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Grace Design x Massdrop m9XX DAC/Amp

Discussion in 'Headphone Amplifiers and Combo (DAC/Amp) Units' started by AllanMarcus, Oct 25, 2015.

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  1. velvetx

    velvetx Gear Master West/Vendor Spotlight Moderator

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    You sure you didn't listen or see this at RMAF? It was the had the biggest volume knob at the show (really the only award I would have given it).
     
    velvetx, Oct 28, 2015
    #41
  2. Thad E Ginathom

    Thad E Ginathom Friend

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    When is a DAC not a DAC. When it starts to look like a pre-amp?

    But, what I would have liked to see, not that I'm buying just now anyway, would have been a switchable volume control bypass for the rca line out.

    By the way: I asked the Linux question on HF and got several positive responses, including one from Michael Grace himself.
     
    Thad E Ginathom, Oct 28, 2015
    #42
  3. mickeyvortex

    mickeyvortex Friend

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    I vote yes on the Element. The GOV2 seems butt ugly (to me) and I'm way too handsome for that shit.
    Seriously though, I'm not sure if you meant to compare the two because one is for purely/mostly desktop use (FYI, the Element) and the other is portable.
    I'll be up for buying whichever's better.
     
    mickeyvortex, Oct 28, 2015
    #43
  4. Will

    Will Massdrop

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    DO IT
     
    Will, Oct 28, 2015
    #44
  5. Altrunox

    Altrunox Friend

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    Or buy a scooter and no helmet, a way to end an endless desire. :drunk:

    +1 on the Element
     
    Altrunox, Oct 28, 2015
    #45
  6. joch

    joch Friend

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    @Will any chance we can see a MD x LH GOV2 with better design in the future?|{
     
    joch, Oct 28, 2015
    #46
  7. Will

    Will Massdrop

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    Maybe, I've talked to them about working together and the conversation went well. Not sure what we'd change offhand, mostly because I'm not as familiar with their product as I am with Grace, AKG, Fostex, Senn, Beyer, etc.
     
    Will, Oct 28, 2015
    #47
  8. drfindley

    drfindley Secretly lives in the Analog Room - Friend

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    This would be great. Please see your mickeyvortex post for appropriate PC/Vague language though.
     
    drfindley, Oct 28, 2015
    #48
  9. Will

    Will Massdrop

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    For all the folks who care about measurements, here's the spec page from the manual.

    [​IMG]
     
    Will, Oct 28, 2015
    #49
  10. DrForBin

    DrForBin Friend

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    hello,

    +1 on the Element, looks like it might be a good workplace desktop solution for MrsForBin.
     
    DrForBin, Oct 28, 2015
    #50
  11. imackler

    imackler Key Lime Pie Infected Aberdeen Wings Spy

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    Just saw on FB that JDS Labs has added an option to the Element so that you can toggle to DAC line output. The version without is $329; the version with the toggle is $349.
     
    imackler, Oct 29, 2015
    #51
  12. AllanMarcus

    AllanMarcus Friend

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    Thanks for the good advice. If I got the grace, I would sell the peachtree, so that would offset the price a little. I do really like crossfeed and I was thinking of a chord jazz as an amp only alternative. Desk space is at bit of a premium for me, so consolidating on the grace rather than a DAC and amp is also appealing. I know the answer to my next question, which is how much different might they sound? The answer is to audition for myself. Another alternative is the liquid carbon. So many choices!

    I think I'll wait and see what people say about the first batch of the graces. Seems like it will have to come up again to sell the full 500. I imagine there are many people sitting on the fence as I am, waiting for community consensus.

    If it's possible to get in on the loaner unit, please count me in.
     
    AllanMarcus, Oct 29, 2015
    #52
  13. Judeus

    Judeus Facebook Friend

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    id recommend making sure you have the product in your warehouse before putting it up
     
    Judeus, Oct 30, 2015
    #53
  14. Will

    Will Massdrop

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    Lol, not unreasonable. Probably wouldn't let them dictate the fulfillment schedule xD
     
    Will, Oct 30, 2015
    #54
  15. shipsupt

    shipsupt Admin

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    I'm going to jump in and defend John here a bit.

    Yes, he's a reviewer. That means he's got lots of gear rolling through and like many reviewers he's certainly not in the practice of bashing products. That said, he can be critical, and I suspect that he often uses the same style that Tyll does, If it's really bad it's often just not mentioned. Hey, you know he's a reviewer you just keep that in mind. I've traded some notes with John and I think he's got some good ears and analysis skills.

    As for free gear, I can't say that he doesn't get some, but I know for a fact he returns much of it, and I also know he pays for the gear he listens to. I know this because I helped him out with an electrostatic amp build and we chat occasionally about headphone prices on the used market.

    Finally, the reason I take the time to write something is that he also used to send his own gear and loaner gear, whatever he had at the time, to our Changfest Bay Area Meets so that we could listen to it for ourselves. Feel free to ask him to be more critical in his reviews, but let's not forget he's one of the good guys.
     
    shipsupt, Oct 30, 2015
    #55
  16. Kamikazi

    Kamikazi Friend

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    The products John recommend in his reviews all make good door stops. I own a couple of them.

    Avoid mid-fi purgatory, in that category you are getting different flavours, not necessarily anything better. If you want to explore different flavours its best to buy 2nd hand.
     
    Kamikazi, Oct 30, 2015
    #56
  17. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Well, let's say I've vehemently disagreed with many of John's conclusions (e.g. " The Yulong DA8 is supremely capable, among the absolute best DACs I've yet heard, pricing be damned." or "the m9XX ... got enough resolution to pull out gobs of microdetail"), wishy-washy style, and willingness to post manufacturer supplied materials to his posts. To compare his reviews to Tyll's would be an insult to Tyll. Tyll is polite, but he gets to point with clarity. With John, you have to read through 1000 words to find one or two key words that might tell you something.

    My minimal standard of clarity with reviews is Stereophile. And that's a pretty low standard. All of these personal audio gear reviewers (and I am not just picking on John) are worse than Stereophile's, and that is a problem.
     
    Last edited: Oct 30, 2015
    purr1n, Oct 30, 2015
    #57
  18. burnspbesq

    burnspbesq Friend

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    With all due respect to Marv, I find Grandberg's reviews extremely helpful, for one simple reason: he hears the way I do. And I don't think the critique of his writing is remotely well founded. C'mon, in a world where we have Srajan, the idiots at Headfonia, and 98 percent of what gets posted at Head-Fi, Grandberg is at least one standard deviation to the right of the mean.
     
    burnspbesq, Oct 30, 2015
    #58
  19. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Well, I guess I can't disagree that he is a better reviewer than most others.

    It's sad when I trust the "noob" guys who have recently posted here more than the majority of the pro reviewers out there.
     
    Last edited: Oct 30, 2015
    purr1n, Oct 30, 2015
    #59
  20. rott

    rott Secretly hates other millenials - Friend

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    The non-professionals have nothing to lose by being more critical than vendors would like.

    I do agree that he tends to give most everything a favorable review, but could the difference be that he uses a different criteria to judge what's good or bad, specifically for a large audience that varies greatly in what it values and listens through?

    I'm glad I didn't get sucked into the Yulong hype.
     
    rott, Oct 30, 2015
    #60
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