Review and Measurements of Grace Design m900 DAC & Amp

[Roen]

I'm just being facetious.

I appreciate both my speakers and my headphones, but find more of a hobby in headphones.

My speakers are pretty much a one and done as I'm very happy with them. I suppose my Klipsch 2.1 Promedia THX that EVERYONE has (for some reason) would count as my second set of speakers.

 

[francerex]

Why did I read this

I was pretty much set on a modi 3 + atom combo, but I am now seriously considering getting this instead.

Design + incredible portability + 5 years warranty might be worth the extra (double) price

Do you think the m900 would work well as dac-preamp for speakers like the kali audio lp6?

I am trying to justify the expense

Thanks!

 

[HammerSandwich]

Line inputs should be much easier to drive than headphones, but you might want XLR outputs for pro monitors.

 

[jacobacci]

Checked the filter setting and it was set to "F4"

I would assume that the F1-F4 filters are the filters of the AK4490 chipset (my Aune S16 is AK4495 based and has four filters with the same names as the ones in the Grace). Understandably the DX50 would not have that problem, as it is ESS chipset blessed (incl. the infamous hump). Sorry I did not do a thorough search for the question, but do other AK based DACs show the same behavior on F4 as the Grace m900?

 

[jacobacci]

Archimago seems to have looked at the AKM filters as well
http://archimago.blogspot.com/2018/09/measurements-rme-adi-2-pro-fs-as-dac.html

 

[Pipps]

For using the Grace m900 to run a pair of Campfire Audio Vega in-ear-monitors (17.5 Ohm impedance and 102dB sensitivity) at low-to-moderate volumes for long hours per day, would it still be advisable to use the external power supply or would USB power be OK?

 

[Roen]

@amirm Are you able to re-test this with the new firmware? v2.3? Maybe that address the low frequency issues.

 

[Grattle]

It is what you use to listen to music once you can afford your own home
No need for discomfort any longer.

Ha! Maybe if your wife likes your music more than mine does!

 

[Frank Dernie]

Ha! Maybe if your wife likes your music more than mine does!

My wife is a professional musician but we have a large enough house to have a room with a piano in it and a separate room for the hifi so we can both do our own thing if we wish.

 

[Grattle]

I have a music room upstairs for most of the year. It's next to my daughter's room and she's home for the summer, so it becomes an extension of HER room.

 

[soundwave76]

@amirm Are you able to re-test this with the new firmware? v2.3? Maybe that address the low frequency issues.

This would interest me as well, though I doubt Amirm has it anymore. I have been using this m900 at work for some months now and really like it. I use with Focal Elegias.

 

[Anubhav]

Just bought an M900 (not Massdrop M9xx) from a local Aussie forum for $200 USD just 6 months old (with 54 months warranty left on it).
Using it primarily as a DAC with multiple AMPs (SS & Tubes, whilst i wait for THX789 to arrive in November.)

It's a lovely device, thanks for recommending it @amirm

 

[soundwave76]

P.S. I am selling my m900 if anybody is interested. 350€, condition like new, box and receipt, in warranty, location Finland.

 

[Hchavez]

My AISO driver for my Grace design M900 DAC doesn't play well with DSD files and Audirvana. I get errors when playing and switching DSD tracks. Tech support at Audirvana says it's my driver and I should just use the WASAPI driver. They claim that I don't loose anything by using WASAPI instead. From my testing my DAC doesn't recognize DSD files over DSD64 after that it seems they are some kind of PCM format.
Am I loosing resolution by using WASAPI?
Anyone have any idea how to get Audirvana to play nice with my DAC using the AISO driver provided by my DAC manufacturer?
I have foobar and it does work fine with it using output DSD:AISO:XMOS USB AUDIO 2.0 ST 306A. Why I don't just use Foobar you ask? Interface and lack of remote control.

 

[Veri]

Am I loosing resolution by using WASAPI?

Nope. WASAPI is bit-perfect/system exclusive just like ASIO is.

 

[Hchavez]

Nope. WASAPI is bit-perfect/system exclusive just like ASIO is.

My DAC doesn't show it is decoding DSD on anything over DSD64 using WASAPI.

 

[Veri]

My DAC doesn't show it is decoding DSD on anything over DSD64 using WASAPI.

It should be possible though, as foobar2000 can do it. The problem seems with Audirvana.

 

[Hchavez]

It should be possible though, as foobar2000 can do it. The problem seems with Audirvana.

I haven't tried wasapi on Foobar, I will try.

 

[Thunder240]

M900/m9xx owners, I’m considering purchase of a used m9xx at approximately half price. My use case would be for headphone listening only, and the source would be toslink.

any experience using the toslink input? e.g. is jitter or distortion audibly worse than the usb input, which @amirm tested?

 

[Bliman]

M900/m9xx owners, I’m considering purchase of a used m9xx at approximately half price. My use case would be for headphone listening only, and the source would be toslink.

any experience using the toslink input? e.g. is jitter or distortion audibly worse than the usb input, which @amirm tested?

I have an m902 and it is an excellent headphone amp. I have a RME ADI DAC that is used as dac and preamp but to my ears the m902 is better at everything with regards to headphones in comparison to the RME. Mind you I didn't test it blindly. But to me m902 is a reference headphone amplifier.
I use it now with the computer by toslink and all is very good and easy. The m902 was the first to have a mini usb input but that wasn't great. And I wouldn't recommend it if you would use it only for usb. This is in regards to the m902. I hope this helps