[project86]

Quote:

Project86,
 
You are killing me   When do you think you will have some more thoughts on the Quattro?  I am especially interested in its prowess as a preamp.  My particular needs are about 50% speakers and 50% headphones.
 
I have a set of speakers (Quad 22ls) and AMPs (Outlaw Monoblocks) and nothing to plug them into.  The head phones will be a birthday present (have a set of Sony MDR-V700s but will look to move to a set of closed cans in teh $300 Range).  I am looking hard for something that will help me dridge that gap and the Quatro looks like it could do just that.
 
Thanks
 
Jeff
 
(Of course you know I am kidding, I have seen your other reviews and look forward to this one.  But any previews would be great.)
 
 

Sorry!
 
So far I'm just burning in the Quattro DAC as I wait for the Quattro amp to arrive. I've done a few sneak peak listens and it sounds very good straight from the headphone jack. I have not yet inserted it into a system as a preamp though. I can say that the remote volume control works exactly as expected - smooth movement and nice small increments each time you push the button.
 
I'll of course do a full review eventually but I think I'm going to approach this one a little differently. Although I don't agree with everything done by the website 6moons.com, I rather like the way they do previews first and then finish up later with the listening impressions. That way you can see all kinds of pictures, learn about the design and specs, etc, without having to wait ages for the whole thing to be done. So I'll be posting an "unboxing" of the DAC in the next few days, and will continue to update as I go along. 
 
 

 

[Xymordos]

A quick question, does the Quattro amp use opamps? If so, can they be rolled?

 

[project86]

Quote:

A quick question, does the Quattro amp use opamps? If so, can they be rolled?

Yes and yes. It ships with pretty good ones stock, but you can easily try whatever you want.
 
Just an update: my Quattro amp arrived the other day, along with the short XLR cables that TamAudio was bundling. Very nice! I've got the DAC and amp burning in right now and I'll be posting some pictures and further info soon.

 

[gwikse]

Looking forward to it. This seems like a very nice deal. Remote, balanced, opa swappable pre/head-amp.
Look forward to extreme discrete opa solutions in this

Quote:

Yes and yes. It ships with pretty good ones stock, but you can easily try whatever you want.
 
Just an update: my Quattro amp arrived the other day, along with the short XLR cables that TamAudio was bundling. Very nice! I've got the DAC and amp burning in right now and I'll be posting some pictures and further info soon.

 

 

[ultramic]

Does anyone know if the Matrix Quattro DAC has an analogue or digital volume control/stage ?

 

[jtam]

Analog
 
Quote:

Does anyone know if the Matrix Quattro DAC has an analogue or digital volume control/stage ?

 

 

[guido]

I have just received the Quattro DAC and have done a bit of listening....
 
So far it is sounding very good into my Mapletree HD+ > HD800s using an iMac with Fidelia.
 
What is also impressing me is the onboard amp straight into the HD800s...it drives them very very well....I wonder what the separate Quattro Amp would be able to achieve?
 
Project86 have you compared the onboard amp to the separate balanced amp?
 
 

 

[project86]

Quote:

I have just received the Quattro DAC and have done a bit of listening....
 
So far it is sounding very good into my Mapletree HD+ > HD800s using an iMac with Fidelia.
 
What is also impressing me is the onboard amp straight into the HD800s...it drives them very very well....I wonder what the separate Quattro Amp would be able to achieve?
 
Project86 have you compared the onboard amp to the separate balanced amp?
 
 

That sounds like quite a setup! 
 
I honestly haven't had a ton of time to listen. I've had the DAC/amp burning in for about a week, and have given them a few listens but nothing too extensive. Yes, the built in amp is quite good from my initial listening. But so is the dedicated amp. I'm going to have to spend a lot of time listening to figure out the differences. Obviously running completely balanced is going to be a different story, but from a single ended perspective it remains to be seen what improvements the Quattro amp adds. I will say that the dedicated amp seems to have more power for Orthos and such, so that's one benefit right off the bat. 
 
By the way -- off topic -- I love your setup with the Norh 9.0 sitting on the big subs! I'm sure it sounds good too.... but I've always loved the look of monitors sitting on subs. Most don't match well together. Yours certainly do. 
 

 

[guido]

The Quattro DAC really looks very similar to the Benchmark DAC Pre\USB both in specs and design...

 

[Lil' Knight]

The Quattro DAC really looks very similar to the Benchmark DAC Pre\USB both in specs and design...

In the end, it's a Chinese product, no need to surprise. :rolleyes:

 

[ETAHL]

 
Quote:

The Quattro DAC really looks very similar to the Benchmark DAC Pre\USB both in specs and design...

Not surprising at all. All DAC circuit designs are just slight variations of the chip manufacturer's reference design. It is not only for DACs, but lots of other circuits with complex chips.

 

[guido]

ok, after doing some more listening I am seriously impressed by the onboard headphone amp of the Quattro DAC!

 

[katanka]

Keep them impressions rolling. I am really interested in this DAC / AMP. I have had my eye on the Matrix Mini and Yulong D100 , and now this too. This DAC is a lot more, but i wouldn't mind spending the extra to get it especially if the amp section is good.

 

[ETAHL]

Quote:

ok, after doing some more listening I am seriously impressed by the onboard headphone amp of the Quattro DAC!

The output of the amps use the same LME49600, high speed, high current buffer, as the Anedio D1 DAC.
I built two DIY amps, one using the LME49600 and the other BUF634T. Both sound excellent.

 

[gwikse]

Same buffers are used on the new legato 3.1 IV-stage from TPA. Impressive sound for little money. Keeps my T1`s in line with no problem. My old matrix mini-i can make them sing, but not as good.