[Yuceka]

Woo Audio doesn't necessarily fall into the category of "chinese amps" Although the owner may be Chinese or Asian, it's located in the US and they make superb amps that those Chinese amps or M-Stagel cannot really compare. 
 
For your beyers I'd recommend an OTL tube amp or a hybrid, like those Dark Voices you mentioned, or Little Dot or a hybrid like Lyr which is very affordable and awesome  
 
Quote:

Im an owner of matrix m stage, very pleased with it, but can anyone compare it with another chinese product this time with tubes like darkvoice 3322 for example? or wooaudio? can anyone who compare matrix to other headamps tell me which product is generally "next step" from it? mainly for high impedance headphones (beyerdynamic dt880).

 

 

[zibra]

I mentioned woo audio as another tube amp not chinese - I know its "nationality" )
I forgot there was comparision to 337..
What is hi end tube headphone amp for example I can look for in future? about little dot or lyr... I dont want something similiar to matrix, I want step ahead!

 

[Yuceka]

Quote:

I mentioned woo audio as another tube amp not chinese - I know its "nationality" )
I forgot there was comparision to 337..
What is hi end tube headphone amp for example I can look for in future? about little dot or lyr... I dont want something similiar to matrix, I want step ahead!

Well it depends on how much you're willing to spend. I believe Skylab did an excellent review of different tube amps, you might want to look into that and match that with your budget 
 
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/402585/review-summary-a-ranking-of-29-tube-and-tube-hybrid-headphone-amps
 

 

[zibra]

tahnk you but that doesnt hyelp me much. for example darkvoice337 is "classified" on 6th place while review said matrix is, lets say, same sound quality. in that case its hard to justify spending 2-4k USD more for improvement which cant be noticeable for sure. maybe there are some non compromised DIY projects?
Sorry for that OT in matrix topic, but im owner and thinking how can I improve sound in that area

 

[mmayer167]

woo i just joined the mstage owner circle, ordered it with the class a dual 627 setup. I'll be running a comparison to my ld 1+ hybrid once its here and i have some time to let the new toy jitters calm.
 

 

[notoriousmatty]

Should I buy the M-stage first and then the Mini-I later...say 6 months down the road?  Or the other way around?  Im using Beyer 880s 250ohm.  My sources are an xbox 360, ipod, and laptop.

 

[Bobcow]

Quote:

Should I buy the M-stage first and then the Mini-I later...say 6 months down the road?  Or the other way around?  Im using Beyer 880s 250ohm.  My sources are an xbox 360, ipod, and laptop.

Your beyer's need amplification to sound their best, I would suggest the amp first and DAC later.

 

[clams]

Quote:

Should I buy the M-stage first and then the Mini-I later...say 6 months down the road?  Or the other way around?  Im using Beyer 880s 250ohm.  My sources are an xbox 360, ipod, and laptop.

I'd go for the DAC first since it has a built in amplifier. Though the amp isn't the best it should be able to drive the Beyers decently. The m-stage would supplement the mini-i later with a more refined amplifier section.

 

[roadcykler]

Check out my signature. Interesting that one post says amp first and the next post says DAC. 

Quote:

Should I buy the M-stage first and then the Mini-I later...say 6 months down the road?  Or the other way around?  Im using Beyer 880s 250ohm.  My sources are an xbox 360, ipod, and laptop.

 

 

[ETAHL]

Quote:

Should I buy the M-stage first and then the Mini-I later...say 6 months down the road?  Or the other way around?  Im using Beyer 880s 250ohm.  My sources are an xbox 360, ipod, and laptop.

Get the Mini-i first. It has a pretty decent built-in amp.
 

 

[Bobcow]

Quote:

I'd go for the DAC first since it has a built in amplifier. Though the amp isn't the best it should be able to drive the Beyers decently. The m-stage would supplement the mini-i later with a more refined amplifier section.

Yeah i forgot the Mini-i had built in amp as well, go with it first and the M-Stage later then

 

[Heidegger]

"There has been some talk and mention about how the Matrix M-Stage is a clone of the Lehmann Black Cube Linear amp. During my short evaluation of the Lehmann BCL, I get a more neutral and colorless presentation with the Lehmann, as well as fast transients and a lively sound. The Matrix M-Stage sounds quite different from that, as it has a strong warm coloration, and the sound is more relaxed. I don’t have the Lehmann right here, so I can’t A-B the two, but I’m quite positive that the two are different sounding amps. The design may be similar (I looked at the PCB photos of both amps, and they look similar), but any amp builder knows that different components can change the final sound signature quite significantly." Source:
 
http://www.headfonia.com/matrix-m-stage/3/

 

[ETAHL]

Quote:

"There has been some talk and mention about how the Matrix M-Stage is a clone of the Lehmann Black Cube Linear amp. During my short evaluation of the Lehmann BCL, I get a more neutral and colorless presentation with the Lehmann, as well as fast transients and a lively sound. The Matrix M-Stage sounds quite different from that, as it has a strong warm coloration, and the sound is more relaxed. I don’t have the Lehmann right here, so I can’t A-B the two, but I’m quite positive that the two are different sounding amps. The design may be similar (I looked at the PCB photos of both amps, and they look similar), but any amp builder knows that different components can change the final sound signature quite significantly." Source:
 
http://www.headfonia.com/matrix-m-stage/3/

 
 
The beauty of the M-Stage is that you can change the characteristics of the amp by changing the opamp. You can fine tune the amp to your headphones.
 
Here is what I find with the opamps I tried:
You want bright > AD797
Not so bright/neutral > LM4562
Warmer/neutral > OPA1641
Warmer > OPA627
All the above opamps are fast and lively. The brighter ones more so. Each also adds a slight 'flavor' to the sound, especially the OPA627.
Throw in the 'class A' adapter, sound signature get shifted around and takes a bit of the edge off.
 
The ones that I prefer with my LCD-2 is the OPA1641 or the LM4562 in class A.
I enjoy the OPA627 flavoring, it is just a tad on the dark side for the LCD-2. My Grado SR80 sounds best with the OPA627.
 
 

 
 

 

[Mad Max]

AD797 bright?
I have a pair of AD797 I bought from Digikey almost two years ago and I would never classify them as bright, not even in the M-Stage.  It's actually warm.
Are you sure you have an authentic pair?

 

[estreeter]

Quote:

AD797 bright?
I have a pair of AD797 I bought from Digikey almost two years ago and I would never classify them as bright, not even in the M-Stage.  It's actually warm.
Are you sure you have an authentic pair?

Can it not be both ? I guess it comes down to what you consider 'bright' - most here consider Grados to be both bright and warm.