AGD Master-9

Discussion in 'Headphone Amplifiers and Combo (DAC/Amp) Units' started by mtoc, Mar 10, 2016.

  1. mtoc

    mtoc SBAF's Resident Shit-Stirrer

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    Folks, how is the AGD master 9 compared to those often-mentionly great amps which we often mentioned?
     
    Last edited: Mar 10, 2016
  2. JeremiahS

    JeremiahS Almost "Made"

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    Hi mtoc,

    I have a good friend who has the Master 9 paired with Master 7 DAC as his main headphone system.

    I have limited experience with flagship amps, I only heard the HeadAmp GS-X MK2, Auralic Taurus MK2, Schiit Ragnarok and Luxman P700u. For Ragnarok I only heard briefly in Mook headphone festival and Singapore Can Jam.

    Master 9 seems to have a smooth and detailed characteristic, a bit to the cold side of things. I prefer the Master 9 over both the GS-X and Taurus because I feel these two can be too aggressive and bright.

    Ragnarok seems to sound thinner and emphasizes treble more than the Master 9 but this is very brief impression.

    The Master 9 has a very nice volume control with lots of steps and a convenient display and remote control. I wish more commercial amps use that kind of system.

    Impressions based on the HD800 with Anax mod.

    Hope this helps.

    Regards,
    Jeremiah
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 1, 2016
  3. Thenewerguy009

    Thenewerguy009 Friend

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    Some choice stuff I saved from Sorrodje who wrote on changstar hd800/amp pairing thread


    He changed his tune soon after

    Then he did a 180

     
  4. jacq

    jacq Top 3 poster - friend

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    Really wish more people could hear this, it's a bargain for how much they go for used. I've had mine for around 8 months now and I have yet been able to find a better amplifier. I think the treble is very smooth with a detailed midrange and the bass is very clean overall. It is best when paired with the Yggdrasil, the pairing with the Gungnir Multibit was a bit too soft/laid back for me.
     
  5. Negura

    Negura Friend

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    I had the HE-9 at home for a month or so. In terms of sound quality it was one of the very best sounding solid state amplifiers I had around. Easily better sounding than Ragnarok or Moon 430HA for example. The HE-9 was clear sounding with a very dark background, proper articulated transients with lots of impact, maybe a notch on the warm side of things (so not purely neutral sounding), well resolving. Smooth clean treble with no grain whatsoever (DAC was MSB Analog and Theta). The weaknesses for me were the staging, which was impressively deep, but lacked width, so a bit small and without perfect proportion and solidity overall. Also the bass was a little bit on the fat side, which does sound fun, but it was imo not reference level. A bit like with Theta V A in regards to bass but a bit more so. Intimate/thick/textured vocals, particularly with male voices. Lots of body on the bones in general. It has a tube like liquidity to it too, so perhaps some slightly romantic decays.

    My personal preference is for a more reference/neutral sound, and a bigger stage, but I respect what the HE-9 does well, which is a lot. I heard the Master 9 on a friends system, albeit not at sufficient length for full impressions, but it sounded similar in many areas with the HE-9. The M9 was maybe a bit more neutral sounding on the bass and a bit less impact on attacks. Slightly less "fun"/engaging?

    It was a great amp for HE-6s too, one of the few headamps that I think are competent enough, so with that said, it can drive anything out there.

    Watch out for their input shorting - not all DACs like that. You can order one without input shorting.

    For the cost I consider the HE-9 a good deal, if one is after a solid state amp with a little bit of colour. After all I would always go for a bit of warmness/liquidity than something sounding a bit veiled/grainy/or ethereal/weak/flat (your guess what amps I am hinting to here). For a more neutral signature, I would instead recommend the Oppo HA-1 (also a great class A amplifier and great value) (perhaps the Master 9 too, but I don't have enough exposure to comfortably comment on it). One would need a DAC that can deliver strong output to drive demanding planars out of the Oppo though, so in terms of power output it isn't a match for the AGD. (add some grains of salt here, as it was some time difference between when I had the AGD and Oppo at home)
     
    Last edited: Oct 27, 2016
  6. Gravity

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    How would you compare Gungnir Multibit vs Yggdrasil with the M9?
     

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