Grace Design m920 (Steinway and Sons office systems, Part IV)

Grace m920 for TTG

Grace Design m920 (Steinway and Sons office systems, Part IV)
Digital-to-Analog Converter, Line Stage, and Headphone Amplifier
Made in Lyons, Colorado, USA; US MSRP $1995

For the stereo systems I specified for use in two of the executive offices at Steinway and Sons’ global headquarters in New York City, my major design goals were fatigue-free yet detail-rich listening (for hours at a time), flexibility, and future-proofness. Given that the major source was going to be USB computer audio or wireless streaming, I wanted a digital-audio source component that had multiple digital inputs, the ability to decode not only conventional PCM digital data but also Direct Stream Digital (DSD) files, was of professional-grade build quality, and which sounded just plain great. Oh, and also not break the budget. (Note, the Grace m920 on its own does not handle wireless; in these systems, an Audioengine wireless receiver unit outputs S/PDIF to the m920 via a Toslink optical digital cable.)

Grace Design’s m920 DAC/HPA/linestage filled that bill admirably. Please click through to learn more, and also to learn how to get an additional $100 off the lowest advertised price, as a thank-you for reading The Tannhaüser Gate!

m920Inside1 cropped for ttgGrace m920 interior photo by John Marks

Michael Grace and his brother Eben founded Grace Design in Lyons, Colorado 25 years ago, in order to commercialize Michael’s design for a professional-audio microphone preamplifier. (Michael’s previous job was at the Jeff Rowland Design Group–fancy that.) Early adapters included the jam band Phish, and Skywalker Sound. Today, in addition to Steinway and Sons, Grace Design’s user list includes the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Metropolitan Opera. The Boston Symphony’s recording under Andris Nelsons of Shostakovich’s tenth symphony (on Deutsche Grammophon) was recorded using Grace Design’s mic pres and analog-to-digital converters, and it snatched the most recent Grammy for Best Orchestral Recording. Or should that be snagged?

FeidnerSystemAtSteinway

Snatch or snag, be that as it may, Grace Design makes great stuff, and at prices that multinational labels like DG and world-cultural icons like Steinway, and even most working audiophiles and music lovers, can afford. Indeed, one could do far worse than just buying the bits that make up the Steinway office systems and calling it a day and getting down to enjoying the music. Keeping in mind that the Harbeth P3ESR is a BBC LS3/5A descendant, and those speakers were designed to be listened to at arm’s length in a remote recording van parked outside a concert hall or a church. If you need something larger in a loudspeaker, just leave a comment to get in touch. Such comments I do not post, but it’s the most efficient way to communicate with me.

BTW, among its many stellar features, the one that I think best sets the m920 apart from the general onslaught is that among its seven selectable digital filters there is a “Minimum Phase” option for regular PCM (CD and streaming) playback. That to me sounds so much more musical than conventional digital filtering.

The Grace Design m920 has a US Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price of $1995. The lowest price authorized dealers can advertise is $1895. Grace Design admirably keeps its pricing real-world, avoiding huge dealer mark-ups that only serve to encourage what I call “sucker discounts.” (Do you really think that Chinese-made Fender electric-guitar copy is worth $899, so therefore $499 is a huge bargain? If so, I pity you.) Grace Design prices their products to be priced fairly at full list price. Hence, the small gap between MSRP and MAP.

But! Just because I like you (and you do look honest), if you would like to buy an m920 factory-direct (with a 30-day money-back guarantee) at an additional $100 off (net $1795, with free shipping and this offer is only good in the US and Canada), leave a comment as a message, and I will get in touch with you, and put you in touch with them.

Disclosure: After leaving Stereophile magazine, I have had a paid consulting relationship with Grace Design, centered on how to approach the audiophile marketplace via exhibiting at Rocky Mountain Audio Fest. I will not benefit directly from any sales that result from this offer. And as is almost always the case, Grace Design lent me a unit to evaluate and paid shipping both ways.

# # #

2 Replies to “Grace Design m920 (Steinway and Sons office systems, Part IV)”

  1. Pingback: Bricasti M1 “Limited” Digital-to-Analog Converter – The Tannhäuser Gate

  2. Pingback: Bricasti M1 "Limited" Digital-to-Analog Converter - Positive Feedback

Comments are closed.