

 

[Chris J]

Cheers. The reason I was wondering was that on my Ubuntu machine I could choose between several modes. Digital or analog out on the m-stage.

The M Stage has no digital output.
I like the fact that it has an analog input though, it gives you the option of upgrading your DAC and still using the M Stage as a headphone amp!
Very cool!

 

[zanderwebb]

Really having a hard time selling my unused M stage... If anyone would like to pick up this amazing amp, shoot me a pm!

 

[Chris J]

Really having a hard time selling my unused M stage... If anyone would like to pick up this amazing amp, shoot me a pm!

It ain't easy.
I sold mine for less than what I was hoping for.:eek:

 

[zanderwebb]

I dont see why its so hard? As this thread shows this is a pretty great amp that performs way over its cost? Ive had like 3 buyers but they all backed out last second