I sold my Maverick D1 (GE 5670 Tube) for the AudioEngine D1. I owned both for about a week so I was able to test them side by side. In my opinion, the bass was punchier, vocals were clearer and more forward on the AudioEngine D1.

When I was shopping at my local Tom Lee store the other day, I found this DAC for $250. Roland UA-55 QUAD-CAPTURE   http://www.rolandus.com/products/productdetails.php?ProductId=1166 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Sb1ES7nyFs   According to the specifications, it offers 24 bit signal...

Quote: Thanks Mad Max! Though I am quite comfortable with soldering that is good information to know.   When I was shopping at my local Tom Lee store today, I found this interface for about $250. Roland QUAD-CAPTURE  ...

Quote: I agree with ounwx. To add to the "personal preference" factor, I use all Klipsch gear for my home theater (RF82, RC62, RS52, RSW10D) and they sound wonderful. Sitting on my couch (about 10 feet away) the horns are just right for me.   For my computuer desktop, with the Klipsch...

Quote:   Have you had a chance to compare RP6's with the RP5's? When I told the salesman that I would get the 10S sub-woofer later, he recommended that I stick with RP5's instead of RP6's.

Quote: I think the opamps on the TubeMagic aren't hard soldered though, I think you just pop them out and put new ones in. Not sure how big of a difference they make though as I've never done it myself.

HeatFan12, matthewh133   I've been contemplating the Audio-GD FUN, it's quite a bit more expensive than the Matrix Mini-I (+$50). Assuming the FUN offers better audio quality than the Mini-I, would the balanced outputs close this audio quality gap or perhaps even surpass the FUN?

Vox is great, but after upgrading to Lion I've been experiencing random crashes, it's probably my machine. I've been using Decibel as an alternative so far (http://sbooth.org/Decibel/).

Right now I'm leaning towards the Mini-I because of the remote control and balanced outputs. However, I feel that I will miss out on the op-amp and tube rolling options the TubeMagic provides.

Quote: I have been thinking about DACs perhaps too much lately! I've been considering a few, namely, EMU 0404 USB, Maverick D1, Cambridge DacMagic and a Matrix Mini-I. I see you settled on a 0404, how does it compare against other DACs you have tried?

About a month ago, I decided to go all out and buy a pair of Klipsch RB-61 bookshelves for my computer desktop. I hooked these up and powered them through an AirPort express and Yamaha RX-V795 receiver. They sounded great, the sound stage and musical separation was incredible, but higher notes...

Great review HeatFan12! I recently purchased a pair of RP5 G2's. I've been trying to decide on whether I should get a DAC with or without balanced outputs. In your experience, do the Rokit monitors sound better with balanced connections? Is there a large difference between balanced and non-balanced?

I recently purchased a pair of Rokit RP5 G2 monitors that I have been thoroughly enjoying for the past 2 weeks. Currently I am using the headphone out on my MacBook Pro to a 3.5 mini to RCA adapter and some a pair of RCA cables from an old VHS player. I am hoping getting a quality DAC will...

The power output is less than 10 watts on that amp, what kind of speakers would it be capable of driving? *spelling correction

I will be placing an order for a Maverick D1 DAC for use with my Klipsch RB61 bookshelf speakers and Yamaha RX-V795 receiver (85 watts per channel). I will be primarily using this setup with my computer as source in a near field listening position on a desk.   I was hoping to save some space...

I'm still up for any weekend

Is it useful to change the power tubes? I've been looking at the Electro-Harmonix ones. I've also been looking here Vintage Audio Tubes Hi Fi Valves The owner says he can get me a pair of WE 403B matched for $26.00, but the minimum order is $50. Does anyone know of any other tubes that...

Quote: Originally Posted by dgbiker1 Western Electric 403As? I see those on ebay occasionally for about $10/pair. Thanks for the tip! Do the 403B's work on the MKIII as well? The MKIII manual doesn't list the 403B as compatible tubes.

A local shop is offering me WE403A tubes for $75 each, I couldn't find any listings on eBay for them, is this a reasonable price? The most expensive tubes I've seen on eBay for the MKIII run around $60 for a pair.

I bought a set of 4 6ZH1P-EV tubes from anthonywelsh on eBay yesterday, hopefully they'll be arriving soon. His listing doesn't indicate that they're matched, how do I match them myself? Do I need a lot of the same tubes to find a match? Perhaps I should have gone with the set of 8?

Quote: Originally Posted by shadowmoses I think that'll mostly depend on the quality of the DAC you are using now vs the quality of the DAC used in the CDP you're eyeing. Going to hear the Marantz 5001 for yourself would be the best option! I have the LD Mk III as well and i find...

I haven't heard the E-MU 0404, but I'd recommend it just from the number of praises I've read here. The inputs and outputs are both sides of the box, so it can get a little messy. If you're looking to switch between multiple input sources, I'd suggest the DIYEDEN SVDAC04-U.

Both my PSP and Zen drive my HD595 decently, so the Xonar should be fine. But my HD570 on the other hand ...

Is there are large noticeable improvement when comparing a CD player to a USB DAC? Currently I'm running a DIYEDEN SVDAC04-U that uses a PCM2704 (48 kHz, 16 bit) chip for USB audio. The CD5001 uses a Cirrus Logic CS4392 (192 kHz, 24 bit) which seems quite superior. I can hear the difference...

I'm interested!