Matrix Audio Mini-I Pro 4

Little wonder, then, that listeners are rushing to get their music decoded by Mini-I Pro 4. Matrix make it easy. In addition to HDMI ARC (Audio Return Channel) for TVs, the usual streaming suspects of Gigabit Ethernet and 2.4/5Ghz Wi-Fi connectivity come standard in typical Matrix style.

At the source Mini-I Pro 4 accepts audio data from any of its Ethernet or Wi-Fi inputs, putting its Roon Ready status at your disposal or its growing, diversifying Matrix MA Remote OS – most lately adding the HIGHRESAUDIO streaming service to Tidal and Qobuz.

The freeware of your choice may be used too, with first-choices Tidal Connect, Spotify Connect and UPnP/DLNA augmented with Apple AirPlay 2. With a new, modern quad-core ARM Cortex-A55 CPU keeping things ticking over, Mini-I Pro 4 runs smoothly no matter how intensive streaming inputs get.

Digital gets turned over to Matrix's FPGA running proprietary code that re-clocks and de-jitters the data stream, before feeding pristine I2S to Mini-I Pro 4's ES9039Q2M. Running on ESS' most advanced Hyperstream IV architecture, the futuristic stereo ES9039Q2M brings five new digital filters – many with low in-band ripple – to the party for new flavours to music reproduction.

This DAC chip packs enough computational horsepower to run its 8x oversampling process in just two passes thus minimising rounding errors – an upgrade on other attempts that use a concatenation of three stacked 2x oversampling passes which compound errors.

ES9039Q2M is an exercise in sonic purity, and outputs analog in current to a current-to-voltage I/V converter. That ensures small-signal is of highest quality to begin with, as conversion errors manifest as a DC offset that's easy to filter out – not more sinister total harmonic distortion.

The voicing of Mini-I Pro 4 is thus under Matrix's full control with their tuning of said I/V stage, and grants up to 127 dB of signal-to-noise ratio. This final DAC analog product can be output via XLR or RCA on the rear to an AV receiver or downstream amplifier – or through a 4.4mm high output impedance headphone amplifier that will delight Sennheiser and ZMF Headphones owners.

Because while you can choose to run Mini-I Pro 4 beyond arm's length using Roon Remote, the stock MA Remote software, and Tidal Connect, Matrix add a 3.46 inch LCD touch screen for anyone keen to take advantage of this DAC in a desktop setting.

Double tap to wake the screen, and swipe left and right to access a myriad of features at the lift of a finger while listening to its balanced headphone amp that can output over 2 watts.

With HDMI ARC one of so many ways to input music into Mini-I Pro 4, and an assortment of high-quality sonic outputs out, Matrix have a humbly-sized and priced winner on their hands that can accompany you on many a musical journey. Also view Matrix's flagships here, or all our other DAC/amps here.