Hi, further to the issues I’ve experienced with my recently purchased iFi NEO iDSD detailed here:
I’ve been considering a mini-i Pro 3 but wanted to know how smoothly it operates? Is is capable of playing MQA albums gaplessly (with Roon volume levelling applied) and does it seemlessly switch between tracks of differing sample rates, PCM-DSD etc?
Thanks!
I got mine yesterday and love it. Turning volume leveling ON works fine with gapless tracks. Same for different sample rates and MQA. No nasty popping like the ones I was getting with my Apogee Quartet. I haven’t try DSD, though. The only issue I have had was when grouping zones via Airplay with my ARCAM ST60. The mini-i Pro 3 sometimes show incorrect album artwork and the track timeline freezes. It only happened when grouping via Airplay. Pretty sure it works properly if grouped with another Roon Ready device.
Thanks Enrico. Good to hear!
Hi Norliss I got mine early this year ind I have been loving it. I don’t do volume leveling as I am an album listener but I do upscale to Max and apply convolution and cross fade filters in Roon and I have no issue.
It’s a 15 minute setup out of the box (if the firmware needs an update) and is a super reliable device.
I have mine feeding my Sonos for MQA and upscaling when not using headphones as well. Overall makes me want to have more Matrix audio devices
Hey - I’m also an album listener but I like to avoid having to jockey the volume knob between albums due to the shockingly wide variation in loudness levels!
I see you’re just up the road from me in Caerphilly 
From where did you buy yours, may I ask?
Hi Norliss where are you from?
I think I got it from here, but can’t remember as someone else ordered it for me in lieu of payment for some work that i did. Matrix Audio Mini-i 3 Streaming DAC | Pro 3 - Igloo Audio
I had some jankeyness with auto levelling and have never gone back to it, I felt it reduced the volume too much for me (maybe linked with cross fade). Maybe I should give that another go
From Cardiff!
I’ve always used Volume Leveling with Roon as I’d long used ReplayGain via Logitech Media Server. Admittedly the two things are not identical but are similar. I think the Roon default of -23LUFS (the EBU R123 level) is a bit strong: I have it set to -18 on my main system but use -14 for the computer and everything else.
As for the mini-i 3: I noticed it’s quite a bit cheaper directly with Matrix Audio and Shenzhen Audio etc although wasn’t sure whether ordering from them would mean I’d end up with a bill for VAT/ import duty etc. Ordinarily I’d have expected it but it seems that Chinese firms often seem to have a way to get things to you without incurring duties… 
Well we are pretty much neighbors. I live just at the bottom of Caerphilly mountain.
I think if you buy from Shenzhen Audio you have to pay import duties and Vat so not sure what the impact would be, given it might be 20% and then a bit more.
I once imported a large number of speaker’s from Orb Audio in the US. I got a horrible multiple hundred pounds bill before I could have the speakers which has kept me from doing this again.
I paid $899 for my mini-i Pro 3 with all included from APOS Audio. The price was $1025 but they matched the $899 price from an eBay seller 
I’ve had my Mini Pro 3 since January and I am very pleased with it. The device was easy to set up and was up and operating in less than 15 minutes. The device has excellent sound compared to any of the configurations that I tried with my old streamer, an Auralic Aries Mini. I am getting bass and mid range punch from my small tower speakers that I had never heard before. I haven’t used it much as a headphone amp, but it does sound better than the Audioquest Dragonfly Red that I own.
Are they active speakers? If not, I assume you connect the Mini Pro via RCA cable to an amp?
I bought Mini Pro specifically to drive my Focal headphones and I’m very happy with the results. I have tried to connect the Mini to my KEF LSX desktop speakers (active), but wasn’t happy with the sound as compared to direct streaming from Roon Core (KEFs are Roon Tested). So it is interesting to hear that you get good results.
Love mine - non pro version though as I wasn’t interested in MQA snake oil.
Managed to snare an open box/ex demo here in the UK and love it. Treated myself to some Genelec active monitors and an Allo DigiOne to sit on top of a spare Pi 4 I had knocking about. Now running Volumio/LMS on it for Spotify Connect and BBC Sounds.
Great little set up for my home office desk. All bought to replace a Sonos PlayBar.
Roon means I no longer need to segment my FLAC library into stuff that Sonos can/cannot play through the Sonos app.
I use mine with Dynaudio BM5 mkIII Active monitors. I have the MA mini-i Pro 3 and an Apogee Quartet plugged into a Drawmer CMC2 Monitor Controller, from there to the Dynaudio monitors + Rythmik Audio L22 subwoofer and it sounds AMAZING. I can do real time A/B switch between the mini-i Pro 3 and the Quartet and I can totally appreciate the differences between the two. The mini-i Pro 3 is more detailed and the mid range has more full body sound. The Quartet sounds great but the mini-i Pro 3 is a notch better.
Just a follow on from the ifi zen stream thread, but I also have a few Sonos devices knocking around. Am I right in thinking you are using Roon and via the mini i-pro 3 to just output to those Sonos products?
Alexander I listen to Roon mostly via Sonos Stream direct, I have my living room Sonos Amp connected to the Mini I-Pro 3 via some decent phono cable’s. If I unplug my Hifiman Ananda’s from this device the music playing then goes to the Sonos amp and is auto switched by Sonos (I have some Dali Oberon 5 speakers and Sub connected)
I tend to use it when playing 24/96 or MQA and I feel a noticable improvement (subjective if course). But most of the time I am Happy just to play it through the Sonos as that has always worked perfectly well.
I did think about buying a dedicated Stream and Drop Dac pro for this purpose, but I am very happy with the current set-up
Blockquote I listen to Roon mostly via Sonos Stream direct, I have my living room Sonos Amp connected to the Mini I-Pro 3 via some decent phono cable’s. If I unplug my Hifiman Ananda’s from this device the music playing then goes to the Sonos amp and is auto switched by Sonos (I have some Dali Oberon 5 speakers and Sub connected) I tend to use it when playing 24/96 or MQA and I feel a noticable improvement (subjective if course). But most of the time I am Happy just to play it through the Sonos as that has always worked perfectly well.I did think about buying a dedicated Stream and Drop Dac pro for this purpose, but I am very happy with the current set-up > Blockquote
I also have Sonos Amp and some theirs speakers - that’s great setup, true HiFi (with classic bookshelf spk) not only lifestyle. But, I must warn you, that AMP have fantastic DAC/amplification audio path, but not so good ADC (RCA in). You lose quality here. I use it only for gramophone integration. For that purpose its good, cos winyl parameters (no more 12 bits you have - ASR measured it).
Its funny, but I use MA Mini-i Pro 3 too, fantastic piece of equipment, imo the best in relation cost/skills. Try (if you dont now) balanced 4.4mm out. Adapter + good cans = heaven.
Nice toy box you got there.
Very sexy 
Antoni thanks for that response.
I too have balanced 4.4 headphone cables to my Andanda’s and really enjoy that listening more than any other device.
I enjoy the RCA in for some listening but probably 80-90% is just streamed through Sonos.
They have a slightly different sound signature but I enjoy both
Good and long YouTube review on Passion for Sound. It’s a very fair and balanced review
TLDR don’t use is with IEM headphones and best used with planar magnetic headphones (which I do).
Still it’s worth investing the time to watch if you are interested in this device
Thanks for posting this. Going to watch it later today. I use my mini-i Pro 3 daily for about 6 hours a day and still impress me how great it sounds 
