Audio Asylum Thread Printer

Get a view of an entire thread on one page

FAQ / News / Events

Digital Drive

Grace Design m920 DAC, $1895 from Sweetwater Sound with MBG + Free Shipping

100.40.104.113

In Reply to: RE: CD Player or DAC recommendations posted by mike555 on August 31, 2015 at 08:23:54

The m920 is one of the few affordable DAC/pres that has selectable digital filters, and the m920's filters include Minimum Phase for PCM, and how cool is that?

There are internal jumpers so that you can bypass the volume control for use as a DAC only if you need your current preamp for vinyl. If not, the m920 is great as a line stage and not only has multiple digital inputs it has both single-ended and balanced ANALOG inputs that you can use if you have a separate phono stage.

Under $2000, money-back guarantee from a mega-e-tailer, 5-year transferable warranty, Made in the USA, what's not to love???

I have personal experience with it and I think it is great... .

ATB,

jm
Grace Design m920 DAC, $1895 from Sweetwater Sound with MBG (Open in New Window)

Follow Ups:

At that price it should have balanced outputs... - John Elison 11:34:55 08/31/15 (5)
It doesn't make sense to me to have a pair of balanced inputs without having balanced analog outputs. Wow! Somebody really missed the boat on that one.
- It does - via 1/4" TRS jacks (showing its pro audio heritage). - Beef Guinness Cutie Pie 13:52:04 08/31/15 (3)
  Not the best decision from consumer audio point of view - and probably a sign that they don't really target audiophile market.
  
  But then, it doesn't look anything like almost $2K component either. I hope the poster above is correct, and it sounds good - unlike most pro audio products.
  - Unlike some pro audio companies, final design choices at Grace Design are made by... LISTENING - John Marks 15:49:46 08/31/15 (2)
    The company was founded by musicians.
    
    Grace Design gear is in use by the jam band Phish (64 channels of mic pres); The Metropolitan Opera; Skywalker Sound, and, Steinway & Sons.
    
    Here's a quote from the Grace Design website:
    
    "My Grace Design m920 is the heart of the system I use to evaluate tracks for our Steinway CD label. The m920's sound is both rich and detailed. I love it!"
    - Eric Feidner, Steinway & Sons NYC / Executive Producer, Steinway CD
    
    The predecessor to the m920 was Stereophile's Headphone Product of the Year for IIRC 2013.
    
    John Atkinson has measured and commented upon at least two of the m920's predecessors.
    
    And the other poster is right, the rear panel space is maxed out, and most pro users can handle balanced on TRS, while most consumer users are happy with RCAs.
    
    You can ignore me and you can ignore JA and you can ignore the Stereophile writers who voted that award, but Grace Design was started by a former employee of Jeff Rowland's, and you don't get a client list like that by ca-chinging with the bling. Lotsa people make monitor controllers.
    
    You have to deliver the audio goods.
    
    Have an exceptional day!
    
    JM
    
    PS: Grace Design is not the only pro audio company that is a fave of mine. I love ATC passive and active speakers, Audio-Technica pro headphones, custom cables from Markertek, and the sweet little Class-A amp from Lindell.
    - RE: Unlike some pro audio companies, final design choices at Grace Design are made by... LISTENING - Trouser Trout 23:04:49 08/31/15 (1)
      Sounds like a great DAC and headphone amp. The Sabretooth chip is usually somewhat zingy but the one excellent review on Sweetwater states this is not a problem using the filters. Have to give it a listen.
      - I think that the Minimum Phase is by far the best-sounding nt - John Marks 06:53:47 09/01/15 (0)
        
        In Reply to: RE: Unlike some pro audio companies, final design choices at Grace Design are made by... LISTENING posted by Trouser Trout on August 31, 2015 at 23:04:49
        
        nt
- RE: At that price it should have balanced outputs... - pictureguy 11:47:19 08/31/15 (0)
  It appears that they simply ran out of rear-panel space!
  
  A lot of the feature set is duplicated in my CA DACMagic+ for 1/3rd the price.
  Too much is never enough

Post a Followup:

FAQ

Post a Message!

Forgot Password?

Moniker (Username):
Password (Optional):
	Remember my Moniker & Password (What's this?) Eat Me
E-Mail (Optional):
Subject:

Message:	(Posts are subject to Content Rules)

Optional Link URL:
Optional Link Title:
Optional Image URL:
Upload Image:
E-mail Replies:	Automagically notify you when someone responds.

To view your new posting or follow-up, click on the RELOAD or REFRESH button on your browser.

This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors: