5.1 and stereo high fidelity monitor controller
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“I give the m906 the best compliment I can possibly give to a piece of pro audio gear – I simply refuse to mix without it.” – Kevin McNoldy, Owner, Crystalphonic Recording Studios
At the core, the m906 is a purist level control for monitoring surround (or stereo) audio sources. But a closer look reveals a highly intelligent feature set that makes it a vital nerve center for any recording, mastering, or post facility centered around a digital audio workstation. It is configured as a 2U rack mount mainframe controlled by a sleek, powerful desktop remote control, with all audio kept in the mainframe and all control via the remote control.
The m906 offers a full complement of balanced and unbalanced analog 5.1 and digital 5.1 and stereo inputs, the latter featuring our latest generation reference 24bit/192kHz DAC technology with our proprietary s-Lock™ PLL for rock solid digital stability. All inputs and outputs on the m906 can be user calibrated for seamless integration into any playback environment with all types of playback equipment.
The m906’s signal path is designed to deliver nothing short of the best performing, transparent audio available. All components are chosen for audiophile performance and long term reliability. Level controls, the heart of a monitor controller, are low distortion precision devices which provide a 100dB range in silent .5dB steps.
Included as a standard feature is our acclaimed reference headphone amplifier circuitry (from our m902), with one output jack on the mainframe and one additional output on the remote. This unique circuitry provides precision headphone amplification for critical monitoring, mixing and mastering.
While the m906 boasts a remarkably full set of features, the real achievement for us is to offer this while maintaining the impeccable, transparent audio performance for which all of our products are famous.
- features
- specs
- support
- s-Lock
- gallery
- reviews
- user reviews
- video
- multiple 5.1 and stereo analog inputs
- 24bit/192kHz digital 5.1 and stereo inputs- AES3, S/PDIF, ADAT and TOSLINK
- s-Lock™ phase lock loop sample clock regeneration for ultra-low jitter and rock solid digital stability
- precision speaker and headphone level controls with a 100dB range in 0.5dB steps
- every electrical and mechanical design element maximized for absolute purist audiophile performance
- all controls are built into an elegant, convenient desktop remote control unit
- all I/O and audio are routed in a 2U rack mount mainframe powered by an external 1U 1/2 rack power supply
- control up to three speaker systems - two 5.1 or up to three stereo
- m902 style high-current audiophile headphone amplifier built in with one output on remote control unit and one on the mainframe unit
- complete system level calibration (inputs, outputs, inter-channel balance, dim) and individual channel solo/mute
- balanced talkback microphone input and activation switch with additional external foot switch control jack
- fixed level 5.1 DAC output for direct audio transfers
- optional downmix module supports all standard Dolby mix ratios
- optional AES Loop-thru feature provides four AES digital outputs for passing signals to other devices downstream
- five year transferable warranty on parts and labor
m906 firmware update (main unit Rev 1.08 / remote unit Rev 1.07)
These dowloads are .zip files which contain the firmware, the firmware upgrader programs and all the necessary documentation to properly ugrade the firmware in your unit. Both the m904 and m906 require two seperate firmware upgrades: one for the control firmware (RCU or m904 frontpanel controls) and one for the mainframe processor firmware.
Note: please contact your local dealer or us directly (1-303-443-7454) to request the necessary WA059 PC interface upgrade cable. There is no charge to for this item, but you must have it to upgrade your unit.
Grace Design design pholosophy
Our DA and AD converters employ our propriatery s-Lock™ circuit, a two stage PLL (phase lock loop) system to provide practically jitter-free recovered clocks with extremely high incoming jitter attenuation. The first stage is a wide lock range ultra low noise analog PLL, which can lock to incoming word clocks and Digidesign® Loop Sync signals with a +/-8% lock range. Rather than using standard CMOS based PLL chips for the first stage PLL, we use an extremely quiet, discrete VCO (voltage controlled oscillator). When using a quality external clock source, this PLL alone will provide a nearly crystal quality clock. The incoming jitter rejection of this PLL begins at 500Hz and increases at 12dB/octave with rising frequency. The wide lock range allows for the converter to actually operate in vari-speed applications without a sacrifice in audio performance, provided that the external clock source is relatively low jitter.
When the incoming sample rate is within +/-200 ppm of the selected sample rate, the secondary (our proprietary s-Lock™) crystal based PLL will lock to the first stage PLL, providing the quietest possible recovered sample clock to the converters. The s-Lock™ PLL is capable of extreme rejection of incoming jitter, which begins at less than 0.1Hz and is better than 60dB at 1kHz.
While it is very easy (and economical) to provide “jitter free” sample clocks by routing the audio data through an ASRC (asynchronous sample rate converter), we believe that the convenience of these circuits does not outweigh the potential sonic degradation caused by additional signal processing. The performance of the s-Lock™ PLL renders even the worst case interface jitter artifacts to a level well below the noise floor of the converter.
More reading: Our design philosophy
"The m906 is fablulous! Great sound, great stability and powerful combinations. Now I can record, mix and master my works with accurate and precise monitoring for virtual everything I need. It\'s the center of my entire digital/analog studio. Thank you Grace Design"
"Beautiful unit. Well thought out. I purchased this unit over the Cranesong Avocet because of the feature set, asthetics, and amount of digital i/o and digital routing. Sonic quality: Transparent, clean, silent!!! Stereo image jumps from the speakers. This unit is a great match for my needs & workflow."
"m906 - m906... what a sound... what a design... what a class... entirly on it\'s own... lonely at the top :-) Congratulations! Please continue the good work :-)"
"I am using your M904b controller with JBLlsr6328p mains, JBLlsr6312sp sub and Monster M1000 and SP1000 cable.The sound of this controller is very well rounded, with outstanding accuracy and detail, leting you hear very, very subtle detail and air around the low and high Freq's, with no hype at all in the top end. The mids are rock solid. The lows are phase accurate, tight and very well controled. The headphone amp is stellar useing my Sennheiser HD600's, the X-feed circuitry is awsome! All of this comes from A/B test with our Crane Song Avocet and Benchmark DAC1 units in our other room."