Sorry guys, I uploaded a low-resolution video so the sound demo might be a bit compressed, and it is too late to change now. How much money are you willing to invest in a streamer? Non-affiliated link: apos.audio/collections/brand-spotlight-matrix/products/matrix-x-sabre-3-dac
Sounds cold I'll say all digital revealing system sound cold uninspiring lol Horses for courses I suppose if that's what you like. I can hear some artefacts as well
@@hoobsgroove It does have the sound profile of other DAC from Asia but the biggest problem might be because I uploaded a low resolution version of the video by accident and that is why the video quality is really bad. Also, that might have affected the sound quality.
Welcome back Thomas. Your intro was brilliant. By giving us the why you waffled but then discovered the significance I wanted to hear more. Then you gave me a reason to be curious about detail vs resolution. Thanks for listing the DAC chip AND the clock. The Crystek is a credible mid high performing clock used by PS Audio Direct Stream. Paul complains that his DAC wizzard broke the bank on those parts. They pay around $16x2 which is a lot more than the typical $0.50 part in a cheap consumer product or your phone. Also a world below what a DAC in the $30k range would use. But a clock at this level and good linear power will result in a very good DAC even with the Sabre chip. Excellent description of resolution. I heard it described as low level information. That is where the audio cues for emotion and life live. In my own case I believe I have tons of it even using a much lower detail chip from the 90s as a result of a great clock, power and output stage.
Thanks, yeah even other DAC or CD can give a lot of resolution. We even AB tested a very old high end CD player vs the new Hegel CD that cost like $5k and the result was interesting.
A streamer should have a big enough screen and for anyone who come to your house to use it like a FM tuner; without needing your personal phone to operate it or install an app to their own mobiles. That's my personal definition of a proper streamer. The good old days where anyone can operate on a HiFi system without needing password, special APP etc.
In that case, I think it is hard to beat the Eversolo DMP-A6, I have to use it more and will test the screen to see if I can choose music from it directly.
Thats a misconsumption, because it is all about a good, stable App for your Smartphone/Tablet ;-) ...and maybe a remote. Never understood why people need a fancy screen, is in my opinion complete useless, besides WAF and show-effects ;-) ...and overloaded OS UI Interface code base ;-)
Excited about your news, re; your upcoming Class A solid state amplifier!! Hope all is going well w/ your testing, etc. = I'm finally off the DAC/streamer merry-go-round as I'm extremely happy w/ my Denafrips Iris/Pontus II 12th Anniv. & Bluesound Node X... just one final upgrade and I seriously reckon that I'll be *completely immune* to the whole 'must upgrade itch' & just be able to watch review channels like yours purely for enjoyment and news of any new format, advancement etc. *soon!* Only taken me 40 yrs..........! Thanks for the review today - really interesting. (p.s. Denafrips DAC's take a good number of months to fully reach their optimum performance....).
@@ThomasAndStereo - Thank-you!! Really looking forward to your Class A solid state amplifiers as my final upgrade is to move from Class A/b solid state to, yup! you've guessed it... An upper mid-level priced,... Class A solid state amp...!
I miss your reviews so much. This video was great as usual. Picture quality is a bit unusually low though. Nice to see you again Thomas. Btw regarding the little screen. I like it, it's not practical but it feels very classy.
So well explained, great review. A take from this is that it’s important to see how much better a dac can sound when one’s system upgrades improve around it before moving to an upgrade dac (but arguable that the dac be decent to begin with) 🙏🏼👍🏼
@@riccitone Yeah, unlike most amps today, it is a current feedback design instead of a voltage feedback design. Despite only having 20w, with the right speakers like a Focal Sopra 2 for example, it can control the bass better than a 200w class D amp. Interesting result when an amp focuses on high current.
WELL explained .......Thomas ! For many the illusion is that gear that pushes the highs and force dynamics above natural content is hyped as Hi-end..... Natural is the most difficult to reproduce and not so impressive as some audio components do (used as a sales argument ) Natural does let your hear insdeed the wipe of the cords on the cords of a violin and other . Few components respect and the naturel coherence of all those " qualities " Listening to an orchestra further away blends all those resolutions into harmony , gradualy blending also the sound stage into a more mono like experience ............I never had a seat only some feet away or between the musicians or as close as possible in front of the orchestra nor listening within inches of the cords of a guitar ......... But when it's natural , I never have listening fatigue and while reading a book in the evening or at night my attention is captured to the music the longer it plays ................for me. Thank you for the quality review !................it is a testimony of growing experience to what's music reproduction is ( or should be ) all about .
Great review. For me, I'm not willing to spend more than $1000 on a streamer, however I'm willing to spend $1600 on a DAC to go with it. In an ideal world, I'd love a streamer only (without DAC) that had a decent sized screen for cover art and information that could be read say 8 feet away. Yeah, I know I could use my phone, but when listening to music, I'd love to leave my phone in another room, far, far away and out of mind.
Obviously I can't expect to hear all the aspects of the sound that you describe, but I can compare it to other sound demo's you've made with other systems. This is possibly my favourite to date at least it had me tapping my foot and I understood the lyrics for the first time. The more I think about it the more I like it. Great video Thomas.
Well explained. Glad to see your new Galion Class A amp shows the hidden potential of the X-Sabre 3. Which one to buy first if I am only allowed to buy one piece at a time?😂
Thomas i regularly watch your videos and a lot of other channels including sean, jay, beekhuyzen, guttenberg, darko, cheap audio man , andrew and others…. Most of them talk about the product, generally an audio box that does things that it is supposed to do with some negatives and some positives and quantify them in terms of detail, resolution and measurements but very rarely someone says you can sit on your couch and listen to the music with this box in your system for hours hours.. so my main question is why not quantify hours of listening as a main metric instead of resolution and detail as one might not like listening to crystal eyes again and again, rather some gnarls barkley or radiohead
I think one of the challenges is time, when you have 30+ pieces of gear pending for review, and a family, and a company, it is hard to measure it based on hours listened. In fact, some of the stuff I don't like, I end up listening more hours because I try to undertstand it. While other things, I can tell you everything about it within an hour because it's sound character is to my taste. I understand where you are coming from and true, some stuff, I would end up listening till 2am in the morning because it is so good.
I always like your particular point of view as reviewer Thomas and thanks for your efforts in the audio comunauty. Any plan in the future to review your Exasound S82 DAC? I don't know why the exasound dacs are not very popular in the audio forum? I enjoy my R26 with purple fuse but i am hesitant to open my wallet to buy 8K$ dac without significan upgrade sound.
I just been using the dac off my avr the amount of money people are spending is insane lucky for me I have exceptional speakers that would cost a fortune if I didn't design and build myself. I do want to see what a dac and proper 2 channel system would make my speakers sound but I don't know where to start and I am to busy enjoying my speakers to worry about it they are the type of speakers that make everything sound good
@ThomasAndStereo well I am but I know I can get better sound quality and that's why I watch your channel but I don't have a ton of money but I have big speakers that could sound really good with more power I have to figure out the best bang for my buck.
Yup, can't go wrong with that option too. I have it at my place, I even have the Eversolo top of the line $3k streamer at my place and I can say both has their strength and it is not a clear win from the higher end model.
@@ThomasAndStereo Ya , I was thinking of upgrading from the node to the eversolo. Every review on their streamers is very good. They say that the master edition has some better parts for sound quality…. I’m sure it’s probably only a slight improvement. Their products seem to be great value for the money. I love your gear, you always have the good stuff. 👍
Thanks for the video and great explanation on what to expect with this Matrix! Really interested in the new Galion class A amp, can't wait for you to share more details! Did you run the Matrix directly into the Galion or were you using a preamp as well?
Matrix recently released their streamer only product (no DAC) at ~$1500 USD, the Matrix Element S. EDIT: Returned it, buggy tidal connect support. Warning, read APOS refund policy carefully
Pretty good and detailed review Thomas. Just want to ask if you used the Sabre unit as a streamer or DAC in your evaluation. I am in the market for a high-end DAC and would like to ask you how does this DAC compare to the Denafrips Venus II 12th anniversary. Your power amp sounds like something I can add to my audio system.
If you really want to see what the r26 can do with a fuse change go with the Audio Magic M-1. Crazy expensive for a fuse but not so when viewed from the improvement in micro dynamics. Made a clear difference much more than the SR Purple. Gustard Nano was ok, just added a touch of refinement. That along with the OCK-2 clock transforms the R26 into quite a different beast.
I think basically the FIIO F7, and the Eversolo. The two I would consider. I want to build a SSD NAS with all my stuff in it. Call it done. DACs is like the arms race. I really refuse to play the game, unless something is really special I want, and not just RU-vid fodder of the week. I love seeing you Thomas. I feel you have way more happening here. The high end is a very fickle place to be. I am very patient. I often don't care about the latest and greatest. How much am I really going to be happy over what I have. Pretty soon you have more DACs than I know what to do with. At this point, also 1 DAC to rule them all, at least for me anyway. Beyond that, for me it is silly, and I am going on others opinion, and measurements that may, or may not be profound for me. I think that is why I like Vintage gear. It is way more fun than the digital fickle Frontier. I work in IT, and I can find plenty why I hate digital without hearing a note. ButI use that to create and edit with. Also get my music over all. But I love I can compile my playlist and record to tape, and enjoy it allot more. I am still looking to get into Master Tapes at some point. Expensive as Schiit. But that for me is the one to end it all. Yeah I need the computers, but if I have my say for me. Screw them. Master tapes do it.
It works fine if you want more detail and sharper top end. If you want a smoother presentation, Denafrips is a better choice. A question of taste. Same thing with Mcintosh, you will get a bit more titled up top end and transparency.
@@ohadschwartz4798 I don't think the Matrix can be used as a streamer only. What you have is fine, I think you have to pay a lot more money to upgrade the sound. Unless you are looking for a more lively sound, no point going to Matrix. If you like the Pontus sound maybe higher end Denafrips or Holo May?
Can you tell me anything about this solid state amp that you're working on like what class it is? what transistors you using and what sort of power supply?? What cap have you tried in it, is it just an amp or is it an integrated? Any phono stage? And who's manufacturing it and what country.
Class A. 20watt. I have to ask the designer about the transistor. Linear powersupply made by the designer. Caps tried were mundorf, Jupiter, solen, clarity, jantzen, etc, I will share a photo in the future and it will be jaw dropping. Designed and made in Canada.
@@ThomasAndStereo made in Canada not China that's a surprise! Who's this designer you're talking about. What would you say it's similar to the music fidelity A1 New edition, is that your competition? Send it to kiss analogue, would be nice to see his analysis he does a complete breakdown he can put it through tests hes a power supply expert designer.
@@hoobsgroove I have never heard of the A1 so I would not know but it would be more similar to the pass lab first watt. My designer is more known in the DIY community with 20 years of experience. He lives 15 minutes away from my home and I will interview him in an upcoming video. Kiss analogue? A RU-vid channel? I need to look for him. Made in Canada, yup but my cost doubled because of that. My plan is for all products from this designer to be made here in Canada. Even the casing was designed by someone in Alberta, Canada. It is just a power amp.
@@dajikbatarang1 No, to drive Magnepan, the designer needed to add something in and it changed the sound. So the decision was to not put that thing in and just ask people to wait for the class AB version which will be able to drive Magnepan.
