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Maverick D1 "plus" DAC question

E

ecrumpler

Member
Does the D1 "plus" DAC come with the direct mode button? I want to order the D1 "plus' because I will use the headphone amp but would like to use the direct mode for stereo listening from the tube and regular pre-amp outs. In the pictures on the Maverick website it appears as if the D1 has direct mode but the "plus" model doesn't.

Does anybody here have that model to confirm?
 
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If you post your question on Maverick Audio's facebook page they'll answer you within hours. I did it the other day :)
 
Nope ... the direct button has disappeared. I imagine it has something to do with cleaning up the signal path. Less is more there. Heck, the D2 doesn't even have a volume control.

I'd seen a couple comments on running the D1 with the bypass on because of some transient noise issues when adjusting the volume pot, but I run mine both ways and nary a pEEp out of it. Might have been a couple bad ones slipped thru? In that case, noisy pots happen - seldom takes more than a bit of DeOxit D5 to fix that ... I expect it'd be more noticable wearing headphones.

I'm just happy to see the Plus still has the analog in. That's what convinced me to go with the D1 in the first place vice the D2. My turntable just sounds a whole lot sweeter running it thru a phono stage and out the tube side of the D1 with a twist of the wrist ... tooby terrific!
 
sKiZo said:
Nope ... the direct button has disappeared. I imagine it has something to do with cleaning up the signal path. Less is more there. Heck, the D2 doesn't even have a volume control.

I'd seen a couple comments on running the D1 with the bypass on because of some transient noise issues when adjusting the volume pot, but I run mine both ways and nary a pEEp out of it. Might have been a couple bad ones slipped thru? In that case, noisy pots happen - seldom takes more than a bit of DeOxit D5 to fix that ... I expect it'd be more noticable wearing headphones.

I'm just happy to see the Plus still has the analog in. That's what convinced me to go with the D1 in the first place vice the D2. My turntable just sounds a whole lot sweeter running it thru a phono stage and out the tube side of the D1 with a twist of the wrist ... tooby terrific!
Click to expand...

I just ordered one as a holiday present to myself :thmbsp: So, I wonder if I can run both sets of analog outs to two different inputs, to be able to easily switch between the ss signal path and the tube path? I'm guessing different types of music will sound better with different outputs...
 
No switch or anything for going between tube and straight out ... starting to see a trend here? <G>

Both rear RCA outputs are live all the time though, and I suppose you could use an RCA switchbox to control which gets fed to the receiver/preamp. Probably just as easy to slide the cables over if you've got easy access to the back of the box. The line in on the front needs to be switched, so that does isolate it somewhat and gives you the option of a quickie mount for an iPod or some such.

Other than the TT, all my inputs are digital. I run both coaxial and USB off my HTPC and find I prefer the USB as being more natural. Probably even more true with the Tenor upgrade to the D1+. The S/PDIF is a bit harsh for my liking, but that's more likely a computer problem than the DAC. All S/PDIF isn't create equal, no matter what Sony has to say about it as some motherboard mfgs tend to play fast and loose with the standard. I also found that using an addon card for the USB output works way better than just jacking into one of the standard USB outputs. Yet another computer issue you may or may not run into. The expansion card I use has it's own path and power tap, so there's no resource competition or brownouts on the bus. That eliminated some clicking and other such weirdness in the sound which indicated timing issues with the digital stream. I do plan to eventually try plugging the front channels of my Oppo SACD into the front line in using an adapter, but haven't gotten there yet.

I think you'll find that the tube side will give you more satisfying results than direct out though. I played around some with that when I first got my D1, but it's been a while since I switched. For me, it's more of a tube rolling kinda thang if I want to change the flavor of the sound.

maverick-tubes.jpg


Hmmmmmm .... Tuesday ... that's TungSol Day!

And there's no switch for that either! <G>
 
Let us know what you think of your D1 plus. My D1 both outputs are live and I send them to separate amps. Tube in living room and SS in bedroom via wireless.

I was wondering if D1 can be upgraded to D1 plus, just like the opamp upgrade. I assume the chip is not socketed.
 
Also on the D1 there is a jumper you can enable/disable volume control. Perhaps D1 plus is the same and you can jumper it to go direct. I use the volume control and never had a problem with it. Direct mode is LOUD make sure you turn down all volume controls.
 
Jumper? New one on me. Just popped the top on my D1 and didn't see any. Are you talking about the bypass button on the front panel? The disable button is what the OP was talking about ... it's gone, so just crank the volume pot up for the same effect.

And no ... there's no simple plug 'n play upgrade for the D1 ... I already checked. Whole lot of other engineering changes went into the design. One thing I've noticed is they added another op amp (OPA2604) to the mix that offloads IV conversion and timing from the other amps. I imagine that has a pretty tremendous effect on signal purity and soundstage.
 
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In the Grant Fidelity forum see TubeDAC-09 Useful Links
Their TubeDAC-09 is similiar if not the same and has instructions how to enable/disable. I am travelling and can't look at my DAC.
 
My Tubemagic D1 "plus" is on the DHL truck and will be arriving at my house today. Happy Christmas to me! I'll post a review once it's burnt in :yes:
 
This just in ...

By default, the new D1 plus will bypass the volume control for the analog outputs. If you prefer using the volume control, it can be "set" by switching two small "jumpers" in the unit. We eliminate the "direct" button to reduce the length of the audio cables inside the D1.

Yes I will recommend you to just use the analog output with "volume bypassed".

So yes, you CAN, but why would you want to kinda thang. As is, the volume control is only for the headphones.

And coming soon ... a D1 Plus! Couldn't stand to not know what I'm missing. Ordered the plain jane model and plan to substitute the OPA627s and do some tube rolling. I ordered my original D1 with both the op amp and tube upgrades ... now I'll actually get to hear what the stock Chinese tube and op amps sound like. Be fun doing A/B/C/D comparisons with each one stock and with the "better" components.

Sent from my tapatalk, out by the mailbox ... is it here yet is it here yet is it here yet is it here yet is it here yet is it here yet <tap tap tap> I"M WAITING!! <G>
 
Woohoo!

:banana: :banana:​

maverick_d1-d1+.jpg


Just came today ... let it sit a couple hours to acclimate, and is currently on standby ... I expect to give it a roll tonite. Can't wait to see what that Tenor USB stage does ...

OK ... just one more ...

:banana:​
 
Can the D1 Plus be used as a preamp? Im in need of a DAC for my secondary system, which is a Squeezebox Duet, SEP EL84 amp, and a pair of Klipsch RB-35s. Right now, I control the volume from the Squeezebox, as the amp has no volume control.
 
No reason why not for any pure analog source. and you then have the option of the direct analog out or the tube flavored analog out. You would need to move the internal jumpers to run the analog signal thru the volume control as that's bypassed now by default. The original D1 model had a bypass button on the front, but they were going for a cleaner, more direct signal path on the Plus.

Only exception would be direct phono, as there's no RIAA compensation. You'd need to route the table into an external stage and then out to the system.

Not sure about the peak signal power going out, but if for whatever reason it didn't match with your amp, you could always use the headphone out - that can power the biggest cans, so I can't imagine it having problems with most any amp. Another option would be a hotter tube - the TungSol and WE varieties are much stronger than the Chinese and GE ...

Yet another option would be to add a volume pot to an RCA cable. I do that with an exceptionally hot center channel feed from my Carver H9AV holographic to a Carver Cube ... heck, I think RatShack already has premade cables in stock that can do the same thing with the proper termination.
 
And Ryan provides great customer service. I have the original D1, which is in need of repair, and Ryan sent me the new D1 plus for less than $50 to my door!
 
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