[TheGreatGazoo]

Well, I will try to write this post for the 3. time now (deleted it myself the first time by mistake, and then when I was done for the second time I suddenly got "thanks for logging in" What)

First of all; Isn't there a Matrix-owner out there who can comment on whether it is normal that it displays "44.1 khz" when I connect the USB-cable, but don't feed it any signal? Any feedback would be greatly apprecited

Regarding the sound, it has been running for 48 straight hours now, and I have convinced myself that the low frequencies has tightened up a bit. But I still find the treble too boosted and harsh, so I am hoping it will gain more control in this area.
In a perfect world the next 48 hours will bring more dynamics, continue to boost/tighten the bass, and replace the harsh treble-boost with actual clearness, detail and tranparency

Hope is cheap

Not sure how much I believe this will happen, but I will keep it running and continue to monitor it. But it's really hard to keep a fresh ear and don't mistake actual improvement with the fact that you get used to the sound, but I will do my best

 

[TheGreatGazoo]

And the dead output was the cable! Even though I was 90% sure this was the problem, I was a bit anxious to try out the new cable, but thankfully no troubles there.

Also; my previous posts might seem a bit negative, so to even it out a bit, I will say that the knob has a very nice feel to it

 

[sunneebear]

If a connected source is on, the Mini-i will display the sampling rate of that source. If you don't have a source or the source is not turned on, the display will read NO SAMPLE. No signal needed.

As for the sound you are describing, I think you are the first to make this claim. Could be your source, headphones or music. But that's just a guess. The warmth and smoothness that I hear is apparent on day one. Without burn in.

 

[waterlogic]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sunneebear /img/forum/go_quote.gif If a connected source is on, the Mini-i will display the sampling rate of that source. If you don't have a source or the source is not turned on, the display will read NO SAMPLE. No signal needed. As for the sound you are describing, I think you are the first to make this claim. Could be your source, headphones or music. But that's just a guess. The warmth and smoothness that I hear is apparent on day one. Without burn in.

You are right.
I get a headeache when I hear sb. talking about burn-in, there is no such thing, one minute warm-up eventually.

 

[TheGreatGazoo]

Thanks for your answer

OK, so if I connect the Matrix to my laptop it will only show "no sample" when the laptop is off? And then show "44.1 khz" when it is on?

Im just wondering why 44.1 khz is the default signal input when using the USB, since it is also capable of 48.0 khz? Or did I read your answer the wrong way?

My source at the moment is my laptop, so that shouldn't interfere much with the sound quality. Since all the music is on the HD, the only things that should have a slight influence is CPU and chipset, which should be fine. I could try with the coax, but the Matrix is bought for a USB-setup, so thats my number one priority.

The music I use is freshly ripped CDs (mostly WAV, some FLAC). Ive picked some very different music (jazz, rock, dub, dubstep, reggae, drum n bass, metal, hip hop, funk, electronica and acapella) and used a lot of records that I know very well.

The cables isn't premium in this setup at the moment, but they aren't bad either. I will try and run the balanced XLR straight to the monitors one of the following days, and see if it makes any difference.

I haven't really used the headphone-amp since Im not that fond of using headphones, so I can't comment on the sound quality of the amp.
As I mentioned I use my Mackie HR824 studio monitors in this test (and theese monitors are known for their ability to play clean and dynamic without any ear fatigue, so it's not a "cold-monitor-thing").

Sure this DAC would probably sound smooth with a pair of high-end Grados or something - but high-end Grados would sound pretty smooth with most equipment. I guess Im trying to say that one must be careful not to give credit the wrong places.

And Im not saying that you are doing this, I don't know your setup. But I know that I have isolated the Matrix in my own test setup, and I don't see the same qualities - or perhaps we are defining theese qualities differently.
But then again, I don't want a DA ENHANCER/IMPROVER, I want a DA CONVERTER. And I do detect some boost in the treble, which perhaps in some ears could be mistaken for "clearness". I guess it all comes down to the fact that I feel the output is slightly disharmonic.

The way I see it, good sound is CREATED one place only; the studio. I prefer that the sound is mastered by a sound technician, not by unprecise equipment. (though this was expected to some extend since this is a hifi piece).

 

[TheGreatGazoo]

Well, Im not convinced about burn in either, but at least the 100 straight hours will be a good indicator that the piece isn't flawed.

 

[jherbert]

Make sure you get bit perfect playback (asio, kernel streaming or wasapi) so windows mixer does not get in the way and/or have the volume in windows set to 100 percent.

What media player do you use?

 

[TheGreatGazoo]

I THOUGHT I was using kernel streaming and winamp. but the output was actually set wrong (checked now you mentioned it

) But It didn't change much when I switched to kernel streaming.

I mean, I don't think it sounds bad, but there is a slight boost in the treble, and it's not that well controlled.

 

[jherbert]

My mini-i drives a Denon D7000, a Shure SHR-840 and a Sennheiser HD800 without any notable faults. Bass control, smooth treble, sweet mids, all better than to be expected at that price point.

 

[soulrider4ever]

Just an update that after roughly 500 hours of use, I'm now hearing micro details - could be the speakers as well, but either way, I'm very happy with my purchase.

I'm curious Gazoo regarding your post - are you running balanced XLR straight to the mackie's or are you going through a preamp / soundboard? I would suggest something like the M2tech Hiface BNC edition to go from usb to BNC - the reduced jitter may help in your case.

 

[ak622]

I just received mine today at the office. I'm itching to try it out when I get home tonight. It seems that the M2tech Hiface is quite popular for the computer audio crowd..

 

[lord_fon]

I got mine today. My music has never sounded so good before. I registered @ Head-Fi to write this. I am just blown away by the sound!

Full disclosure: My first "proper" DAC. I used my old AV-Receiver (Yamaha RX-V620) for headphone listening. The Matrix "runs circles" around that rig.

My chain: PC (Foobar2k WASAPI, FLAC CD images) >> Musiland Monitor 01 USD >> Matrix Mini-I

My headphones: Beyerdynamic DT770, DT880 (both 250 ohm)

 

[ak622]

I've been listening to the mini-i for the past few hours and my inital impression is that it works well with the K701s.. I'm running straight from USB which seems to be the weak link from what I've been reading. But the DAC/Amp combo through USB is working quite well and I'm enjoying what I hear. No comparisons yet with any other of my gear yet tho.

 

[coolfungadget]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lord_fon /img/forum/go_quote.gif I got mine today. My music has never sounded so good before. I registered @ Head-Fi to write this. I am just blown away by the sound! Full disclosure: My first "proper" DAC. I used my old AV-Receiver (Yamaha RX-V620) for headphone listening. The Matrix "runs circles" around that rig. My chain: PC (Foobar2k WASAPI, FLAC CD images) >> Musiland Monitor 01 USD >> Matrix Mini-I My headphones: Beyerdynamic DT770, DT880 (both 250 ohm)

Musiland Monitor + Matrix mini-i = A great combination

 

[Junliang]

Any comparison between Matrix vs Cambridge Audio DacMagic ???

*still no response then I think I got to start a thread for it..*