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Matrix Audio Element X2, M2, i2 Music Streamer Review & Comparison | Moon Audio
Element i2 gives you high-end desktop streaming with premium features for all your favorite hi-… More details
Matrix Audio Element X2, M2, i2 Music Streamer Review & Comparison | Moon Audio
The Element series of music streamers from Matrix Audio are some of the most popular desktop music streamers on the market. And for good reason. The Element series is extremely easy to use, is equipped with tons of premium features, and the MA Remote App is an excellent way to access all your content remotely from your favorite mobile device. The Element i2 represents an amazing entry point for the Element series, giving you all the access to Matrix Audio's premium streaming experience with an integrated DAC and headphone amplifier.
The Element i2 gives you amazing clarity and detail in all your music with the high-end ESS ES9038 Q2M DAC chip, a fully-balanced headphone amplifier, MA Remote App integration, USB Audio, IIS-LVDS, full-color touch screen, and tons of other premium features. It's hard to find an entry-level device this premium at this price. The Element i2 headphone amp and hi-fi streamer is your perfect starting point for better music streaming.
Dragon Cable Recommendation: The Silver Dragon USB Cable is our best-selling cable at Moon Audio and the perfect companion for the Matrix Audio Element i2. The Silver Dragon USB transfers digital audio from a computer or portable device such as a Phone, Tablet, or DAP (digital audio Player) to a USB-capable DAC.
Although the Element i2 is the entry-level model for the Element Series of music streamers by Matrix Audio, it shares a wide range of technologies with other models in the series. This narrows the gaps in difference in specs between all models in the series, providing a tremendous value at every price point. The Element i2 has complete local and streaming music playback functionality, flexible input and output selections, and a variety of settings and configurations which makes it an excellent companion for your music, entertainment, and gaming needs.
The 2nd generation Element series of music streamers from Matrix Audio are equipped with a 3.46-inch LCD touch screen. The vibrant screen is able to display rich amounts of information regarding the track, artist, album, and more when playing over the network or playing local music via MA Player. The touch screen allows you to perform various operations from navigating track playback, the menu, and configuring settings. The newly added touch keys are also integrated into the glass panel and makes for a sleek and sophisticated user experience.
If you have a large digital audio library, then MA Player allows you to browse and play your music from USB external storage or NAS with ease. If you prefer high-resolution online music streaming, then streaming programs like TIDAL, Qobuz, Spotify, and Internet Radio will provide a massive amount of content for you, if you have a subscription (TIDAL and Qobuz specifically). The Element i2 is also equipped with Roon Ready, DLNA/UPnP, and AirPlay 2 which bring you different music streaming experiences.
You can browse and playback your local music files, online music stream from TIDAL and Qobuz, and even Internet radio stations through the MA Remote App on your iPhone, iPad or Android phones. The device configurations, firmware updates also can be managed by the app.
Matrix Audio added a 4.4 mm balanced headphone jack for the element i2, making it convenient to pair with various headphones. The built-in headphone amplifier has been upgraded to a 4-channel full-balanced architecture. The fully symmetrical circuit design allows the left and right channel signals to pass through a nearly perfectly symmetrical amplification circuitry. Providing plenty of headphone output power at low distortion and noise.
The Element i2 has a built-in fully-balanced, headphone amplifier, which is composed of 8 independent amplification units. Every two units are connected in parallel, providing higher drive current and output power with very low distortion and noise, as well as better control of micro-details to the headphone drivers. For the Element i2, there are no hard-to-drive headphones, just plug-and-play.
Matrix Audio has designed a new remote control for their second-generation music streamer. The new RM4 remote control has added playback control functions, making it more convenient and easier to switch tracks, play, pause, and other operations. With two programmable buttons, the RM4 can be set to control whatever you want - like frequently used functions through the MA Remote App. The RM4 remote is made with the same care and craftsmanship as the Element series streamers.
Despite being the entry-level model in the second generation Element Series of music streamers, the Element i2 is equipped with the same Quad-core CPU and digital audio interface chip as the other models in the series. This powerful processing ability lets the Element i2 process various sampling rates and audio files with ease. The Element i2 is a MQA full-decoder, giving you access to all the best - sound, performance, and components.
Digital audio is the art of time and timing, and a high-precision clock is the basis for accurate playback of all your favorite digital music. Matrix Audio has designed the Element i2 with the CCHD-950 ultra-low phase noise femtosecond clock from Crystek, reducing jitter generated in the transmission and processing of digital audio signals. This makes the sound more realistic and the details more accurate.
The element i2 is equipped with a Gigabit Ethernet port to ensure amore stable connection when streaming high sampling rate audio files. Make the music data stream in your audio system smoothly.
The integrated 2.4GHz and 5GHz dual-band Wi-Fi antenna, gives the Element i2 a tidy and clean appearance and a flexible connection options.
CPU | NXP i.MX 6Quad Cortex-A9 |
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D/A Chip | ES9038Q2M |
Clock Source | Crystek CCHD-950 |
Coaxial & Optical | PCM 16-24Bit /44.1kHz, 48kHz, 88.2kHz, 96kHz, 176.4kHz, 192kHz |
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DSD 2.8MHz (DoP) | |
IIS LVDS | PCM 16-32Bit /44.1kHz, 48kHz, 88.2kHz, 96kHz, 176.4kHz, 192kHz, |
352.8kHz, 384kHz, 705.6kHz, 768kHz | |
DSD 2.8MHz, 5.6MHz, 11.2MHz (DoP) | |
DSD 2.8MHz, 5.6 MHz, 11.2 MHz, 22.4MHz (Native) | |
USB Audio | PCM 16-24Bit /44.1kHz, 48kHz, 88.2kHz, 96kHz, 176.4kHz, 192kHz, |
352.8kHz, 384kHz, 705.6kHz, 768kHz | |
MQA 16-24Bit /44.1kHz, 48kHz, 88.2kHz, 96kHz, 176.4kHz, 192kHz, | |
352.8kHz, 384kHz MQA or MQA Studio stream | |
DSD 2.8MHz, 5.6MHz, 11.2MHz (DoP) | |
DSD 2.8MHz, 5.6MHz, 11.2MHz, 22.4MHz (Native) |
XLR | SNR: >-120dB A-weighting |
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THD+N:<0.00025%@1k, <0.00035%@20Hz-20kHz | |
Frequency Response: 20Hz-20kHz ±0.1 -3dB@80kHz | |
Crosstalk: >-138dB | |
Output Level: 4VRMS@0dB | |
Output Impedance: 100Ω | |
RCA | SNR: >-118dB A-weighting |
THD+N:<0.00035%@1k, <0.00050%@20Hz-20kHz | |
Frequency Response: 20Hz-20kHz ±0.1 -3dB@80kHz | |
Channel Crosstalk: >-130db | |
Output Level: 2VRMS@0dB | |
Output Impedance: 100Ω |
4.4 mm balanced | SNR: >-116dB A-weighting |
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THD+N:<0.0006%@20Hz-20kHz 4VRMS | |
Frequency Response: 20Hz-20kHz ±0.1 -3dB@65kHz | |
Output Impedance:<22Ω | |
Output Power: 1500mw@33Ω, 950mw@300Ω, 500mw@600Ω, 1%THD | |
Gain: +16.5dB | |
6.35mm unbalanced | SNR: >-114dB A-weighting |
THD+N:<0.0008%@20Hz-20kHz 2VRMS | |
Frequency Response: 20Hz-20kHz ±0.1 -3dB@65kHz | |
Output Impedance:<11Ω | |
Output Power: 1200mW@33Ω, 260mW@300Ω, 130mW@600Ω, 1%THD | |
Gain: +16.5dB |
LAN | 10/100/1000 Mbps |
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WLAN | 2.4 GHz / 5 GHz |
The USB port provides a maximum power of 5V/1A. | The USB port works with the devices which conform to the USB mass storage standard and supports FAT, FAT32, exFAT, and NTFS file formats, but is not guaranteed to be compatible with all storage devices. |
Controller app | MA Remote App |
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Local Playback | |
Format Supported: | MP3 , WMA , WAV , AIF, AIFC, AIFF, AAC, FLAC, OGG, APE, ALAC, M4A, DSF, DFF, CUE |
PCM Sampling Rate: | PCM 16-24Bit 44.1kHz, 48kHz, 88.2kHz, 96kHz, 176.4kHz, 192kHz, |
352.8kHz, 384kHz, 705.6kHz, 768kHz | |
MQA 16-24Bit /44.1kHz, 48kHz, 88.2kHz, 96kHz, 176.4kHz, 192kHz, | |
352.8kHz, 384kHz MQA or MQA Studio stream | |
DSD Sampling Rate: | DSD 2.8MHz, 5.6MHz, 11.2MHz, 22.4MHz |
Roon Ready* | *Under certification test |
PCM Sampling Rate: | PCM 16-24 Bit /44.1kHz, 48kHz, 88.2kHz, 96kHz, 176.4kHz, 192kHz, |
352.8kHz, 384kHz, 705.6kHz, 768kHz | |
MQA 16-24 Bit /44.1kHz, 48kHz, 88.2kHz, 96kHz, 176.4kHz, 192kHz, | |
352.8kHz, 384kHz MQA or MQA Studio stream | |
DSD Sampling Rate: | DSD 2.8MHz, 5.6MHz, 11.2MHz, 22.4MHz |
AirPlay 2 | The audio specs depend on the service provider |
DLNA/UPnP | The audio specs depend on the service provider |
TIDAL Connect | The audio specs depend on the service provider |
Spotify Connect | The audio specs depend on the service provider |
vTuner | The audio specs depend on the service provider |
Power Voltage | AC 100-240V 50/60Hz |
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Standby Power Consumption | <5W |
Maximum Power Consumption | < 30W |
Weight | 2.6 kg (5.73 pounds) |
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Size | Width: 240 mm (9.45 inches) |
Depth: 259 mm (10.20 inches) | |
Height: 58 mm (2.28 inches) |