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

[Chris J]

Quote:

 
I asked because I just picked up a second headphone amp and I want to compare it to the M-Stage as well.  I was wondering if you used any techniques to make it easier to compare.

 
My new amp is the iFi iCan.  I picked it up to test out its soundstage and bass enhancement features.

No problem, my earlier reply does look a bit bitchy, that wasn't my intention! 

 
I've heard great things about the iFi Can. I can guess where this comparison may go!
 
My method was good old fashioned plugging headphones directly into different headphone amps, the hard way, but there is no switching getting in the way.  Matrix was driven by the Line Out on the E09K.
The only part everyone may have "difficulty" duplicating is I used a pink noise source and a SPL meter to ensure both amps were outputting the same level.  Because everyone owns an SPL meter, right? 

Seriously, I was shocked to see how loud 75-80 dB was! Maybe I just don't listen very loud......

 

[chicolom]

Quote:

 
The only part everyone may have "difficulty" duplicating is I used a pink noise source and a SPL meter to ensure both amps were outputting the same level.  Because everyone owns an SPL meter, right? 

 
Hmm....I don't have an SPL meter, but I do have microphones, a laptop, and pink noise

 
Perhaps I can MacGruber something together...

 

[Chris J]

Hmm....I don't have an SPL meter, but I do have microphones, a laptop, and pink noise

Perhaps I can MacGruber something together...:evil:

Yeah, that should do it!

 

[chicolom]

I've been comparing the M-Stage to the iCan amp.
 
For now I'm just switching my headphone plug back and forth (and with the volumes NOT perfectly matched

) but it's hard to tell too much difference between them.  They both sound pretty good.
I will need to wait for my FiiO HS2 to arrive (probably in 10 days or so) to do a proper comparison, at which point I will actually try and match the levels too.
 
I do know that I'm definitely keeping the iCan though, because I love the bass boost and soundstage boosting switches and fine myself using them most of the time.  The only question is whether or not I'm going to keep the M-Stage around too.  I don't need two amps if they sound the same, and so far they seem to sound close enough...

 

[kellte2]

Quote:

I've been comparing the M-Stage to the iCan amp.
 
For now I'm just switching my headphone plug back and forth (and with the volumes NOT perfectly matched

) but it's hard to tell too much difference between them.  They both sound pretty good.
I will need to wait for my FiiO HS2 to arrive (probably in 10 days or so) to do a proper comparison, at which point I will actually try and match the levels too.
 
I do know that I'm definitely keeping the iCan though, because I love the bass boost and soundstage boosting switches and fine myself using them most of the time.  The only question is whether or not I'm going to keep the M-Stage around too.  I don't need two amps if they sound the same, and so far they seem to sound close enough...

 
Quick question: the 3d soundstage boost, does that have an effect on the 'sound' of music the same way running music through a mixamp with Dolby Headphone turned on would?  In other words, does it sound artificial?

 

[chicolom]

Quote:

 
Quick question: the 3d soundstage boost, does that have an effect on the 'sound' of music the same way running music through a mixamp with Dolby Headphone turned on would?  In other words, does it sound artificial?

 
 
No, it's not artifical sounding and that's one of the best things about it.  It's surprisingly un-gimmicky and sounds quite natural.  It doesn't seem to affect the underlying sound.  The 3D effect is also more subtle then you would expect.  It's no where near as strong as something like dolby headphone/pro logic.  The only way it seems to change the signature is by slightly raising some of the highs and increasing airiness.  There is no added reverb or any crap like that.
 
When switched ON it spreads out the soundstage width (usually), raises the height, increase separation, and adds some air up top.  It doesn't seem to change the depth much though.  It also slightly raises the overall loudness, so you'll probably want to turn down the volume just a smidge after engaging it.
 
It works better with some songs then others.  With some songs there isn't a huge difference between switching it ON and OFF, while others it sounds pretty remarkable when switched ON.  It seems to do especially well with recordings with just a handful of instruments like jazz and chamber music.  It really pushes the instruments farther away form each other in a natural sounding way.  It also works really well when the recording captures live ambience, like someone performing in a concert hall with the natural reverb and ambience captured in the recording. 
 
For movies and TV I have it on all the time.  I don't see any reason not to use it with when watching them as it works well with no cons. 
 
It pairs especially well with warm headphones, like the K702 Anniversaries.  The extra air is very welcome (I love air).  With the Anniversaries I leave it on 95% of the time.  If you have bright headphones like Audio Techinicas, you might not want any extra sparkle.  If that's the case, you can just very slightly eq down the high end by 1-2 dB and still keep the effect in-tact.  Like I said, the extra air is really welcome on warm headphones and makes them sound more clear and open.
 
Like I said, the effect is subtle enough that it may take a minute to appreciate what it's doing.  After listening with the 3D switch ON for a bit and then switching back to direct stereo things will sound more mono-like, flat, and dull :\
 
The one-dot position is quite different, and sounds more like a strong crossfeed.  It reduces the stereo width and pushes the sound out in front of you.  The main situation I find this useful is when listening to vintage recordings with excessive stereo separation and panning of sounds (the kinds that causes obvious listening fatigue).  This setting will wrangle the sounds in and push them in front of you.  For more modern records that have been mastered properly, this seems a bit detrimental as it just decreases the width unnecessarily IMO. 
 
 
I'm going to try and see if I can record some audio demos by grabbing the signal from the HP jack.

 

[chicolom]

I got impatient and did more M-stage vs iCan comparing.  I hooked both of them up to my TCC TC-716 box so I could A-B switch them.  For some reason, I have to set both amps to maximum gain (+20dB) and nearly max the volume knobs to get any decent listening signal.  Those kind of levels would normally blow up my headphones (and ears) so something must be wrong with the setup

  20dB gain + nearly max volume probably isn't the "sweet spot" for these amps.  At least this setup lets me instantly switch between the two.
 
Anyways, my impressions are that the M-stage sounds a bit more transparent and clear with an airier sound.  The iCan's highs sound a little smoother and darker.  The iCan has a little more midrange.  The M-stage's soundstage is slightly more open, it's able to place some things slightly farther.  I believe it may have slightly better dynamics too.  The differences are minor of course, and you would adjust to either one after a minute.   Of course when you throw the switches on the iCan everything changes.
 
Hmmm....I'm definitely keeping the iCan because I love the switches on it.  I think the M-stage is probably a slightly better amp for pure stereo though - and it's a very good amp for double amping my Dolby Headphone decoders when gaming because it boosts the soundstage size.  The iCan does too, but I compared it to the iCan with both double amping my DSS, and the M-stage still boosts the soundstage size to be slightly bigger.  Dangit!  I  was hoping they would be identical so I could just sell the M-stage and get my funds back.  Especially since I just bought a Fidelio X1!!
 
I'll have to decide if it's worth keeping both amps...

 

[Alexein Aner]

Quote:

For some reason, I have to set both amps to maximum gain (+20dB) and nearly max the volume knobs to get any decent listening signal.

 

 

[younglee200]

From a user who already has a Nuforce Icon HD (equiv. to the UDAC) , using it as a DAC/Amp, could I expect to get noticable (if any) improvement if I dedicate the UDAC into a DAC and get the Matrix M stage as an amplifier?  
 
I have HE-400s and Audio technica a900x as my main headphones.

 

[Chris J]

Quote:

 

I agree!

 

[chicolom]

Quote:

 

 
I think it's because the TC-716 box was never meant to have a headphone plugged into the 3.5mm IN/OUT jack and it cuts the signal down or something...

 

[chicolom]

Quote:

From a user who already has a Nuforce Icon HD (equiv. to the UDAC) , using it as a DAC/Amp, could I expect to get noticable (if any) improvement if I dedicate the UDAC into a DAC and get the Matrix M stage as an amplifier?  
 
I have HE-400s and Audio technica a900x as my main headphones.

 
The Nufoce Icon HD looks more like the Nufoce HDP, not the UDAC.  If it were the UDAC, I would say "yes" the M-stage will probably give some noticeable improvement.  But since it looks like it's the HDP/Icon HD, that is more powerful and the improvement will most likely be more minimal (if any).

 

[hifienthusiast]

I had a pair of Sennheiser HD650 paired with a Musical Fidlity V-DAC (original version), Lehmann Black Cube Linear clone (non branded, bought from China) headphone amp last year which I didn't enjoy, mainly because I found the combination having a dark, distant and laid back presentation. I sold them and got a Stax 2050 II basic which I still own. The Stax is much more airy and fast, but lacks bass weight.

I recently got a Sennheiser HD600 and Matrix M-Stage with USB. I find the USB DAC is not as good as the Musical Fidelity V-DAC. Therefore I am using the V-DAC connected to the M-Sage analogue input. This combination sounds much more dynamic than the HD650, V-DAC and non branded BCL. I think the sound improvement is mainly due to the Matrix M-Stage which has better components than the non branded clone in which second hand filtering caps and poorer components are used.

Therefore choosing a right combination of headphone and dedicated headphone amp is important. Overall I am very happy with the Matrix with HD600.
 

 

[Chris J]

I had a pair of Sennheiser HD650 paired with a Musical Fidlity V-DAC (original version), Lehmann Black Cube Linear clone (non branded, bought from China) headphone amp last year which I didn't enjoy, mainly because I found the combination having a dark, distant and laid back presentation. I sold them and got a Stax 2050 II basic which I still own. The Stax is much more airy and fast, but lacks bass weight.


I recently got a Sennheiser HD600 and Matrix M-Stage with USB. I find the USB DAC is not as good as the Musical Fidelity V-DAC. Therefore I am using the V-DAC connected to the M-Sage analogue input. This combination sounds much more dynamic than the HD650, V-DAC and non branded BCL. I think the sound improvement is mainly due to the Matrix M-Stage which has better components than the non branded clone in which second hand filtering caps and poorer components are used.


Therefore choosing a right combination of headphone and dedicated headphone amp is important. Overall I am very happy with the Matrix with HD600.

 

Overall, what do you prefer, the Stax 2050 II or the HD600?

 

[chicolom]

My FiiO HS2 switcher arrived, much quicker than I was expecting coming from China.
 
So tiny and cute, yet so useful.