Maverick Audio TubeMagic D1 Plus DAC

lalojimenez

New Head-Fier
Pros: Great warm sound (mainly in acoutic, jazz, vocals) easy set up.
Cons: None so far
Just bought it over two months ago. It really added another dimension to the sound of music played in my macbook (since I used to listen to my itunes using the headphone jack) I notice details in songs like never before.
 
Love the warm sound that really adds color to some genres. I am not really a big fan of the full digital sound so i like the warm that the tube brings.
It is not too big or heavy so you really can take it from your office to work.
 
Great headphone amp (so you can listen to your music at decent leves and god forbid you bother the neighbors) Really curious how it works with the TubeMagic A1 Amplifier.
If you are on a tight budget i would recommend this DAC.

Trev

New Head-Fier
Pros: Fluid and articulate sound. Amazing price to performance ratio. Amazing synergy with Sennheiser HD 650's
Cons: None
Recently got the Maverick D1 Plus with the upgraded OPA627 OpAmps & GE5670 Tube. 
 
The Maverick amp effortlessly drives the Sennheiser 650's. (My own subjective opinion to those happy HDP owners out there! No offence. Personally I didn't feel the NuForce performed well at low level listening, and felt muddy and lifeless unless it was cranked unbearably loud which was past 2-3pm on the dial and pushing it's limits. Might have just been my unit.
 
Right out of the box I was impressed with the power, low volume level output and musicality of the Maverick with the upgraded OP amps. Knowing it would take a few days for the solid state components to break in (and much more time for the tube to hit it's sweet spot for my bookshelves), it didn't disappoint in the least except for a slight muddying of the low frequencies that resolved after 24 hours.  
 
I've had it now well over a week, arrived in less than a week from China, and had multiple listening sessions and waited to write this review until after the 100 hour mark.
 
It's smooth articulate and full bodied. Took away some veil and seems to have decent detail/soundstage/imaging. Have tried a few amp/dacs with the HD650's such as the Fiio e17, NuForce Icon HDP, and my buddy's Xonar Essence (more of a DAC) none of which really got the HD650's going to it's potential.
 
Aside from the NuForce I haven't had a chance to hear the similarly priced or higher priced offerings from Audiogd/Schiit/Bottelhead Crack/Alo Pan Am, Woo WA7 etc... Would love to test drive some different SS and Tube amps for a good comparison. 
 
Overall very happy with my purchase and would consider buying another one in a heartbeat, am now on the look out for a good accompanying tube amp for headphone listening.
AlexZanderZee
AlexZanderZee
I have a question about purchasing this. If you buy the version for $209.00 from the maverick audio website, will it still come with a tube?
lalojimenez
lalojimenez

pxlcruncher

New Head-Fier
Pros: Sounds great out of the box, multiple inputs, great design, great upgrade options
Cons: None
I bought the TubeMagic after much searching on HeadFi for an entry level DAC, and I'm very pleased with it. I've had it for about six months and it's a great addition to my desktop listening. I use iTunes with lossless when I can, and AAC when I can't, and the results are really good. Clarity and presence are brought out in Mid's and Hi's, and Bass seems even and neutral. I've been using the ATH AD700s with good results. Maverick Audio also sells the TubeMagic A1 Amplifier, which I have just purchased to match a pair of AKG K702s I got as a gift. Maverick Audio has upgrade options available at purchase, or you can swap tubes and components after you buy. A few words on build quality. It's really good. Solid chassis, metal knobs and power switch make for a pleasant tactile experience. Ports are all sturdy, with the possible exception of the USB port, (It works perfectly fine, mine just doesn't have the "stickiness" most USB ports do.) It's about the size of two hardcover books stacked on top of each other, not exactly tiny but gives some nice desk presence. The TubeMagic Amp fits perfectly on top, which is nice. 
All in all a great buy, and a great addition to desktop listening.
smial1966
smial1966
Nice and succinct review, thanks for posting it.
GisleFoto
GisleFoto
specs?

presb4

New Head-Fier
Pros: right price - while still customizable
Cons: not portable
I bought my Maverick TubeMagic D1 about 8 months ago and use it everyday at work. Its on about 6 hours a day and I have had zero issues with it. Its a very well built unit and sounds great when paired with my ATM50's and Foobar on my PC.
 
I had the factory upgrade the OpAmps with OP A627's for 30 bucks and the sound is very warm and pleasing for good old rock and roll, hip hop, and dubstep. I use the USB digital input jack for the signal from the PC which was super easy because it just worked, no special drivers or anything needed. 
 
For office use I love this little unit, its only draw back would be that its not portable as it need's 120v. But its not heavy or big by any means. When I leave work everyday I just unplug it and put it in my desk drawer for safe keeping.
 
This is my first headphone dac/amp that I have owned so I dont have anything to compare it against other than the standard output from my PC or smartphone which just sucks compared to the D1 output. Its an awesome upgrade for 200.00 bucks USD delivered IMO.

179551

New Head-Fier
Pros: Price, Reputation of the D1, Bit-perfect USB support out of the box
Cons: Ground Loop
I got the D1+ with all the upgrades after reading all the awesome reviews about the original D1 on head-fi. It was pretty clear to me that the headphones I received for Christmas (Sennheiser HD 650) weren't going to work well with a 3.5mm jack out of my laptop. So after hours of researching the best options for my budget (250-350 bucks USD) I went with the D1+ and hoped for the best.
After unpacking it and hooking it up I played a few songs with Foobar2000 and was very pleased. I've listened to hours of music now and am still pleased with the unit, hearing micro-details in Pink Floyd and The Beatles as well as diving into albums I would other-wise not care about (good kid, m.A.A.d city, Koi No Yokan, The Lumineers).
You can really tell how well the album was engineered and even mastered from this combo, it doesn't forgive poorly recorded materials that well (it doesn't destroy the ability to listen to them though).
My friend who is in some form of music major and a huge audiophile came over with his Grado sr325i cans and plugged them in. He said the D1+ sounded better than the amps they used in his classrooms and better than his current home setup.
The investment really seems worth it, I can also buy a better amp if I ever feel like it (might not ever happen) and use the D1+ as a standalone dac/preamp (I've read the tube preamp is subtle and still stays true to the source material).
Main problem is I don't really have anything to compare it to in person. I won't be upgrading until I actually hear better, not just off reviews.
 
Update:
So I recently built a new desktop computer and moved my audio setup over to it. I noticed a hissing sound in my headphones and thought it was a problem with my computer at first. Finally, after hours of trouble shooting I figured out it was my amp. I was using the Maverick Audio D1+ through USB back when I had a laptop and was still using USB for the desktop. Apparently, this created a ground loop and was easily fixed by using an optical cable. Just something to think about if must use USB.
Fizz
Fizz
Good review, thanks Fly.
179551
179551
@NinjaVampire I did not come across the Tubedac-11. I'd like to hear one someday, I'll point it out to my friend who owns the sr325i.
179551
179551
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