Supercharged - Maverick Audio TubeMagic D2 DAC

[SWL3600]

"Deep and holographic".....from digital audio. I fricken dig it.

 

[SWL3600]

I still have, what....three more tubes to try in the D2? At this point the Tesla ain't goin nowhere. LOL...

 

[bce22]

Haha! That makes me happy my friend.

 

[SWL3600]

Makes me happy, too......I'm gonna sleep with it tonight.

 

[SWL3600]

Nah, better not.....might roll over and smash my new op-amps.

 

[bce22]

You need to roll the OpAmps with the Tesla and hear the difference when you get a chance.

 

[SWL3600]

The Tesla has it beat with detail, I think, as it has a better top end.

That's exactly what I'm liking about the Tesla. It has a smooth detailed top end that in turn puts a nice accent on the bass.

 

[bce22]

I'm going to roll the OPA627s back in tomorrow with the Bendix. I want to reevaluate the OpAmps due to your comments that the change wasn't as drastic as expected, which was very different than my experience.

 

[SWL3600]

That would be cool. While your at it you should run up to Radio Shack and pick up some TL072/82's for a few bucks. I think you'll be surprised.

 

[bce22]

That would be cool. While your at it you should run up to Radio Shack and pick up some TL072/82's for a few bucks. I think you'll be surprised.

I can do that. I have a radio shack a few minutes from my house.

 

[SWL3600]

Got the second D2 this morning and put it in the main system. Immediate impressions compared to my unit with the Tesla tube and the Sparkos dual discrete op-amps is that it lacks detail and smoothness in comparison....also, the sound is not as 'open'. Don't get me wrong, it sounds nice and the differences are not night and day (well, it almost is actually) but I will play this new DAC on Spotify around the clock and get a good 50 hours on it and then go back to the other unit with the Sparkos/Tesla upgrades. This should be interesting.

 

[SWL3600]

In my experience with this unit as far as upgrading the tube vs. upgrading the op-amps and which one has a bigger influence......it's close but I'd have to say that the tube has a bigger influence on changing the sound. As with most of my past experiences in this hobby, they're all 'baby steps' in the right direction and when you put them all together, you might really have something that can drastically improve your listening experience.

I never would have taken additional steps with this unit if it didn't sound good right out of the box with Maverick's upgrades. The fact is, I could easily live with it that way and be very satisfied but these additional upgrades have just been more icing on the cake. YMMV...

 

[SWL3600]

Got a little impatient today......after about 6 hours on the new D2 (GE tube/OPA-627's) I decided to switch back to the Tesla/Sparkos combo.....and then back to the GE/OPA-627's.

Well, certainly the GE/OPA-627 D2 has warmed up! It became very apparent that the Tesla tube has a little sizzle on the top.....which I normally lean to.....but so far in these comparisons I could go either way! The Tesla/Sparkos has a more fluid, smooth, sizzle on top that really grabs my attention. However, the GE/OPA-627 has a warm, more neutral yet smooth sound to it in comparison. The Tesla/Sparkos has slightly more weight to the bass but not by much.

I remember before purchasing the first D2, I had read a couple guys saying that the D2 needed at least 50 hours on it to open up. I found this to be pretty accurate as well in my setup. The GE/OPA627's have about 44 hours to go......more to come.

 

[SWL3600]

You need to roll the OpAmps with the Tesla and hear the difference when you get a chance.

Yeah....I really don't intend on cracking open the new D2 but curiosity might get the best of me.

 

[CKDC]

Fwiw, if anyone is considering buying one of these Dacs, Maverick is having a Lunar New Year sale.

 

[SWL3600]

Just got home and swapped out the tesla tube for the Western electric. This tube has a nice sound....really nice. I can see why the tesla is admired but the top end is a little on the tizzy side in my system but I like it. I'll have to spend more time with the WE but so far it's sounding like a smoother version of the tesla. Keep in mind I have horn speakers that reveal the tiz and the hash almost to a fault.

In the meantime the D2 with the GE/OPA combo has approx 30 hours on it so far.

 

[bce22]

This is great great information. Keep it coming Scott!!!

 

[sKiZo]

Your results with the Tesla mirror mine, but ... I have the advantage of being able to fine tune the output with my tube amp as well. The tube set in that tends to be a bit too dark for my liking, but just flat out nails it with the Tesla driving them ...

One thing worth noting. The Tesla does cramp the sound stage a bit compared to the WE 2C51. Once again, not a biggie here, as the stage can get a bit TOO wide with the Carver holograph and quad processors engaged, but I can understand why some might find issue with that. In any case, I figure to keep an eye out for a deal on another one for backup as that's definitely my go to tube in the D1+.

* Maybe worth mentioning ... my Tesla (allegedly NOS, but we mostly take that with a grain of salt in any case) has a "Made in Malaysia" sticker on it. Not sure if that matters. I DID get it from a source in Croatia if that makes any difference ...

 

[SWL3600]

One thing worth noting. The Tesla does cramp the sound stage a bit compared to the WE 2C51

Exactly! That's another thing I noticed.

 

[SWL3600]

I have the advantage of being able to fine tune the output with my tube amp as well.

I'm a firm believer in having the ability to fine tune...which is why I use EQ in the digital domain. Couldn't live without it.