Matrix Element X2 Streamer Review

[BR52]

Again, and sorry if I sound mean or repetitive, but if you are NOT a Roon user, you have nothing to look at this device. This is a Roon Ready device intended to be used with Roon, period. For non Roon users, there are much more attractive, cheaper and better alternatives. These new streamers from Matrix Audio are so Roon focused that currently, out of hundreds Roon Ready streamers, they are the only one for sale at The Roon Store.

Streamers

store.roonlabs.com

Regarding EQ and speakers setup-management, you have all those options included in Roon DSP already.





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Repeating let same times, people think they are stupid in the eyes of the repeater. Anyhow, Roon works only for the streaming, all other inputs are not supported, do you think they are for decoration?

 

[enricoclaudio]

Repeating let same times, people think they are stupid in the eyes of the repeater. Anyhow, Roon works only for the streaming, all other inputs are not supported, do you think they are for decoration?

No, they are not for decoration. They are there to be used as well but if your main purpose is to use those other inputs and NOT the streaming part with Roon or other services like TIDAL Connect, or even the headphone amp, which looks like everybody is forgetting to mention despite having stellar performance, then you will be better serviced going with another streamer without Roon Ready Certification which adds a LOT to the asking price.

This is the kind of dilemma I had a couple of months ago when I was researching pre amps for my desk. I landed with two options: Topping A90D (which I already own) + Ext90 or the Benchmark HPA4. Guess what I did go with? Yes, the HPA4 was 6 times the Topping but with Benchmark you get quality and 5 years warranty. So the obvious choice for me was the HPA4.

 

[BR52]

No, they are not for decoration. They are there to be used as well but if your main purpose is to use those other inputs and NOT the streaming part with Roon or other services like TIDAL Connect, or even the headphone amp, which looks like everybody is forgetting to mention despite having stellar performance, then you will be better serviced going with another streamer without Roon Ready Certification which adds a LOT to the asking price.

This is the kind of dilemma I had a couple of months ago when I was researching pre amps for my desk. I landed with two options: Topping A90D (which I already own) + Ext90 or the Benchmark HPA4. Guess what I did go with? Yes, the HPA4 was 6 times the Topping but with Benchmark you get quality and 5 years warranty. So the obvious choice for me was the HPA4.

I am streaming Roon without "Roon ready certificate" with Roopiee since 2 years perfect.
And we are not talking about Benchmark or Topping here.

 

[enricoclaudio]

RoPieee is a Roon Bridge, totally different to a Roon Ready device. I have 3 x RoPieee Displays so I know them very well.

 

[BR52]

RoPieee is a Roon Bridge, totally different to a Roon Ready device. I have 3 x RoPieee Displays so I know them very well.

Ups, you are a hero I stop here

 

[jhaider]

Again, and sorry if I sound mean or repetitive, but if you are NOT a Roon user, you have nothing to look at this device.

That is just a different spin on what I wrote above:

“Stupid as it may be to have one “moderately useful” input and a bunch of “low fidelity” inputs…”

At any rate, I don’t care to litigate Roon. The broader point is that it is a necessary condition in the 2020s, IMO, for any worth-a-damn “all in one” streaming integrated amp or preamp to include bass management and equalization, and any integrated headphone DAC-amp headphone amp to include equalization. Not some of those features on a limited subset of inputs, but all of them no matter what source is used.

This particular box purports to fill both functions but fails to offer the basic features required to do either one. Unfortunate. Hopefully they can start over and make something useful soon. Personally, I’m annoyed that to get ground minimum useful functionality in a 2 channel system, I had to look for a used HTP-1 or buy a new Arcam/Synthesis Atmos box.

 

[Chester]

I don't get it, if the DAC measures worse than the previous generation, why don't they use the previous generation?

Because you can’t charge more for that!

 

[RF Air]

Thanks @enricoclaudio for your post and sharing your experience. I asked earlier in the thread what justified the purchase price and your information is helpful. It's great that you've discovered for yourself the benefit of their product and service.

 

[anphex]

So ... just get a Topping DX and spend the remaining 3500 $ on speakers or a PC.

 

[enricoclaudio]

I don't get it, if the DAC measures worse than the previous generation, why don't they use the previous generation?

They are using the same DAC as the previous generation, ES9038Pro. But in the newer series they added a full color touchscreen, HDMI ARC, increased headphone amp power, and other things. I’m guessing those extra functions are penalizing the SINAD performance by about 3dB. The X-SABRE3, which shares same DAC as the X2 but without headphone amp and the extra functionalities of the X2, measured better according to @VintageFlanker measurements.

 

[Snoopy]

Again, and sorry if I sound mean or repetitive, but if you are NOT a Roon user, you have nothing to look at this device. This is a Roon Ready device intended to be used with Roon, period. For non Roon users, there are much more attractive, cheaper and better alternatives. These new streamers from Matrix Audio are so Roon focused that currently, out of hundreds Roon Ready streamers, they are the only one for sale at The Roon Store.

Streamers

store.roonlabs.com

Regarding EQ and speakers setup-management, you have all those options included in Roon DSP already.





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Housecurve (iOS) should be mentioned. Let's you create convolution filters for your loudspeakers. Basically a low-end version of DIRAC. But works with a iPhone for measurements and costs only 7-8 bucks.

Works with roon of course.

And I didn't try it yet but with DIRAC software + a microphone you can use Dirac with roon as well.

 

[pablolie]

Yet again, it measures well, but... why would anyone that owns a decent quality "upgrade" to this when -like so many new DACs- it introduces no new features (other than ARC, which I personally have no use for, but that's just me). These days, as DACs are replacing Preamps, a DAC should include a configurable sub out - or at this price point, two of them. Room correction would be nice at the price. But again, that's just me.

 

[Sokel]

I don't care how must it costs,that's a subject for anyone's pocket and sociological debate,not technical.
If it's use case it's Roon use as some friends say above it's only reasonable to sacrifice some of the WAY inaudible SINAD to get more features,make it friendlier or improve it's compatibility with devices downstream taking care of it's input impedance for example.
There's no free lunch.

 

[pablolie]

...
There's no free lunch.

True, but anyone that regards this product as "free" is very financially independent, for sure... :-D

The measurements don't bother me the least, it's just the lack of evolution when it comes to packaged in features. But it's up to product designers to know their customers' preferences.

 

[amirm]

Is it me, or is the distortion result with volume control done within the DAC itself looking way better than the usual graphs where it's reduced digitally - we're getting better performance here by reducing volume within the DAC rather than reducing the volume digitally before the DAC?

It is (I ran the traditional test as well). I think the volume control here is NOT done in the DAC but in another stage later. This is required to handle analog input without digitizing it. This likely also explains slight hit to measurements. Very hard to have a volume control logic that performs at the level of state of the art DAC. I don't think we have ever tested another one with this architecture that performs this well.

Here is the older test:

 

[amirm]

I'm not sure how it would compare to the following graph for instance, I think the following graph is showing more volume attenuation though (but not tried to work it out), so the above good looking performance might be because it's not being attenuated as much as the example below?

I made sure the attenuation was exactly the same: -30 dB.

 

[ebslo]

Regarding EQ and speakers setup-management, you have all those options included in Roon DSP already.

Just curious, is there any way for Roon DSP to automatically switch EQ presets depending on ie. whether the headphones are plugged in?

 

[Grooved]

Just curious, is there any way for Roon DSP to automatically switch EQ presets depending on ie. whether the headphones are plugged in?

I don't know with Roon Ready device, but with a non-Roon Ready device and Roon, I didn't find such a feature, and the closest thing I found was to use a device with two independent headphones output, and in this case, Roon can apply for each output a different EQ (and other settings) and stream the same track to both outputs by creating a group with the two outputs (you can also do it with two different devices, or twice the same device that would have only one headphones output).
So your two headphones stays plugged in and each have their own EQ, you just have to swap between both on your head, nothing more

 

[muslhead]

Again, and sorry if I sound mean or repetitive, but if you are NOT a Roon user, you have nothing to look at this device..

Au Contrare it has a great dlna implementation. I use jriver (after dumping roon) and it is one of the few streamers that the dlna impmentation just plain works no hiccups. The others I have found were, matrix element v1's.
I realize most dont care about dlna but i do and having the ability to do both roon and dlna (correctly) shrink the number of competitors down dramatically and make the element's price much more palatable.

 

[Grooved]

Regarding this attenuation, it really looks like a bug that can be easily fixed, as there was the same problem on the first batch of the Tone2 Pro that got fixed with a firmware update (which also improved the jitter)