Matrix Audio X-SABRE 3 DAC/Streamer Official Thread

[enricoclaudio]

Unfortunately i must use WLAN anyway, because my Roon Server ist in the 2nd floor.
Thats the reason why ask also for option 3.

In your connection diagram you said you have a WLan repeater which I guess it has an ethernet port. In this case, that should work as at the end you are connected via ethernet directly to the WLan repeater, not wirelessly from the X-SABRE 3 to the wireless network in your house. Wireless network with Roon does not deteriorate SQ, it is just not reliable as wired network. If you look at Room Community forum, most issues reported with Roon come from users that have their Roon end points connected via WiFi. In 90% of cases, the issues reported go away as soon they change the connection from Wireless to Wired.

 

[dvb-projekt]

In your connection diagram you said you have a WLan repeater which I guess it has an ethernet port. In this case, that should work as at the end you are connected via ethernet directly to the WLan repeater, not wirelessly from the X-SABRE 3 to the wireless network in your house. Wireless network with Roon does not deteriorate SQ, it is just not reliable as wired network. If you look at Room Community forum, most issues reported with Roon come from users that have their Roon end points connected via WiFi. In 90% of cases, the issues reported go away as soon they change the connection from Wireless to Wired.

Ok. Let´s see. I am curious to see how good the sabre really is...

 

[tdx]

Really considering getting the Sabre 3 as it seems to be the best bang for the buck right now in the DAC/Streamer realm. But it's still a big chink of money, so I wanted to check, are there other streamer/DACs combos in this price range worth looking into? Especially when it comes to sound quality, is there anything that is better than the Sabre 3?

Thanks

 

[enricoclaudio]

Like I mentioned to you over Head-Fi, you are not going to find anything bellow $3000 with the same performance and specs like the X-SABRE 3, at least not one box solution. You can save some $$$ if you go with a multi box solution like a Topping D90SE + RoPieeeXL Display for a total of around $1200.

 

[tdx]

ok thanks. Just wanted to make sure before I plunk down $3000.

 

[enricoclaudio]

ok thanks. Just wanted to make sure before I plunk down $3000.

I would recommend you getting it from APOS Audio as you get 14 days in home trial for a full refund and 45 days with 20% restocking fee. You also get 2 years warranty from APOS Audio.

 

[tdx]

Good idea. Also, when you mention the D90SE, would you say it's a good a DAC as the Sabre? I know it's not a streamer, but Im wondering if the DAC part is as solid. Thanks

 

[enricoclaudio]

The D90SE is one of the best measured DACs currently in the market. Personally, when I had the D90SE I found it as transparent as the X-SABRE 3. However, I had to return it because it didn't work when fed with my Bluesound NODE coaxial out when streaming TIDAL MQA over Roon. I had too many drops. I also tested it with my ARCAM ST60 Streamer, and with that one it did work just fine.

 

[tdx]

I see thank you!

 

[tdx]

One more question if you dont mind. You mention the Arcam streamer which is a DAC I wasnt aware of. I read up on it and it seems really nice! It seems to have almost all the functionality of the Sabre 3. In your opinion, any reason to get the Sabre for double the price?

Thanks

 

[enricoclaudio]

The ARCAM ST60 is just OK. It has ES9038Q2M DACs, same DAC as your MA mini-i Pro 3. The X-SABRE 3 has ES9038Pro which is the top of the line ESS DAC. The ARCAM ST60 is rated THD+Noise @ 0.0008% while the X-SABRE 3 is rated THD+Noise @ 0.0001%. If you are going to listen with speakers, then the ST60 is fine. With headphones, I would go with the X-SABRE 3. Also, the ARCAM ST60 does not have USB input. For CD listening, I have the Panasonic UB820 optical out going into the ARCAM ST60 optical in so the ST60 is acting as DAC.

 

[tdx]

Understood. Thanks so much for all this info, it's really helpful!

 

[peterye10]

The tidal connect function of x-sabre 3 is very good. Will Mini I Pro3 update tidal connect？

 

[ex audiophile]

One more question if you dont mind. You mention the Arcam streamer which is a DAC I wasnt aware of. I read up on it and it seems really nice! It seems to have almost all the functionality of the Sabre 3. In your opinion, any reason to get the Sabre for double the price?

Thanks

I don't believe the Arcam includes Spotify Connect; may or may not be an issue for you but would be if you were to sell the unit at a later time, given the popularity of Spotify.

 

[tdx]

I don't believe the Arcam includes Spotify Connect; may or may not be an issue for you but would be if you were to sell the unit at a later time, given the popularity of Spotify.

Thanks. Has anyone here compared the Naim Unity Atom vs the Matrix? It's about the same price but has a lot more functionality. But i have no idea if the DAC portion sounds as good as the Matrix

 

[ex audiophile]

Thanks. Has anyone here compared the Naim Unity Atom vs the Matrix? It's about the same price but has a lot more functionality. But i have no idea if the DAC portion sounds as good as the Matrix

You're welcome. I encourage you to search this site a bit for audibility of different DACs. I think you'll find the consensus is that you cannot hear any differences whatsoever between DACs in the upper quartile of the chart. Making your choice of streamer based on features, user interface, resale and customer service is IMHO the way to go. Happy gear hunting, I know the disease well

 

[tdx]

You're welcome. I encourage you to search this site a bit for audibility of different DACs. I think you'll find the consensus is that you cannot hear any differences whatsoever between DACs in the upper quartile of the chart. Making your choice of streamer based on features, user interface, resale and customer service is IMHO the way to go. Happy gear hunting, I know the disease well

Thanks that makes sense. That's what makes this so agonizing, is that it's so hard to choose a DAC vs say HPs or an amp where there are clear differences between price points. I'll keep researching and try to make the best decision!

 

[enricoclaudio]

I was also between the Nain Unity Atom and the Matrix Audio X-SABRE 3. At the end, decided to go with the X-SABRE 3 because the features (TIDAL Connect, Spotify Connect and Roon Ready) and also because I know that with Matrix Audio I'm getting a well engineered piece of equipment. Matrix Audio Customer Service is also great. I would challenge anyone to find a company that would take less than 10 days to resolve 10 bugs with a firmware update. That's the time that took @MatrixAudio to fix the bugs I reported and as of today, the X-SABRE 3 is literally bugs free with only one firmware update. My ARCAM ST60 went through 4 firmware updates before even became Roon Ready.

 

[tdx]

I was also between the Nain Unity Atom and the Matrix Audio X-SABRE 3. At the end, decided to go with the X-SABRE 3 because the features (TIDAL Connect, Spotify Connect and Roon Ready) and also because I know that with Matrix Audio I'm getting a well engineered piece of equipment. Matrix Audio Customer Service is also great. I would challenge anyone to find a company that would take less than 10 days to resolve 10 bugs with a firmware update. That's the time that took @MatrixAudio to fix the bugs I reported and as of today, the X-SABRE 3 is literally bugs free with only one firmware update. My ARCAM ST60 went through 4 firmware updates before even became Roon Ready.

That's a valid point. Right now I'm trying to see if i can get a discount from a dealer on the Sabre 3, because otherwise i can get a second hand Atom for $1,000 less. So that's what complicates my decision. If they were closer in price I'd take the Matrix every time.

 

[Docmoggy]

I’ve ordered a unit today from Shenzenaudio. I think I will still run it through my Topping pre amp.