Massdrop (when under that name) initially specialized in bulk buys for otherwise hard to get Asian products, factory seconds and over runs, close outs, and discounts on regular items. They then moved into custom production, but are now more of a niche retailer. Keyboards and arty keycaps? Really?
Their original business was transformed by three events:
The HD-6XX. This was initially a limited run of 4,000 or 5,000 and available only to Massdrop members. It sold out in hours, and later came back as another limited run. It soon became obvious this was a true hit and it’s been a regular item ever since. Sennheiser and Massdrop realized they’d likely underpriced the product ($200) as they quickly bumped it to $250 and then back to $200. It’s now $220, and both likely regret setting its price so low. However, it seems to keep Drop’s lights on. It brought a lot of new people into audio.
The THX AAA 789. This was announced many months before it finally hit the market (e.g., Jan 2018 with a Oct/Nov 2018 release). It received spectacular early reviews and praise per simplistic and largely irrelevant measurements – this ultimately set a lot of people on the wrong buying course, but that came later. In 2018 the first run of 789s sold out fast, and I got one of the leftovers around Thanksgiving week. Then the weirdness started, which revealed the apparent end of Massdrop’s first business model. The second batch of 789s was delayed, delayed, delayed, as Monoprice, SMSL, and Topping designed (copied) and released similar products. The second batch hit the market only after the others had caught up. It seemed that the Chinese manufacturers decided to cut Massdrop out to build their own distribution channels and brands (e.g., Topping, Douk, SMSL, Apos audio, etc.).
The Airist R2R DAC fiasco. This horrific and devastating fiasco revealed that Massdrop lacked technical expertise in its Airist partnership. “Let’s slap a fancy case on an off-the-shelf item and call it innovation…” It also revealed how other vendors could compete.
At this point I can’t see Drop having the resources to design significantly original audio products. They are still reselling discount prior generation headphones, but these have mixed quality and mediocre prices (e.g., I got a Koss Porta Pro for much less on Amazon). Massdrop’s golden age was brief, but served to expand the global audio market.
It’s not that the Soloist can’t do bass. It’s a neutral source meaning that it amps what is there and your headphone does the rest. But yes, it does not artificially bass boost your music.
I too, am not a big DROP fan. Unless it’s a product exclusive, I’ll try to get the vendors I trust to price match or get close to what DROP is selling the product for. DROP return policy can be frustrating.
Cayin N6ii with E02 is my favorite combo for IEMs! It’s warmer, fuller and more musical /emotional sounding than any of the Bursons. Burson is neutral in the best sense of the word.
So it depends on your personal preference.
I now use Burson for headphones only. But of course Soloist and Playmate 2 work a with IEMs too.
Playmate 2 is the same tonality as all of Bursons amps. In terms of sound quality they are all very close with Conductor 3XR leading the pack.
But for the money, Playmate 2 is pretty close.
Right now, my ultimate rig for IEMs and headphones is Cayin N6II / E02 with C9.
To me this is the best I have ever heard. Beats everything I heard before. (at a price of course)
Thanks Tom! This is looking like the most logical choice when weighing space, cost and future headphones. I don’t need to power susvara or he6se. But arya or similar? maybe. Certainly Sundara at some point. But that is as demanding as I need for now.
Do you know if the n6ii is capable of using the playmate 2 as an external dac/amp over usb? I want to make a DAP the center of my media listening to take everything off the phone. Connect to the burson (or whatever I choose) for dedicated headphone listening but use the dap directly for portable listening.
I also want to see if class-a matters to me. And burson seems as good as any class-a out there.
Hmm. The E02 uses the same DAC like the Playmate 2 as far as I know, but the E02 has a dual DAC, so no improvement here. As an amp connected to N6II it should work well.
Just consider that the Playmate 2 does not have XLR.
Crosses a line in the money department. Though, portable class-a might make up for that at some point. (If class-a ends up being what I want).
First I need to determine if I like dap life, class-a life or desktop amp life. Portable or not, the c9 is desktop for me much the same way ifi idsd micro signature was desktop.
Also, I remember there being some charging oddities discussion about the c9. And all I remember was “well, I am never going to buy that”. Were you on that thread?
You know I sell this stuff and when my distributor told me about C9 and I saw its just an amp for 2k$, I said no.
Curiosity got the better of me and I ordered a demo unit. What shall I say. It’s totally worth the money as it surpasses all other gear I know and heard. I have the C9 on my desk connected to N6II and when I’m on the move, I just unplug the N6II and off I am.
As for the charging. I experimented with several chargers and found that wattage and current are key here. My fastest charger from Huawei at 40w/2A is not the fastest with C9. Instead, I use one from Samsung with 20w/2A.
I guess I could leave it plugged and use it that way. So far, no charging issues with my C9.
You have Class A or A/B mode. You have transistor /double tube mode, high and low gain etc. It’s very versatile.
After weeks of usage, it’s my current dream combo. I even use it with a 4.4mm to XLR adapter for my headphones.
I love this about it. And I love that it could be used upstairs or downstairs easily (like the signature). My biggest concern (besides the money) is it won’t be appealing enough over the qudelix around hassle.
If I can live with the size of a dap (and have one, that, you know, meets my high standards of having the buttons work. We wouldn’t be having this discussion if the dx300 buttons worked) and use that portably, then something like the signature/c9 may work for me. The reason being that it’s not connected to my phone. My phone does not leave arm’s reach. When I get up, I make sure the phone is in a pocket. Yes, this may be a problem in itself (Shut UP!!! ). That’s not what this is about. If it’s connected to something, it either needs to be d/c, or the other thing needs to go in a pocket somehow. With the qudelix, that’s a non-issue. With the signature, big issue.
I have zero problems leaving the dap, dac/amp and headphones behind while I go handle something. Or possibly just connecting to the dap if I won’t be sitting for a while (if it is pocketable). But constantly unplugging and plugging in headphones, switching to qudelix and back just drove me bat crap crazy when using my phone as a source. I ended up leaving the signature unused for 95% of my listening for the day. The signature sound quality was not enough to override the convenience.
So, dap + dac/amp, is not out of the question. At least not until I try it.
I also think with upcoming apple lossless, I won’t have amazon. And I think having both is what broke the dx300 (something kept grabbing the button input)
Anyway, still working things out. I am tempted by the fiio m11 plus limited currently. As it is a far more advanced “media player” than anything else out there. And should be ok on sound.
I prefer the Conductor 3XR as our had dual DACs and apparently, this makes a difference. It seems to add that big more energy and air to the music.
Downside is only two gain settings. For my headphones, a mid gain setting like on Soloist is better.
I am using the E02 which is 4.4mm balanced out PO and LO. Simply wonderful. Not to forget, I am erdbebensicher using C9 with my overhears at times. It has 4w/channel and sounds great with literally any IEM and headphone I have.
). That’s not what this is about. If it’s connected to something, it either needs to be d/c, or the other thing needs to go in a pocket somehow. With the qudelix, that’s a non-issue. With the signature, big issue.
Not to forget, I am erdbebensicher using C9 with my overhears at times. It has 4w/channel and sounds great with literally any IEM and headphone I have.