[Hoondarrh]

Im surprised at so many of you saying you'd prefer the M-Field. I came to the other conclusion but to each their own. I'll certainly read the reviews and comparisons.

I chose this route because I want a more "tubey" sound, as I strongly prefer it, and have found the Tungsten's sound amazing with tubes. 300B amps are way out of budget, and while the HA-3A more than adequately drive the Tungsten's, the class A nuclear power of the Mentor/M-Field has me too curious to pass up whether or not there's still more to gain.

To echo what's been said about the two models already, here's part of the email I received from Flux a week or two ago regarding the two:

"...Regarding the sound features. Let's try to describe the difference between these two models briefly. We made great efforts to not lose detail in the M-field model compared to the Mentor. However, it stands to reason that the Mentor will be the most detailed amplifier with the largest soundstage of all. At the same time, the Mentor's bass is not as weighty as that of the M-field, but it has a more complex structure, which is unattainable by most amplifiers on the market. On the other hand, the M-field has a stunningly soulful and intimate midrange that only the best tube headphone amplifiers can deliver. At the same time, the bass of the M-field is delivered a little softer and more weighty.

As a result, we got two completely different sound settings. Mentor has the most uncolored, accurate, fast, and detailed sound. And M-field is a more intimate, enveloping, weighty, and warm sound.
In terms of wattage, these are comparable amps. Both models allow you to create a stack of two devices."

I'm sure I'd be more than satisfied with either version of the Flux, even the single units, but it'd always leave me wondering what if.

 

[Slackaveli]

I'm a larger fan of Hifiman's older more warm and V shaped sound, but the Stealth phones bring so much more speed and resolution i've caved. A/Bd the He1000 V2 and He1000 Stealth and in Bass Impact, dynamics, treble resolution, stealth just it edges out too far
I find the right amp makes a modern speedy planar get back there again from my comparisons
With a tungesten on the way, I think the Mentor is definitely the proper pairing if going totally fun isn't your conclusion.

Yeah thats it exactly, with Tungsten on the way max power on tap was needed. And a really black and wide amp with great clarity will be good synergy.
I really love my He1000 Stealths, too. Such a great pair of HPs and are an especially good value.

 

[Slackaveli]

I chose this route because I want a more "tubey" sound, as I strongly prefer it, and have found the Tungsten's sound amazing with tubes. 300B amps are way out of budget, and while the HA-3A more than adequately drive the Tungsten's, the class A nuclear power of the Mentor/M-Field has me too curious to pass up whether or not there's still more to gain.

To echo what's been said about the two models already, here's part of the email I received from Flux a week or two ago regarding the two:

"...Regarding the sound features. Let's try to describe the difference between these two models briefly. We made great efforts to not lose detail in the M-field model compared to the Mentor. However, it stands to reason that the Mentor will be the most detailed amplifier with the largest soundstage of all. At the same time, the Mentor's bass is not as weighty as that of the M-field, but it has a more complex structure, which is unattainable by most amplifiers on the market. On the other hand, the M-field has a stunningly soulful and intimate midrange that only the best tube headphone amplifiers can deliver. At the same time, the bass of the M-field is delivered a little softer and more weighty.

As a result, we got two completely different sound settings. Mentor has the most uncolored, accurate, fast, and detailed sound. And M-field is a more intimate, enveloping, weighty, and warm sound.
In terms of wattage, these are comparable amps. Both models allow you to create a stack of two devices."

I'm sure I'd be more than satisfied with either version of the Flux, even the single units, but it'd always leave me wondering what if.

Im sure it's fantastic.
With Tungsten in mind maybe M-Field with DS and Mentor with SS would be the best synergy. The extra bass heft on SS pairing well with Mentor and getting a slight enhancement from Yggy. Whereas the extra warmth on DS which by all accounts is fabulous on tubes and might be perfect with M-Field. Although Im sure both would sound good on both.
I cant wait to hear SS on Yggy OG >> Mentor. I bet DS from Yggy MiB >> M-Field would be a fantastic chain.

 

[psy472]

I’m too satisfied with the current Mentor to side grade to a M field. I need much more convincing that it will add value to my current setup of MJ3, Lyr 3, and Mentor stack. Such a first world problem.

 

[betula]

Mentor arrived! Washington USA, 17 days from order. Got the US Rhodium and the $14 comically large Elderly Accessible remote haha

I've never heard an amp like this outside of a Home Theatre store. It's in another league for me, like a boutique Mcintosh or something.
Vs. V222 and MJ3, Mentor has a Night & Day clarity and resolution. There's zero nuance there, it's straight up just better.

Amp
V222 is a lot lusher, dynamics more fun, and the vocals still a lot sweeter and forward, makes it more engaging for me overall with my rock music taste
MJ3 is the in-between. A bit more impact in the bass than Mentor 'allures' to you. The timbre sweeter, but it sounds thinner in body and power than the Mentor.
Warm --V222--Mj3-Mentor- Neutral
Detail --V222-MJ3----Mentor

Dac
Bifrost 2: definitely warms the tone up, but Amazed I can hear the detail drop going from NOS to OS. It's a straight downgrade to keep OS on.
Ares 12th-1: Dead-Neutral and more detail than the Bifrost 2, but bigger soundstage at the cost of some dead space in the space between instruments

Mentor is Pitch-Black against the others, and is Grandiose in sound. Not QUITE as holographic in imaging as a Burson, but the detail retrieval makes up for that in my brain.
Has a Theatre Stage presentation, a full body in the bass and mids despite it's neutrality.
I concur it just makes every song sound like it's supposed to, never quite understood what that's like before.

I love my V222 lately so we'll see, but technically it is no competition whatsoever.
Looking for a DAC to slightly warm it up, like a Pontus II tier, seen Cyan 2, taking suggestions

For Me, I realize I maybe should have waited for the M-Field, side-grade incoming

Good comparison. It is true, that some other amplifiers have a tastier/warmer tonality, but the quality level of the Mentor can make it difficult to go back to those. The level of refinement, coherence, effortless clarity, excellent detail retrieval and resolution combined with a large space and black background make the Mentor stand out from all the amps with a similar price tag. I might enjoy the MJ3's slightly coloured tone and more dynamic bass a little more, but the compromise in refinement and resolution always lingers there in the background. The overall quality, refinement and fluidity of the Mentor's sound is an outstanding achievement at this price point.

I chose this route because I want a more "tubey" sound, as I strongly prefer it, and have found the Tungsten's sound amazing with tubes. 300B amps are way out of budget, and while the HA-3A more than adequately drive the Tungsten's, the class A nuclear power of the Mentor/M-Field has me too curious to pass up whether or not there's still more to gain.

To echo what's been said about the two models already, here's part of the email I received from Flux a week or two ago regarding the two:

"...Regarding the sound features. Let's try to describe the difference between these two models briefly. We made great efforts to not lose detail in the M-field model compared to the Mentor. However, it stands to reason that the Mentor will be the most detailed amplifier with the largest soundstage of all. At the same time, the Mentor's bass is not as weighty as that of the M-field, but it has a more complex structure, which is unattainable by most amplifiers on the market. On the other hand, the M-field has a stunningly soulful and intimate midrange that only the best tube headphone amplifiers can deliver. At the same time, the bass of the M-field is delivered a little softer and more weighty.

As a result, we got two completely different sound settings. Mentor has the most uncolored, accurate, fast, and detailed sound. And M-field is a more intimate, enveloping, weighty, and warm sound.
In terms of wattage, these are comparable amps. Both models allow you to create a stack of two devices."

I'm sure I'd be more than satisfied with either version of the Flux, even the single units, but it'd always leave me wondering what if.

Weightier, but less complex and a little softer bass, smaller soundstage with slightly less details, more 'soulful' midrange on the M-field. Sounds like Flux really aimed at a tube-like tuning in SS form. The only thing I am wondering, how dynamics and slam/impact will be on the M-Field.

 

[nighthink]

Good comparison. It is true, that some other amplifiers have a tastier/warmer tonality, but the quality level of the Mentor can make it difficult to go back to those. The level of refinement, coherence, effortless clarity, excellent detail retrieval and resolution combined with a large space and black background make the Mentor stand out from all the amps with a similar price tag. I might enjoy the MJ3's slightly coloured tone and more dynamic bass a little more, but the compromise in refinement and resolution always lingers there in the background. The overall quality, refinement and fluidity of the Mentor's sound is an outstanding achievement at this price point.

Wondering if you had chance to compare SE and XLR output of Mentor and what was the difference you noticed? I did that as I assumed XLR will be better (as it is always reported so with basically every amp), but I didn't notice anything that would make me think SE is worse than XLR. In both cases I used balanced XLR input from my Pontus II.

Seriously consider the Cyan 2, I mention because the warmth of the Pontus II has me leaning to it instead.

I have Pontus II (not 12th though) and it's amazing combination with Mentor. I don't feel like I miss weight to the bass. But in my case the bass was seriously improved also by including PSM156 into the chain, so it's not easy to pin-point what is responsible for that more (dac, mentor, psm156).

I'm also considering reverting to 1.0 firmware on Pontus II (curently on the latest 1.4) just to see what it would do in my stack now as I never tested it after all those upgrades I did. The only thing that gives me a pause is that slight risk of bricking the DAC while up/downgrading. It's like 1% but it's there . Really don't want to go that route to send it to Vinshine or what not from the Europe back and forth.

 

[jkteddy77]

"The only thing I am wondering, how dynamics and slam/impact will be on the M-Field."

Me also. They said less bass but weightier, and I hope that doesn't mean Diffuse. I want depth and slam still.

 

[betula]

Wondering if you had chance to compare SE and XLR output of Mentor and what was the difference you noticed? I did that as I assumed XLR will be better (as it is always reported so with basically every amp), but I didn't notice anything that would make me think SE is worse than XLR. In both cases I used balanced XLR input from my Pontus II.

You are right, on proper balanced amps XLR out usually sounds better (better clarity, more space, snappier transients). On the Mentor the outputs sound effectively the same. Impressive.

 

[Ballszilla]

My stack arrived and it sounding wonderful. Only problem with the remote is the “volume +” Changes the input on my TT2… so that kind of sucks.

Did you experience much difference between the TT2 amp and the Mentor in soundstage? Also, would you mind sharing what cables you're using from the TT2 to your Mentor?

 

[nighthink]

You are right, on proper balanced amps XLR out usually sounds better (better clarity, more space, snappier transients). On the Mentor the outputs sound effectively the same. Impressive.

Oh cool that my hearing isn't totally off. Then I can still claim to my neighbours when we meet on the street to walk the kids I'm an audiophile (without too much of insecurity).

 

[markkr]

Did you experience much difference between the TT2 amp and the Mentor in soundstage? Also, would you mind sharing what cables you're using from the TT2 to your Mentor?

I expect some changes in Mentor after some longer run-in… but as of now the Mentor sounds strikingly similar to the TT2 amp (which I adore). Currently using the Schiit XLRs but have a pair of Norne XLRs incoming.

 

[Mezeamp990]

I should have waitedddd haha, pretty set on an M-field now, maybe I can side-by-side for yall.
Seriously consider the Cyan 2, I mention because the warmth of the Pontus II has me leaning to it instead.

I was in the same boat. I got my Mentor yesterday and been listening and burning it in. I like everything so far. The soundstage, macro dynamics, and detail retrieval. The clarity and instrument separation are superb. The only thing that's missing is that bass that I like so much on my Empyrean. I asked Flux if stacking the M-field will be a good idea. Have the best of both world if possible. They replied:


We recommend warming up the device for about 100 hours, this will primarily affect the bass response, the bass will become more significant and the overall sound will become less harsh. You can also try using another network cable, based on thick copper cores. But in any case, Mentor's bass is more intelligent, with more nuances. Combining into a stack with M-field is technically possible, but it will not work correctly since one headphone channel will be amplified by Mentor, and the second channel by M-field. On the other hand, if you have M-field and Mentor together, it will be possible to determine a more suitable option for yourself. Each model will have its own advantages and features.

Sincerely, Flux Lab Team

 

[Slackaveli]

$1599 Yggy OG Analog 2 with Unison USB for $1599
Somebody snag this. It pairs so sweetly with Mentor.

https://tmraudio.com/components/d-a...-yggdrasil-d-a-converter-analog-2-unison-usb/​

 

[Rattle]

I really want to hear a mentor and m-field as well. Is there a discount on the first run of amps from flux normally ? Like ZmF does on a new launch ?

 

[LTd head]

I really want to hear a mentor and m-field as well. Is there a discount on the first run of amps from flux normally ? Like ZmF does on a new launch ?

From Flux Labs email regarding M-Field: "...there will be a small discount at the beginning of sales."