Supercharged - Maverick Audio TubeMagic D2 DAC

Thanks man! It seems like after a few weeks the D2 is now shining! Giving me a smile even with some low bitrate files that i have for years now... I'm very happy with this Dac + Jriver!!!

Thank you all guys!

I don't see any on ebay at the moment but check it out periodically or just simply do a Google search and look for 'GE 5670 5 Star' and see where that takes you. The 5 Stars that I got are NOS and were manufactured in the 50's-60's.
 
I've been following this thread with interest because I have a D1, a D1 Plus and a D2. Both of the D1s now have Russian 6N3P tubes installed and they sound wonderful to me. I haven't gotten around to installing one in the D2 yet, but based on what I heard with the D1s, I expect it will make a noticeable difference for the better. There are quite a few sellers offering the 6N3P on eBay, and they can be had for very little money. It just takes a few weeks to get them from Eastern Europe.
 
Someone recommend this tube to me as well. www.tubes-store.com/product_info.php?products_id=178

How is the quality of the tube?


I've been following this thread with interest because I have a D1, a D1 Plus and a D2. Both of the D1s now have Russian 6N3P tubes installed and they sound wonderful to me. I haven't gotten around to installing one in the D2 yet, but based on what I heard with the D1s, I expect it will make a noticeable difference for the better. There are quite a few sellers offering the 6N3P on eBay, and they can be had for very little money. It just takes a few weeks to get them from Eastern Europe.
 
Someone recommend this tube to me as well. www.tubes-store.com/product_info.php?products_id=178

How is the quality of the tube?

That looks like the same logo that is on the tubes I got from Lithuania. I think these tubes are excellent. Better bass response than the Raytheon and CBS tubes I tried in my D1 and just better overall than the Chinese 6N3P that came in my D1 Plus. My D2 still has the GE tube that it came with, I haven't tried a Russian tube in it yet.
 
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Nice. I'll try to get one for rolling. :D

That looks like the same logo that is on the tubes I got from Lithuania. I think these tubes are excellent. Better bass response than the Raytheon and CBS tubes I tried in my D1 and just better overall than the Chinese 6N3P that came in my D1 Plus. My D2 still has the GE tube that it came with, I haven't tried a Russian tube in it yet.
 
Can someone recommend what are the 3 best tubes to try for this D2, besides the GE5670 that it comes with? Wanna try a few diff ones .
 
So, I've had some time to run my D2 with both the OPA627's and the Burson V5's, primarily with a WC 2C51 tube (but I also have run the GE 5670 upgrade tube as well). After much listening, I think I am sticking with the OPA627's. Is the sound better with the Burson's - yes, to my ears there is a bit more smoothness and body to the sound. But (also to my ears), the difference is quite subtle, and the upgrade to the Bursons is not subtle financially. Been running the OPA627's for a few days now and very happy.
 
About two weeks ago I hooked up the DAC I was using prior to the D2....which I was very happy with.....and it sounded like it was defective in some way. Real thin sounding and lame. No weight to the bass etc. etc.

For the relatively low price of admission, your choice of tubes and opamps....this DAC not only sounds great, it's fun to experiment with.
 
Got my D2 yesterday and comparing to my cheap DAC from amazon that I was using, this D2 is a huge improvement. Mine is with OPA627s op amps. Now, looking for a tube or two to roll and try.
 
Got my D2 yesterday and comparing to my cheap DAC from amazon that I was using, this D2 is a huge improvement. Mine is with OPA627s op amps. Now, looking for a tube or two to roll and try.
One of the first posts in this thread has a list of recommended tubes to try. Did yours come with the upgraded 5670 tube as well? That actually sounds really good, I also have a WE 2C51 which is fairly easy to find.

Once you get into tube rolling, the next step is the opamps....:)
 
After much listening, I think I am sticking with the OPA627's. Is the sound better with the Burson's - yes, to my ears there is a bit more smoothness and body to the sound. But (also to my ears), the difference is quite subtle

Your experience is similar to mine. However, like I stated in an earlier post....I spent about a month or so away from the Sparkos discrete opamps and when I went back I could really hear what I was missing. Still not a night and day difference but as with a lot of things in audio, the little things really make a difference in how much you actually enjoy your system whether they are profoundly noticeable....or not so much.

I'm sticking with the discrete opamps from Sparkos and probably won't try the Burson's based on what I've read because between the two it sounds like it's a horse a piece. However, if someone is on the fence about making the upgrade to the Sparkos or the Bursons....I'd say to definitely go for it based on my experience.
 
Your experience is similar to mine. However, like I stated in an earlier post....I spent about a month or so away from the Sparkos discrete opamps and when I went back I could really hear what I was missing. Still not a night and day difference but as with a lot of things in audio, the little things really make a difference in how much you actually enjoy your system whether they are profoundly noticeable....or not so much.

I'm sticking with the discrete opamps from Sparkos and probably won't try the Burson's based on what I've read because between the two it sounds like it's a horse a piece. However, if someone is on the fence about making the upgrade to the Sparkos or the Bursons....I'd say to definitely go for it based on my experience.
Agree. If my Bursons don't sell, I will likely cycle back and forth between them and the OPA627's periodically. For the five minutes it takes to remove the case and swap them out, it's an easy way to switch up the sound a bit, just like tube rolling. A lot of my listening is analog, for the most part my digital listening is a bit more casual, so I think some of the finer points of the opamp swaps may be lost on me :)
 
I briefly considered a thread where I simply ask for a DAC that makes digital files sound as close as possible to the sound of vinyl, but then thought better (seemed inane).

I'm very interested in this DAC. So the new op-amps literally drop in? Tube rolling requires no bias change or techno stuff??

Damn, where do I sign?
 
I briefly considered a thread where I simply ask for a DAC that makes digital files sound as close as possible to the sound of vinyl, but then thought better (seemed inane).

I'm very interested in this DAC. So the new op-amps literally drop in? Tube rolling requires no bias change or techno stuff??

Damn, where do I sign?
Yep....tube rolling is as simple as changing the tube. No biasing. The opamps are just as easy to change just make sure they are facing the right way.....see page #1. There are some tips in the first few pages of this thread.
 
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