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Supercharged - Maverick Audio TubeMagic D2 DAC

So I received the Bendix 6385. It. Is amazing.

I gotta say that tube rolling in this DAC seems to have a bigger difference than some of my other gear. For example I recently purchased a Parks Audio Budgie Phone Preamp that uses 6DJ8 tubes. It came with a matched pair of Electro-harmonix. Before. It arrived I ordered a. Matched pair of Amperex 7308s with low microphonics. This is considered one of the best of this series. It is better than the EHs for sure but not by that much. We are talking $200+ for the amperex tubes versus $30 bucks for the Electro-harmonix.

With the D2 I've noticed a difference between the GE to the WE to the Tesla to the Bendix. Bigger improvements with each jump compared to the phono stage.

sKIZo, if your interested I could loan you the Bendix so you can decide if it's worth picking one up in your system since they are pricey. PM me if your interested.
 
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SoNic67 said:
Of course, the newer ones are faster (20-22 or even 40 for OPA627) and on top of that have much less noise, but depending on the rest of your system, that extra difference it might not be that audible (like you noticed).
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Oh, it's audible in my system. There is a lack of a 'black backround' in addition to 'looser' bass and a 'softer' top end. However, it's a cohesive-warm-smooth sound that actually has me hooked at this point. You guys just for the hell of it should grab some from RS and try them for a few bucks. They're super easy to swap out (just don't put them in backwards...hello?).

I still can't get over how this stuff in no way has a 'digital' sound to it.
 
SWL3600 said:
maverick-tubes.jpg


Good idea for a case, Skizo.
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Thanx ... works for me, as I get the hard cases with my glasses, so why not recycle them? The separators are just a piece of the fuzzy side of Velcro tape, squeezed down for dividers and stuck to the bottom. Great protection.

Here's another neat trick ... foam pipe sleeve! I use this for my main amp, which has three drivers to swap with.

driver-collection.jpg


I figured it out to something like 3800 possible combinations if you count using the same tube in each socket as well as any combination of three, and ignoring matching the channel drivers. I gotta admit, I went through a few before I settled on what I got.
 
bce22 said:
So I received the Bendix 6385. It. Is amazing.

I gotta say that tube rolling in this DAC seems to have a bigger difference than some of my other gear.

sKIZo, if your interested I could loan you the Bendix so you can decide if it's worth picking one up in your system since they are pricey. PM me if your interested.
Click to expand...

With me, it's even more gratifying as I use the TubeMagic as a "tube buffer" to fine tune the audio output of the main amps. That's where it gets interesting. My main amp uses three drivers, so if course the combination I use there makes for major differences, but being able to swap in the D1+ allows even more usable options as I can either tone down or punch tube sets that I might otherwise pass on.

* I'll give some thought to that Bendix, but really, I'm quite happy with what I'm hearing right now ... Thanx for the offer.
 
Got the Sparkos Labs Discrete Dual SS3602 OpAmps installed today. These things suck.








.....just kidding. This is the best sounding DAC I've ever owned. Initial listening impressions very positive. I'll post more later.:thumbsup:
 
SWL3600 said:
Got the Sparkos Labs Discrete Dual SS3602 OpAmps installed today. These things suck.

.....just kidding. This is the best sounding DAC I've ever owned. Initial listening impressions very positive. I'll post more later.:thumbsup:
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Can't wait to hear more details about your listening impressions!!! It really is something special for under $500 for the DAC, OpAmps and Tube(s).
 
The D2 is plugged into a power strip along with a couple other devices. I normally keep the D2 'on' and use the power strip to power it up or down.
Since installing the new SS3602's, the unit will turn on but not make sound this way. I have to press the power button on the unit to turn it off, then turn it back on again and it's fine. Otherwise, I've got about 10 hours on it since installing the new OpAmps and it works flawlessly.

Is this anything to be concerned about? Maybe I'll shoot Ryan from Maverick and Andrew from Sparkos an email to see what they think.
 
You guys are gonna crack up when you hear this.....regarding which op-amps I like best. Can you guess which ones I'm digging most?
 
I'd think having to push the power button is more of a safety feature. Tubes don't like fast cycling that could occur if you have a minor power blip. Their support circuits have to discharge properly first, or you end up with a hard surge that could do some real damage. If you see the house flash, it already may be too late.

I also use one of these on my main tube amps ...

41XDsihA10L.jpg

Any power blip requires a manual reset ... same thing, only different.

TRC 90033 Shockshield

Same reason why you wouldn't want to plug ANY tube equipment into the switched outlet available on most receivers.
 
You got to be kidding me. Please don't tell me you like the radio shack opamps the best.
 
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No...almost....but I did have to go back, take them in and out again to compare. The Sparkos are clearly a better sound but in my experience it's not as profound as some have claimed. The Sparkos to me are most of all smoother and more refined but I have no improvement in imaging, soundstage or anything like that. The thing that really threw me was that these things REALLY CHANGE in the first three hours or so. I don't know if it's because they were on a cold truck for how many days from Colorado to Wisconsin or because they're new and need time to break in or what.....but I've never had anything audio related change that much in such a short period of time! Anyway, they changed for the better.

I'm comparing an $80.00 device to a $2.50 device.....on very efficient, very revealing speakers. The difference in quality is there but if I'm not in a dedicated sweet spot like I have, I may not be able to tell a significant difference or even really care.....but I do and it has been a worthwhile investment because I'm mental when it comes to this stuff.

I'll be getting the other D2 in a few days so I can compare to Maverick's upgraded op-amps (I forget the #). In the meantime, I'll be sticking with the Sparkos op-amps and look forward to rolling the tubes that Brad sent me.....they came yesterday. Thanks again!

Been reading up on this whole 'op-amp thing' with audiophiles today. Seems to be a very similar discussion as far as interconnects, etc. goes. From my experience, the difference is there without a doubt. Not to the degree some have raved about but this is just my experience.

A couple things I came across that were interesting:

http://nwavguy.blogspot.com/2011/08/op-amps-myths-facts.html

Ooops.....can't find the other one.
 
Hey SWL, do you have the ability to solder in two caps? I have a couple of the Jantzen caps that you see in my pics. If you want I'll send them to you so you can A/B those as well in the D2. Let me know.

I'm thinking you've already tried the two upgrades, why not the third?
 
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....just rolled the Tesla tube into the magic box.....Now we're talkin.:thumbsup:

Never soldered before but thanks anyway Brad. :thumbsup:
 
The mids... They are magical. Mids are deep and holographic. It's special.

The Tesla has it beat with detail, I think, as it has a better top end. Bottom end is comparable between them.

Don't get me wrong, the Tesla and the WE are great tubes. The Bendix in my opinion is better, but those tubes are in the same ballpark.

Have you listened to any of the other tubes besides the Tesla?
 
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