Matrix Audio Mini-i Pro 3 Review (Streamer & DAC)

[SergioRZ]

oh, one other thing... how can I do this: "Airplay from a computer, which you can then control with your phone through Spotify Connect"? If I'm running Spotify from my laptop, how can I use my iPhone to control it? Thanks

 

[SergioRZ]

Well, still one more thing... even when playing Spotify over Bluetooth, I can hear a big difference with the Matrix compared to my old Philips Bluetooth Receiver little box (maybe around 40 euros) that was connected to my main amplifier via RCA. It's really so much better, not even close For that alone I love my Matrix, but of course it can do so much more

 

[VintageFlanker]

think Airplay can stream full resolution, it's not like Bluetooth... Airplay should allow for high-res streaming, from whatever source is playing (obviously not Spotify), is this not correct?

It's not. Bandwidth limited to 16b/48Khz content.

 

[biglebowski]

oh, one other thing... how can I do this: "Airplay from a computer, which you can then control with your phone through Spotify Connect"? If I'm running Spotify from my laptop, how can I use my iPhone to control it? Thanks

If you are connected to the same Spotify account on both devices. Start playing from the computer (MacOS if you want to do airplay easily) and then open the Spotify app on your phone.
This works also perfectly with Spotify Connect

It's not. Bandwidth limited to 16b/48Khz content.

Yep, so it's capable of streaming up to CD quality, which is said to be available soon in Spotify. To stream high res content from Tidal or Qobuz, Roon is probably the way to go.

 

[SergioRZ]

Interesting, thanks for clarifying that for me

So, it might actually be better if I stream Bluetooth APTX from my laptop, which seems to be capable of more than 16/48, isn't it?

 

[VintageFlanker]

So, it might actually be better if I stream Bluetooth APTX from my laptop, which seems to be capable of more than 16/48, isn't it?

Nope. Whatever BT codec will butcher the signal much more than AirPlay:

Regular Apt-X is 330Kpbs limited.
Apt-X HD is 576Kbps.
LDAC is 990Kbps (best case scenario. In fact, it's variable)

None of these would be able to transmit full PCM 16b/44Khz content (up to 1411Kbps) without compression. So don't even think about High-Res.

LDAC claims to be 24b/96Khz capable, which is very very wrong. Uncompressed 24/96 bandwidth is basically 4608 Kbps. It would be less with lossless FLAC, but still way too much to be transmitted by LDAC Codec.

Anyway, BT is convenient and suitable for background playback, or anything that doesn't require critical listening.

 

[biglebowski]

Interesting, thanks for clarifying that for me

So, it might actually be better if I stream Bluetooth APTX from my laptop, which seems to be capable of more than 16/48, isn't it?

I don’t see any reason to prefer Bluetooth which is always lossy compression over Airplay which is lossless up to 16/48.

And signal strength is another win for Airplay over BT

 

[SergioRZ]

Thank you very much for all the information

 

[Serg]

Created an account just to offer my two cents on the Mini-i Pro 3.
1) It sounds great. Very transparent, extended, etc. It replaced a pretty high-end (if old) DAC, and playing Sufjan Stevens' "Illinois" the instruments and voices sparkled like I had never heard before. Playing Roon into a Hafler 9300 into Acoustat Model 4's (so it's a bit of a modern meets vintage system).
2) If you use Roon or Airplay, the usability is seamless and smooth. No issues with setup or connectivity.
3) The slow volume control is annoying, as Amir has noted, but bearable.
4) I'm using it for my living room setup, so the TV goes into it via optical cable. That works fine, but I have an issue where it will randomly power down in PCM mode, every few hours of use. That doesn't happen when streaming. Software bug, I would guess.
5) Along with fixing that bug, I wish it could be programmed to accept control via another IR remote, my Sony TV remote in this case. I don't want to deal with a second remote for TV volume, so I had to buy a Harmony remote to control volume and switch inputs, and I find the Harmony software and mode-switching clunky and inconvenient.
6) The screen is too small for the album art display to be usable in a living room setup, but the volume indicator and track runtime are visible from 8 feet or so.

Overall very happy with the purchase.

I’m very glad to hear the Airplay 2 feature works flawlessly. Just ordered mine!

 

[MaadScience]

Quick update on my previous comments, just in case anyone out there cares:
- The issue where it would randomly power down in PCM mode seems to be fixed. It hasn't happened since the last firmware update.
- I wound up solving the remote control problem with a $20 Sony RM-VLZ620 programmable remote. There's something deeply satisfying about having one remote to control everything.
- One negative thing that has begun to slightly annoy me is the lack of input volume memory. So every time I change from streaming to optical input, for example, I have to adjust the volume. That's a super minor nitpick and overall I remain very pleased with the Mini-i 3 Pro.

Created an account just to offer my two cents on the Mini-i Pro 3.
1) It sounds great. Very transparent, extended, etc. It replaced a pretty high-end (if old) DAC, and playing Sufjan Stevens' "Illinois" the instruments and voices sparkled like I had never heard before. Playing Roon into a Hafler 9300 into Acoustat Model 4's (so it's a bit of a modern meets vintage system).
2) If you use Roon or Airplay, the usability is seamless and smooth. No issues with setup or connectivity.
3) The slow volume control is annoying, as Amir has noted, but bearable.
4) I'm using it for my living room setup, so the TV goes into it via optical cable. That works fine, but I have an issue where it will randomly power down in PCM mode, every few hours of use. That doesn't happen when streaming. Software bug, I would guess.
5) Along with fixing that bug, I wish it could be programmed to accept control via another IR remote, my Sony TV remote in this case. I don't want to deal with a second remote for TV volume, so I had to buy a Harmony remote to control volume and switch inputs, and I find the Harmony software and mode-switching clunky and inconvenient.
6) The screen is too small for the album art display to be usable in a living room setup, but the volume indicator and track runtime are visible from 8 feet or so.

Overall very happy with the purchase.

 

[Diablo_DW]

C813B8 is coming out lately tonight

 

[enricoclaudio]

Just updated to C813B8 on my Matrix mini-i Pro 3 and all the bugs we reported last month have been fixed. Auto dimming, auto standby and auto back to home from menu are fulling working now.

 

[VintageFlanker]

Just updated to C813B8 on my Matrix mini-i Pro 3 and all the bugs we reported last month have been fixed. Auto dimming, auto standby and auto back to home from menu are fulling working now.

Sounds great. I'll check that after work. Still no volume acceleration, so.

 

[eckoflyte]

Hi, I have a question regarding auto power-on, if someone with this unit could help answer that would be greatly appreciated.

Can this unit automatically detect input signal and power itself on and switch to that input? For example if I was using it over USB to my desktop, walk away, unit goes into auto standby, then decide to play some music over AirPlay, would it switch to AirPlay? Also would the reverse be true if I decided to go back to my desktop and starting using it from there?

 

[MaadScience]

- I can't speak to the unit's ability to detect USB input specifically as I haven't tried it.
- If you start streaming via Roon or Airplay it will automatically switch to "Streaming."
- But, if you start playback from an optical input source, it will NOT detect it or switch automatically. You have to manually switch to that input. I would guess that it is the same for usb and coaxial input, but I have not tested those.

Hope that helps!

Hi, I have a question regarding auto power-on, if someone with this unit could help answer that would be greatly appreciated.

Can this unit automatically detect input signal and power itself on and switch to that input? For example if I was using it over USB to my desktop, walk away, unit goes into auto standby, then decide to play some music over AirPlay, would it switch to AirPlay? Also would the reverse be true if I decided to go back to my desktop and starting using it from there?

 

[eckoflyte]

- I can't speak to the unit's ability to detect USB input specifically as I haven't tried it.
- If you start streaming via Roon or Airplay it will automatically switch to "Streaming."
- But, if you start playback from an optical input source, it will NOT detect it or switch automatically. You have to manually switch to that input. I would guess that it is the same for usb and coaxial input, but I have not tested those.

Hope that helps!

Thank you, that answers my question perfectly.

 

[JoostE]

Any chance someone is willing to sell their remote on this, for example @MaadScience ? since you seem to be using a universal remote.

I am looking for another remote to use with my Mini DSP, and this one looks pretty good!

 

[MaadScience]

How would you use the Matrix remote with another device? Just curious. In any case I'm going to hold on to mine in case my universal remote fails or I need to use it to program another universal/learning remote.

Another minor annoyance with the Matrix is that it doesn't have a standard remote code, to my knowledge. It is in the Logitech Harmony database, but I'm not a fan of the Harmony and the only way to program another universal remote was with the remote's IR learning function.

I had a Birdland Audio Odeon-Ag DAC from like the early 90's and it had a function where you could teach the device itself to accept input from any remote you like - super handy. It surprises me that much more sophisticated units like the Matrix, with a display and much more processing power, don't have this usability feature.

Any chance someone is willing to sell their remote on this, for example @MaadScience ? since you seem to be using a universal remote.

I am looking for another remote to use with my Mini DSP, and this one looks pretty good!

 

[JoostE]

I use a mini-dsp. Mini DSP does the whole remote thing the other way around. You program the mini dsp to listen to the infra red signal you shoot at it. It doesn't come with a remote, and while I have the cheap 10 bucks mini dsp remote, I am honestly just looking for a fancier remote for my 10K audio system... Looks do count

If anyone else knows/has some good looking remote control, I am all ears! I don't need more that ~6 or so buttons, 2 of which should be volume

 

[JoostE]

Matrix audio does sell the remote control seperately, but 50 bucks seems quite a lot of money for just a remote!