[Br777]

also, i'd love to know if ya'll think the schiit bifrost will be a contender in this league of dacs?

 

[dyl1dyl]

Quote:

also, i'd love to know if ya'll think the schiit bifrost will be a contender in this league of dacs?

Haha, you should have your answer in about a week's time when impressions start trickling in.
 

 

[project86]

Lots of people are probably going to be posting about the new Schiit DACs soon. And at least 3 people will soon be able to post their impressions of the Matrix unit that I'm sending around. So not a direct comparison, but better than nothing.
 
I haven't heard the Minimax though, sorry. By most accounts it is a great unit for the price, but I don't recall if the new one costs the same or more.

 

[EraserXIV]

Been looking into this and I've been wondering how this pairs up with the HD650 as an all-in-one solution. I'm currently contemplating whether or not I want just the Quattro or to purchase the M-Stage with a standalone DAC (possibly the V-DAC?).
 
How is the internal amp in the Quattro? Do you feel there can be much improvement made by a standalone amp such as the M-Stage?
 
Or I'm possibly flirting with the idea of a D100 to save some money.

 

[project86]

Quote:

Been looking into this and I've been wondering how this pairs up with the HD650 as an all-in-one solution. I'm currently contemplating whether or not I want just the Quattro or to purchase the M-Stage with a standalone DAC (possibly the V-DAC?).
 
How is the internal amp in the Quattro? Do you feel there can be much improvement made by a standalone amp such as the M-Stage?
 
Or I'm possibly flirting with the idea of a D100 to save some money.

I don't believe I spent much time with my HD600 directly from the HP out, but I did like the Beyerdynamic models (DT880/250 and DT990/600) with it. It seemed to have plenty of drive and authority. My Quattro gear is on tour right now so maybe some of the folks who are trying it out can better answer the HD650 question.
 
 

 

[Philharmoniker]

How about a comparison between YULONG D18 and the Quattro, since both are 699 right now?
Thanks

 

[putente]

I'm almost in the same position as EraserXIV. Even if this Quattro DAC is over my budget, and since I'm planning to upgrade to an M-Stage and a HRT MS2 DAC (and a good RCA stereo cable to connect both), maybe I should wait some more time, save some money, and the go straight to this all-in-one solution, don't you think? 

 

[f3lix]

I've got both the DAC and AMP running through RCA interconnects as i wait for the XLR interconnects from tamaudio.
I do get ever so slight background noise which i dont think is associated with the source and i dont hear it running through the DACs headphone out. Not a big issue as i rarely hear it
Do you think my RCA interconnects could be the issue and would the XLR interconnects help or be an improvement over the RCA?

 

[project86]

Quote:

I'm almost in the same position as EraserXIV. Even if this Quattro DAC is over my budget, and since I'm planning to upgrade to an M-Stage and a HRT MS2 DAC (and a good RCA stereo cable to connect both), maybe I should wait some more time, save some money, and the go straight to this all-in-one solution, don't you think? 

That would make sense to me. But then again the separate purchases could be spread out over time, making it easier to build the system. So it kind of depends on your ability to squirrel away money. What headphones will you be using? that might be the determining factor. I think M-Stage is going to do better with more difficult to drive models.

 
 


Quote:

I've got both the DAC and AMP running through RCA interconnects as i wait for the XLR interconnects from tamaudio.
I do get ever so slight background noise which i dont think is associated with the source and i dont hear it running through the DACs headphone out. Not a big issue as i rarely hear it
Do you think my RCA interconnects could be the issue and would the XLR interconnects help or be an improvement over the RCA?

The Quattro amp did give me a slight background noise when using certain IEMs. So I usually chose the headphone out of the DAC for IEM use, which is quite good sounding anyway. I don't recall background noise on the amp when using bigger headphones. But I almost always used XLR connection between them so I can't say for sure - is it just your unit, or is it the RCA connection? I guess you will find out soon enough.
 
 

 

[putente]

Well, my headphone collection is what you can see in my signature, but to use mostly with my desktop rig, I'd say the HD600 and HD25, CAL!, and sometimes the DT990PRO and GR07 IEM. I'm just a bit afraid if the Quattro DAC built in amplifier can't match the M-Stage in terms of sound quality. If the best option is the more expensive Quattro DAC, I don't mind waiting a bit more and go for that... 

 
Quote:

That would make sense to me. But then again the separate purchases could be spread out over time, making it easier to build the system. So it kind of depends on your ability to squirrel away money. What headphones will you be using? that might be the determining factor. I think M-Stage is going to do better with more difficult to drive models.

 

 

[project86]

You know, I mostly focused my time on the combined sound of the system. I don't think I am qualified to compare the M-Stage with the Quattro DAC HP out at this point. Since the unit is out on loan to various HeadFi'ers, I can't check on it right now. 
 
Both sound good though, and with those headphones I imagine you would be safe either way. 

 

[zenzero-2001]

Hi all,
 
I'm in the market for a new DAC and am considering the Matrix Quattro. Earlier in the thread someone said there was a big difference between the RCA and XLR outputs. What is the difference? Does this DAC allow the RCA outputs to be attenuated? I will be using Techlink Wires XS cabled throughout.
 
My current setup is: Computer (Xonar D1) > TOSLINK > MF V-DAC > Stepped Attenuator > KRK 10s Subwoofer > KRK Rokit 5 RP2 Powered Monitors
 
Would the Matrix Quattro be a good match for my system? I'm looking for accurate sound, but not fatiguing - if that is possible. I listen mostly to electronica and soundtracks, for example Tron Legacy, Battlestar Galactica (New Version).
 
My stepped attenuator is a bit iffy, sometimes one or both of the channels drop out if you move it. A good whack normally gets its working again. I guess there is a bad solder or loose connection somewhere. I tried opening it, but got stuck part way. I removed the screws from the front and back and removed the knobs but couldn't figure out how to get the insides out. So, I thought I would kill two birds with one stone: Upgrade my DAC to something significantly better that also has a preamp built in.
 
I had almost made my mind up on the AudioLab M-DAC, but after reading that it has a digital volume control have had second thoughts. It seems a bit daft to me spending much time and money to get a good sound and then throw some sound quality away by reducing the bit depth when lowering the volume. Am I being anal about the digital volume control on the AudioLab M-DAC? I don't want to buy a separate analogue preamp, I am trying to reduce my cables and boxes. What are people's opinions on digital versus analogue volume control? Ideally, I would like a DAC / preamp with a stepped attenuator. If I have understood correctly, this would give the best of both worlds - avoiding both the reduction in bit depth of digital volume controls and the balance problems associated with potentiometer analogue volume controls.
 
Has anybody been able to compare the AudioLab M-DAC with the Matrix Quattro?
 
Thanks!

 

[project86]

I doubt it. There aren't a ton of owners around here, for either unit. 
 
I sent my Quattro pair around to some different forum members to get impressions. You can read those HERE. You kind of need to wade through some of the chit-chat, but it shouldn't take long. Impressions were mostly positive so far, but not completely. Several people have commented about a somewhat harsh top end, while others haven't noticed anything like that. So if they are correct, this might not be the best match for you. 
 
When done properly, digital volume control can be excellent. I have no idea how well it was done on the Audiolab unit, but it could potentially be a non-issue. 

 

[zenzero-2001]

Thanks for the information, I will take a look at that thread.

 

[guido]

seems like threads on the Quattro products has completely fizzled out....