[LocalMotion]

Have the same in Morpheus MKII.
Every Morpheus MKII mainboard looks like this. I asked Sonnet about it and got replay from Cees that is normal and it's MKII 'feature'.
"This is a noise improvement on Morpheus MK-II"

Could you show us a pic? Is your solder job as bad as mine?

I just feel since I bought new full pop, if I wanted to sell it later, I'd take a major hit, as people would use that ugly solder job as a reason to low ball me.

 

[Kridzu]

Could you show us a pic? Is your solder job as bad as mine?

I just feel since I bought new full pop, if I wanted to sell it later, I'd take a major hit, as people would use that ugly solder job as a reason to low ball me.

I had similar feelings

 

[LocalMotion]

I had similar feelings

Thanks! At least yours looks WAY better than the way they did it on mine.

I got same response too...

“This is an improvement on the Morpheus to lower the noise as we already are using on the Pasithea. Since the Pasithea and advancing insight, we were able to introduce this modification inexpensively, without having to discard pre-assembled boards. These kinds of modifications designed to bring improvements, and are quite common in audio equipment. The problem with the I2S module fit is similar. When the Morpheus was made the I2S module was not yet an option and was added later as an alternative. The size is not quite right because the RJ45 connector is slightly higher but normal connectors (like the ones we supply) will work just fine.”

 

[sajunky]

The last picture reveal that there is some glue logic miniature chip in the place that previously looked like a repar work of burnt tracks. Next is a standard size digital multiplexer chip 74HC157. I don't think this place has any influence on sound quality. Just looks bad, nothing to worry about.

 

[George Hincapie]

Sure! Quickest way to get a reply is: zach@zmfheadphones.com

Message sent a few days ago. Super grateful for your thoughts as and when you have the time. Apologies if the e-mail is a bit rambling

 

[LocalMotion]

My dealer has been great, and going to swap out my Morpheus, once they get more stock.

It sounds so good, I decided to move forward with it despite some of the issues.

The best move I made was adding the Denafrips Hermes DDC and going i2S into the Morpheus... The direct USB was meh.

 

[George Hincapie]

My dealer has been great, and going to swap out my Morpheus, once they get more stock.

It sounds so good, I decided to move forward with it despite some of the issues.

The best move I made was add the Denafrips Hermes DDC and going i2S into the Morpheus... The direct USB was meh.

Direct USB from which source?

 

[LocalMotion]

Direct USB from which source?

Innuos Zen (which is supposedly pretty good)

 

[George Hincapie]

Innuos Zen (which is supposedly pretty good)

Nice. I am thinking about the Hermes to form part of the next upgrade step for my headphone system. I ordered an Iris and Ares II last night to feed my new HPA.

 

[gonintendo]

I recently picked up a used Morpheus and my god this thing is incredible! I’ve had 3 what I would consider high end dacs: the RME ADI-2, the qutest, and now the Morpheus. The qutest was a huge upgrade over the RME, I could hear soundstage depth for the first time on headphones but it still left me wanting more. The bass felt a bit undefined, and while there was lots of depth and detail to the image, it felt sort of uncanny to me. It never felt convincing. In some ways I actually preferred the RME, which was 2D sounding but convincingly so. The Morpheus is just a whole other animal. The imaging feels genuinely convincing. Sounds feel like they’re in their place, and reverb sounds like it’s interacting with the room in a way that my brain understands. This is my first nos dac, and the high frequency roll off is definitely noticeable (I mostly listen to 44k stuff) but I honestly don’t mind it as I generally prefer a warmer presentation. All in all I’m extremely happy with this DAC, it’s a keeper.

My sources are a rpi streamer over coax and the Cambridge audio cd transport.

 

[LocalMotion]

Have any of you using the Morpheus with speakers added a dedicated preamp? I've read the volume control is pretty good in the Morpheus (and seems to be the case from my limited experience), and I can even connect two amps, one via XLR, and one via RCA, but I get tempted to hook my turntable back up, and don't have a way to connect my phono pre into system currently.

I've looked at Rogue RP-1, and Denafrips Hades.... but basically a $1000 to add my turntable into the mix, unless the preamp adds some depth etc to current output that's worth it.

 

[gonintendo]

Have any of you using the Morpheus with speakers added a dedicated preamp? I've read the volume control is pretty good in the Morpheus (and seems to be the case from my limited experience), and I can even connect two amps, one via XLR, and one via RCA, but I get tempted to hook my turntable back up, and don't have a way to connect my phono pre into system currently.

I've looked at Rogue RP-1, and Denafrips Hades.... but basically a $1000 to add my turntable into the mix, unless the preamp adds some depth etc to current output that's worth it.

You'll need either a passive or an active pre. Which one depends on a few things, 1. do you need XLR out to your amp? If so, you'll need an active pre to handle creating the differential signal from you turntable. 2. Do you need longer wire runs (longer than, say 3-6ft). If so, you'll need an active pre (over long runs, the capacitance of the single ended wires will cause high frequency roll-off and be more prone to RF interference). 3. Do you need remote control? You'll need an active pre for obvious reasons. If all of those things are false, you might be able to get away with a high quality passive pre-amp like the Goldpoint SA2. Otherwise you'll want a good quality active pre-amp like the ones you've mentioned. No way around it really.

 

[George Hincapie]

Have any of you using the Morpheus with speakers added a dedicated preamp? I've read the volume control is pretty good in the Morpheus (and seems to be the case from my limited experience), and I can even connect two amps, one via XLR, and one via RCA, but I get tempted to hook my turntable back up, and don't have a way to connect my phono pre into system currently.

I've looked at Rogue RP-1, and Denafrips Hades.... but basically a $1000 to add my turntable into the mix, unless the preamp adds some depth etc to current output that's worth it.

I have the Adagio, and faced a similar issue in trying to connect our Thorens TT. In the end, I bought an NVA P50 passive pre which works perfectly.

https://nvahifi.co.uk/products/nva-p50-mkii-passive-preamplifier-1

 

[project86]

+1 for NVA linked above, I also hear good things about Schiit's Saga S which is only $299. With their return policy, it would be very cheap to try in your own system and compare/contrast with using Morpheus alone.

 

[LocalMotion]

best option if I really need a pre may be to go passive as mentioned. I’ve owned passive in the past and been happy with the Khozmo. Arek is great to work with and will customize everything for you. I’ll definitely need remote. I’ve had one too long now to do without it.

on a side note. Anyone do a direct comparison of the Morpheus with a Denafrips Venus II or Terminator II?