Maverick D1 DAC

[sKiZo]

Had heard good stuff about this little unit and pulled the trigger a couple weeks back.

Excellent! It's replacing a Behringer UCA202, which had been doing a mighty fine job for me, but I was looking for a less ... digital sound. The difference is ASTOUNDING! Like a whole new system it is. It's more popular as a headphone amp, but I'm using it strictly as a preamp converter from my HTPC digital server to a classic receiver. It adds toobey goodness that you really have to hear to believe.

I've got over 100 hours on the Maverick now and it just keeps getting sweeter. At somewhere around 50 hours the soundstage just flat out BLOOMED and has improved incrementally since. From what I hear, that's a combination of both the tube and op amps burning into the circuit. One thing I HIGHLY recommend though - if you're using one as a preamp, DO turn the speakers off when switching inputs. You get a pretty good pOp as it changes modes, and I managed to pOp both my tweet fuses on the speakers, something that's never happened in the 30+ years I've had them. I'd say that's probably good advice for any DAC used on a classic stereo receiver anyway.

And as long as I'm at it - I also did the op amp upgrades that Maverick offers when I ordered mine. Gets interesting, because the original chips are dual channels, and the OPA627 is a single channel chip. That requires an additional adapter, similar to the BrownDog to allow mounting two chips in each socket. I pOpped the top and took a couple pics ... real easy to spot the op amps with the OPA627 upgrades ...

What you can't see in the pics is the second OPA627 mounted underneath the adapter board, between the extension pins. The board is also socketed so it's easy to roll chips if you've a mind to.

I also got the tube upgrade they offer - a GE 5 star that did an excellent job. I've since scroed ... er ... scored a Western Electric 2c51 D getter ... military grade. I'd heard those were sweet, kind of the holy grail of that tube type in many estimations, and this one lives up to the rep. Now that I've got one, there's no going back. The GE 5 Star that came in the D1 was nice, but the WE is just more ... er ... not to get too technical ... MORE, especially on the vocals. Bass is MUCH tighter too. The output is also higher, but the output on the D1 is adjustable, so simple enough to turn the gain down a couple notches.

I do hear an occasional slight ringing in the left channel with this tube that follows the hookup if I switch cables, but am hoping with time that will settle down. Is that what they call "microphonics"?

PS ... not trying to scare anyone off with the whole fuse popping thing. That happened after I changed out to the WE2C51 tube. As I said, that's got much higher output, which I'm sure juiced the pOp substantially. I still get the switching noise if I forget to turn the speakers off, but haven't lost any more fuses since turning the gain down when using this particular tube.

 

[Gang-Twanger]

Very-cool! A good DAC really-makes a big difference, doesn't it? Like you said, it takes the "digital" out of digital. I've had the same experience regarding burn-in. Mine got sweeter and sweeter over the first couple months (like you said, "more-bloomy"), and now it finally seems to have leveled out after a good 7 or 8 months. I agree about using NOS tubes. Plain and simple, they were just made a lot better than the ones today. I'm a musician, and the RCA 6L6GC blackplates are the holy grail when it comes to retrofitting in guitar amps. The Mullard EL34 is another. Same with the old RCA 12ax7's. Big money though. If I can't afford the NOS, I think the Czech Republic is currently-making the best modern-day tubes (T.A.D. being my favorite and JJ being a very-close 2nd).

My HRT has socketed op amps as well. Not sure if I'll ever op-amp-roll though. The ones that came with it seem to work very-well with my stereo system. I wonder what kind of difference it would make if I tried some upgraded op amps (I guess I can always put the old ones back if I don't like the sound, right?).

You're gonna' have a lot of fun going through your music collection and hearing stuff through the new DAC for the first time. That's part of the fun. I'm still enjoying that.

 

[Gang-Twanger]

Whoops, I forgot to ask... Have you tried it as a headphone-amp? Just wondering. My receiver has a great headphone-out, but it pushes my Grados too-hard (something I anticipated, but now I'm hooked on the Grado sound, so I might get an external headphone-amp at some point... I also want to find a great pair of used headphones that can handle 300ohms easily).

 

[sKiZo]

Wrong guy to ask on headphones here ... I got a nice pair of Sennheiser closed ear with passive radiators and all that crap, but they spend their time collecting dust on the wall ...

But ... just for you.

I hooked them up to the Maverick, and they got real strong at around 2 o'clock on the gain. So, lots of room for extra boost if needed. If that's not enough, there's a whole community out there that has fun changing out resistors and what not to peak the D1 for their particular phones. Excellent detail and imaging and surprisingly full bodied top to bottom - surprising in that it's basically a raw signal with no enhancement whatsoever coming out of the HTPC. I do all my eq and stuff outside the box. Only other source I got hooked up and running thru the D1 right now is the turntable with a DJ PRE II phono stage, and that sounded fine also. Another surprise there, as I didn't have to change the gain on the DJ PRE at all - just turned the source knob on the D1, and there it was, clean without clips.

So ... just for comparison's sake, hooked the phones to the Sansui QRX, and huh ... hadn't realized what a shite output that had. My McIntosh 2205 amp headphone out HAD to be better, right? Huh, yet again. Both sounded flat and thin compared to the Maverick.

So ... I guess it works. And there go the headphones, back on the wall. Well and good for those that can get away without the need for sternum rattling bass and several hundred watts threatening to tear down the walls while the music swirls around their heads in sexaphonic glory ...

Anyway - that's WITH the OPA627 op amp upgrade. The D1 has two of those, one for the pre out side, and one dedicated to the headphone out. Once again, from what I've seen on the web, rave reviews for the box as a headphone amp. And the web never lies ...

The HRT is a whole nuther animal when it comes to op amps, so I can't help you much there either. What I can say is that op amps are like tubes - every one that fits will have a different unique sound. There's maybe a half dozen that will plug into the D1, and all have their supporters depending on their prevalent musical tastes. I'll probably pick up on a few as time goes on - including a pair of the stock units, as I've never heard those - and do some comparison, but I'm thinking it'd be hard to beat what I got right now. Then again ... op amps are cheap ... and they're there ... and I'll always wonder unless ...

 

[Gang-Twanger]

Wrong guy to ask on headphones here ... I got a nice pair of Sennheiser closed ear with passive radiators and all that crap, but they spend their time collecting dust on the wall ...

But ... just for you.

I hooked them up to the Maverick, and they got real strong at around 2 o'clock on the gain. So, lots of room for extra boost if needed. If that's not enough, there's a whole community out there that has fun changing out resistors and what not to peak the D1 for their particular phones. Excellent detail and imaging and surprisingly full bodied top to bottom - surprising in that it's basically a raw signal with no enhancement whatsoever coming out of the HTPC. I do all my eq and stuff outside the box. Only other source I got hooked up and running thru the D1 right now is the turntable with a DJ PRE II phono stage, and that sounded fine also. Another surprise there, as I didn't have to change the gain on the DJ PRE at all - just turned the source knob on the D1, and there it was, clean without clips.

So ... just for comparison's sake, hooked the phones to the Sansui QRX, and huh ... hadn't realized what a shite output that had. My McIntosh 2205 amp headphone out HAD to be better, right? Huh, yet again. Both sounded flat and thin compared to the Maverick.

So ... I guess it works. And there go the headphones, back on the wall. Well and good for those that can get away without the need for sternum rattling bass and several hundred watts threatening to tear down the walls while the music swirls around their heads in sexaphonic glory ...

Anyway - that's WITH the OPA627 op amp upgrade. The D1 has two of those, one for the pre out side, and one dedicated to the headphone out. Once again, from what I've seen on the web, rave reviews for the box as a headphone amp. And the web never lies ...

The HRT is a whole nuther animal when it comes to op amps, so I can't help you much there either. What I can say is that op amps are like tubes - every one that fits will have a different unique sound. There's maybe a half dozen that will plug into the D1, and all have their supporters depending on their prevalent musical tastes. I'll probably pick up on a few as time goes on - including a pair of the stock units, as I've never heard those - and do some comparison, but I'm thinking it'd be hard to beat what I got right now. Then again ... op amps are cheap ... and they're there ... and I'll always wonder unless ...

That's funny.... Well, I appreciate the effort and time spent. That's interesting to hear that about the QRX (I guess it also depends on the headphones and how sensitive they are... I would think that the headphone-out on that QRX is a good 300ohms or so). I remember someone saying that the headphone-out on his Sansui integrated amp (also from around '72-'73... the AU-7900, I think) was so-so, but the headphone-out on my 2000x is a different story. Not sure why it sounds great, but it does. But like you, I only use the headphones when it's too-late at night to use the speakers (or with my Dell DJ when I'm out and about.

 

[nate86]

Glad you like the D1! I'm starting to get interested in trying those op-amps in my D2.

The WE tube is interesting- my impressions were similar to yours. I ended up not liking the 396A WE (too bass heavy for me...or it could have been a bum tube), and liking the 2C51 WE (the one you've got in there).

 

[sKiZo]

Could be a problem - way I hear it, the D2 is a completely different design, and the op amps that work in the D1 aren't compatible. Interestingly enough, I paid almost as much for the D1 with the upgrades as the D2 is selling for, but I was interested in the analog in, and they dropped that in the D2 design. Not sure why, but ... I'm not complaining about my choice. I've got my turntable plugged into the analog in using an outboard phono stage, and it sounds mighty fine running thru the tube. I was thinking about adding a separate tube type phono stage somewhere down the line, so it's your basic twofer.

I've also got a TungSol 396A (1959) that I rolled in there for a couple days, but that seemed to lack the punch and clarity of the JW Western Electric. I ended up kicking the D1 "direct" switch on and boosting my bass synth some to try for the same "flavor" but it still came up short. Possibly a burn in issue - I have no idea what kind of miles are on it. Anyway, I went back to the JW WE after several hours ... just liquid clean, bottom to top. :thmbsp:

* I DID remove the wire tube retainer clip, as that was a PITA to get on and off. Plenty tight fit without it. But ... wonder if that could have something to do with the ringing I was hearing on the left channel. Some sort of resonance. Then again, I haven't heard that since I took the D1 down four notches on the adjustable gain. If I do decide the clip is important, I'll probably bend my own to be a bit more user friendly. Or just use the old one if I decide I've got the perfect tube installed and stop all this rolling nonsense ...

Hey ... it could happen ...

 

[sKiZo]

The WE tube is interesting- my impressions were similar to yours. I ended up not liking the 396A WE (too bass heavy for me...or it could have been a bum tube), and liking the 2C51 WE (the one you've got in there).

Something I forgot to mention and noticed immediately ... the D1 is VERY sensitive to input adjustment. Maybe your problem with the "bass heavy" results. I find that just one notch can make all the difference. Think of Mr Creosote of Monty Python fame ... And finally, monsieur, one tiny little notch. Oh, sir, it's only a tiny, little, thin notch ... well, all right then.

<BOOM!>

Try cranking it down just a bit and see what happens. I suppose you could also lose detail elsewhere, but ...

PS ... just took a listen to a new addition to my collection. Nick Magnus, The Hexameron. The Seven Hands of Time actually put the room into "hover mode" ... the bottom was so intense ... total disconnect with the room, yet the detail was excellent. Fortunately, I've marked the floor where the chair is supposed to be, so it's easy to find the sweet spot once again when the chair drifts away from it's assigned place.

Which brings to mind something else ... the soundstage with the current mods has to be heard to be believed. I like to play with music - never been accused of being a purist. One of my favorite toys is a Carver C9 holographic processor. That has a button for "listening aperture" that has ALWAYS been set to wide to bump up the center stage - until now. It's currently set to narrow, and I expect it'll stay that way. Even then, the vocals and center stage are MUCH more pronounced than they've ever been, and I'm liking it big time.

 

[Emmbee]

I'm really digging my D1. Rolled the tube to a W.E. 396A. Love it! Sound is so musical and satisfying. Never even use the SS side. On a whim I went from my Cambridge Audio 640P phono pre through the analog in of the D1 using the tube out. WOW! What an unexpected improvement! I'm glad I got the D1 instead of the D2 (no analog in). Has anyone found a better tube for the D1 than the Western Electric 396A?

 

[djnagle]

I've had mine for a number of years now and love it. I got it when they first came out and have not done a thing to it. However, on a whim the other day I used the SS out just to see what it sounded like and by God I think it sounds better than the tube out. I talked to Ryan the other day and he clarified that one opamp is for the headphone and the other is for both the tube out and SS out. That means the tube is really just a tube buffer not a tube pre amp.

I am ordering the 2 recommended opamps to see which one sounds best. I don't use headphones so I will only be swapping out the pre amp opamp.

 

[Emmbee]

I'm not sure why my TT sounds noticeably better going through the D1. No doubt about it though. May try the 627 ops. Hear they are quite good.

 

[sKiZo]

The JW versions - either the 396A or the 2C51 - are supposed to be about as good as it gets. I'm still looking to score an RCA Command Series - not necessarily better, but supposed to have a unique flavor. That's part of the charm of tubes - you can custom tailor the sound to your own preferences.

The Bendix 6385 is rumored to be the holy grail, but if you have to ask how much, you can't afford it.

As far as processing the turntable thru the tube out ... that seems to be one of the unheralded advantages of the D1. Really fills it out. I did find that the gain setting on my DJ PRE II was critical to getting the full impact. Just a touch between good and excellent. A bit of a secret. Pass it on.

Don't forget the op amps. The ones that come in the base D1 are adequate, but people say they tend towards being on the bright side. Wouldn't know myself as I never tried them. There's some inexpensive alternatives that can make a big difference. The LT1364 is highly regarded as much wider with better detail, and I'm thinking I might try one of those on the DAC side. It's a high speed op amp, and tends to run a lot hotter, but nothing a heat sink can't handle. There was quite the debate for a while as to whether they might even be better than the OPA 627 that Maverick offers as an option. Both have their following. The op amps are socketed, so it's an easy swap. Main thing to remember is to match up the polarity marking on the case with the socket.

 

[sKiZo]

I've had mine for a number of years now and love it. I got it when they first came out and have not done a thing to it. However, on a whim the other day I used the SS out just to see what it sounded like and by God I think it sounds better than the tube out. I talked to Ryan the other day and he clarified that one opamp is for the headphone and the other is for both the tube out and SS out. That means the tube is really just a tube buffer not a tube pre amp.

I am ordering the 2 recommended opamps to see which one sounds best. I don't use headphones so I will only be swapping out the pre amp opamp.

Another roller is born! <G>

What tube you got in there? If it's the original Chinese tube, you can do MUCH better. Once again, don't quote me on that - I ordered mine with the GE 5 Star - but anyone who's upgraded the 6N3P has seen major improvements. If you don't want to spend the big bux, the TungSol 396A is a very pleasant alternative and readily available.

That said, Tube Out vs SS is a preference kind of thing, and what you're rolling has a LOT to do with what you hear. My only suggestion is to try the SS for an extended period, then switch back to the Tube Out and see what happens. You may be surprised ... maybe even shocked. Or vice versa ... or just verify that you've made the right choice. Part of the fun. I do know that with my current setup, the tube side wins - it's just got so much more ... well ... not to get too technical ... everything ... going for it. Also, the longer I run it, the sweeter it gets. You need at LEAST a 100 hours under load to burn a tube in. You also need to let it warm up good prior to jammin'. I give it five minutes minimum - usually more like a half hour if I remember and don't need an instant fix of the good stuff.

PS ... if you're not going to be using the tube out, you can just pull the tube and stash it for a rainy day

 

[djnagle]

I got the tube upgrade at the time but it was not the 5 Star. I can't remember what it is. You wrote "and I'm thinking I might try one of those on the DAC side" According to Ryan of Maverick, the opamps are only for the headphones and both the tube and SS out. There is nothing to change in the DAC section.

Mine has been in constant service for years now, but mainly as an off board DAC and selector switch. I am using it as a pre amp now as I finish tweaking my Pete Millete Low Mu pre amp.

 

[sKiZo]

Eh. Semantics, schemantics ... good point though.

Just to clarify ... There's two op amps, one dedicated to the DA outputs, both solid state and tube pre ... and the headphone side, which has it's own dedicated op amp. From what I've seen, the reasoning is that a big box analog stereo will have different characteristics than the closed environment of a headphone, and it helps to be able to custom tailor each output. Real common to use different op amps in each socket based on your own equipment, especially on the headphone out.

There was some experimenting on Head Fi with removing both the tube AND/OR the op amp on the DA ... er ... uh ... other side ... to see if that had any effect on the headphone out. Theoretically, it shouldn't have, but you know audiophiles ... some swore up and down there was a definite change, but ... the debate wimpered on to an indefinite conclusion. I suppose there's always a chance of some secondary crosstalk between the circuits ...

Another fun little experiment I'm looking into is bypassing the D1's internal USB handler entirely. Add something like the Teralink X2 between the HTPC and D1 using the coaxial connection instead of USB. My HTPC has a coaxial out header on the motherboard, but I'd have to add the jack, and can't find the hookup or specs for it. Even if I could figure it out, it'd be using the computer's internal clock, which can be problematic. The fact that the coaxial header isn't even mentioned in the manual also leads me to believe the mfg didn't consider it a strong point in their design ...

The X2 uses the Tenor board, like the D2, and would do the conversion externally (less noise, dedicated buffer, and higher priority) and also add an external clock that's supposed to be the next best thing to jitter free. Chaining the X2 and the D1 would be the best of both worlds then. The D1 also limits throughput to 48/16 using USB. It CAN handle 96/24 via coaxial which <should> result in a whole lotta extra headroom once it hits the speakers. Theoretically of course. I've seen some good reviews on that little tweak.

 

[SoNic67]

...and also add an external clock that's supposed to be the next best thing to jitter free.

Only if you can slave the source to the external clock/receiver.
In "USB world" that is called "asynchronous USB":
http://www.thewelltemperedcomputer.com/HW/USB_DAC.htm
Microsoft doesn't have a native mode USB Audio class 2 driver so you need drivers from manufacturer.

 

[sKiZo]

That's part of the head scratching thing ...

One part from your link that stands out:

The audiophile community thinks asynchronous is the way to go.
So all of a sudden these DAC’s look obsolete. However, as usual in technology, the implementation is very important. A good adaptive mode implementation can beat a mediocre asynchronous implementation.
Some say that the difference between async and adaptive is simply marketing talk.

Anyway, I'm trying to get hold of a couple folk who swear by the X2/D1 combination. The Tenor board on the X2 IS adaptive with a big buffer, so it should be able to clean up the signal from the HTPC's USB out prior to passing it on, and with it's internal clock, you get a time constant that's much improved. It also includes an ASIO driver. By daisy chaining the X2 into the D1, the D1 becomes a passive device and Windohs "sees" the X2 and should allow ASIO to do the signal handling. In the meantime, the D1 can still do it's DAC goodness before passing it on to the receiver ... just with a higher quality signal at the input to work with.

Also helps to get away from Windows Media Player, which is mediocre at best. I recently went over to jRiver, and that is one sweet package. Amongst it's many other features, it's got a very robust front end for signal processing and driver control.

 

[SoNic67]

Like they say, if "adaptive" includes a decent size buffer, it might be even better than async.
IMO this is because... I am not sure how well the PC can "follow the lead" in an async USB connection. What is the jitter level induced by the PC in this instance? Especially if the PCI bus has the "spread spectrum" option activated in BIOS.
I know that a well designed buffer really cleans up the jitter, actually that method is used for SPDIF connections too.

However, IMO, the Tenor TE7022 chips (like in Terralink X2) don't have integrated enough buffer to clean any jitter. So, for jitter, you are depending of the number of devices connected on USB bus.
And I am really suspicious of their 44.1kHz implementation - based on the fact that 88.2kHz is not working and the fact that they have a single 12MHz clock, I assume that the TE7022 is 48/96kHz native and their driver does some ASRC (async rate conversion) from 44.1 to 48 kHz when is needed...

As for player, I am using Foobar2000 with ASIO plug-in and a SOX-based upsampler add-on component.
Foobar2000 has also a beta 'WASAPI event-driven' component that works very well.

 

[sKiZo]

Just stumbled across this the other day ...

http://www.m2tech-hiface.com.au/index.php/products/hiface

Double the bucks, but it does 196/24 ... not a biggie for me right now, but might be handy down the road. Or not. Check out the specs ... you'll be tested on them later. <G>

Don't much like the dongle aspect - that's a lot of weight hanging off the USB socket once you add the cord. I'd think an angle adapter and strain relief on the cable would both be good things. Also don't much care for the fact that it's powered by the USB bus ... I don't THINK that'd be a problem as the only USB devices I'm currently running are the D1 (which has it's own power supply), a Netlink web adapter, and a Gyration wireless keyboard/mouse. I think the TYPE of devices connected has more bearing on jitter than the actual power draw, but I could be wrong.

Or I may just leave well enough alone. As stated, I'm really really happy with what the D1 is presently doing.

PS ... just scored a NOS 1950s RCA Command Series 5670 tube. One more flavor I've been meaning to try.

 

[rwartner]

I've had Maverick DAC D1 for couple years and runs 24/7 without problems. About a year ago I got GE 5670 5 white star tube. Received opamp upgrade OPA627 yesterday.

Everything is working great. I can't do A/B testing so nothing scientific. Just a feeling that it sounds better. It certainly does not sound worse. Sounds wonderful so I am happy.

Not sure about jitter discussion. I am connected via USB. Doesn't seem jittery to me.