Micromega M-100/150 field reports


Got a M-100 or M-150?  Share your setups, tweaks and observations, and help out your homies.

My initial M-100 config and some early observations in this thread.

Things I'm wondering about:

  • hacks & upgrades to LAN infrastructure including h/w, and whether they make an objective difference in reproduction from the M-100/150
  • power cords/supplies, with same question (objective difference?)
  • MARS room correction performance & value
  • whether Micromega will have any relief for the abject instability of their Android control app (circa 2016)
usery
benb:

"...worth money to me"
Totally agree with that. Let the spender of the money be the last word on what’s-worth-the-money.

"...upsampled to DSD or tried various filter settings that are features in the pay-for apps that I believe has a lot of potential?"
I haven’t tried any of that, but I’d like to. Have you tried such modded source material on the M-100? How would you describe the output from your speakers, compared to unmodified?

"...interface and ability to dig into your music collection in Roon is worth money..."
Yes that seems to be a Roon value-add that some people find worth the cost of the software.

"...the time when it was expected to pay for things related to music"
I think the institutionalized expectation of ’paying for things related to music’ has in large part created an industry where hype and ’manufacturing consent’ drive music-enjoyers to spend lots of money on products of dubious objective value. Whether there’s sufficient subjective value to the beholder, well, that returns us to let-the-money-spender be the last word.
I emailed Micromega and they said they were going to integrate Qobuz in their app hopefully by the end of the year. I guess about the same time Qobuz is suppose to be available in th US. 
"...they said they were going to integrate Qobuz in their app hopefully by the end of the year"
Yup, that’s what they replied to me when I asked about the outdated Android app. Looks like Micromega has outsourced that development to a 3rd-party, and from the reply there might even be contractual obligation to finish the work by end of year - which includes Qobuz integration

on 9/6/2018 3:33 AM <Micromega> wrote :
...
Indeed we decided to go straight to and finalize the iOS version before Android. But as the software is very demanding in term of time, cost and development, [we] decided to work with a new software company dedicated & specialized in the Android development! [In] our agreement with them, [the] entire development including Tidal, Qobuz, deezer, web radio and audio server has to be completed by December 31st 2018.
...

Cordialement,
AUDIS / MICROMEGA
13-15 rue du 8 mai 1945
Parc d’activité de la Haie Griselle
94470 Boissy-saint-Leger
Just another informational update.  I had originally had my subwoofer hooked up to the binding posts.  I received clarification from Micromega on the sub out.  It outputs 20 Hz to 400 Hz while the binding posts continue to output full range.  So I hooked up an RCA cable from sub out to my subwoofers low level line in (with a y built into the RCA cable) and readjusted the sub controls since I get louder output this way.  I re-ran mars calibration and the system is sounding great.  Not necessarily better but a much cleaner wiring hookup and I’ve bumped the bass up a tad as part of the process and the whole system sounds fuller.
every time I turn it on, I’m struck by how much presence the human voice has with the M100.  
At first attempt the M-100 headphone-out circuit seems wimpy driving Sennheiser HD650's.  Must  pump volume all the way up to level 60 before it reaches dB levels I consider 'loud', and even then the HD650 characteristic 'dark veil' is present in the sound (indicating an under-powered source). By contrast my Creek 5350se drives the HD650's effortlessly and with buckets of dB's, lucidity, articulation, deep- and hi, blah blah quack quack, etc.

Maybe this is just the way M-100 is config'd from factory (ie really have to jack it with hi-impedance 'phones like the 300ohm HD650's)? 

Or, the M-100 headphone-out is really anemic.  I didn't find any specs for it in the docs (output impedance, power,  etc).