Maxvla
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Dec 26, 2002
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OK, if I decide not to try my luck on a PS3 I'll PM you. Thanks for the generous offer!
Hey John, good news on my end. Arthur and Matrix are interested in any input from the Austin meet in 2 weeks so they are rushing me one straight from China that should arrive on the 27th in time to burn it in for a few days before the meet. Looking forward to the comparison. I really hope the sound is an improvement. The looks certainly are. (Black gear is by far better than silver, IMO)
Hey John, good news on my end. Arthur and Matrix are interested in any input from the Austin meet in 2 weeks so they are rushing me one straight from China that should arrive on the 27th in time to burn it in for a few days before the meet. Looking forward to the comparison. I really hope the sound is an improvement. The looks certainly are. (Black gear is by far better than silver, IMO)
Looking forward to comparisons with the Gungnir and synergy(or not) with HD800. Contrary to my recent post on the TH600 thread, I went ahead and put down a deposit to have a used HD800 held for me until my AD2000X sells.
I feel my current equipment, while not necessarily endgame, should be sufficient to appreciate what the HD800 has to offer. This Matrix DAC does seem like a logical next step though depending on the upcoming impressions.
It's tough because all these new DACs keep coming out, and there's almost always some good improvement to be had just by increasing the budget by a few hundred dollars. DACs are moving faster than amps and headphones imo. So even when you have a DAC that is undeniably a huge value at $400, there's always another huge value in the $650 range, and another in the $1K range, and on and on.
I'll update when I get it installed in my system. Currently have my Resonessence Invicta, Anedio D2, Parasound Zdac, and NuForce DAC-100, all connected and doing comparisons. Also have the Violectric V800 and Yulong D18 on the next shelf.... that's some serious competition for the Matrix, so we'll see how it does.
I'd be interested to hear your first take on the Zdac, too. Interesting and well-priced product.
I really dig it. My initial thought was that it might be another "me too" product, just trying to get in on the popular DAC market with a mediocre design. But the more I read about it, the more I became convinced it could be the real deal. So I got a hold of a review sample and proved myself right - it's a fantastic little DAC, very impressive in many ways. I'll have my review posted at InnerFidelity soon.
On the other hand, fellow contributor Steve Guttenberg just posted a review of the Emotiva XDA-2 where he compared it favorably to the Zdac. That's the exact opposite of the way I hear it. I'd put the Zdac on top, then Bifrost, then XDA-2, with 2nd and 3rd place being close but the Zdac being way ahead. I guess that shows how we all hear things differently.
Anyway, back to the Matrix X-Sabre.... my review unit just arrived. Got it installed in the system but haven't had a chance to listen yet. I will say this - build quality is exceedingly high. This thing is a tank, and makes other well built DACs like the Yulong D18 seem kind of insignificant.