Maverick Audio DAC/Amp - Page 158

Thanks Spanky!  I am out of town till Sunday, when I get home I will try your suggestion.  I just emailed Ryan to see about exchanging the unit for a new one.  I am pretty sure that the popping sound is a shielding, filtering  or grounding problem.  I'm no novice to electronics and I also talked to a Hi Fi repairmen at one of the local hi end stores here in Minneapolis and he agrees that what we are expriencing is not just digital switching on and off.  I'll keep you posted.

Larry

I'm waiting Maverick D1, (status on shipping)

I wil use this machine as DAC or DAC+Pre amp for my PC/notebook rig.

So the planning are:

1.Notebook (USB)-->D1(Output tube)-->Integrated amp-->Bookshelf speaker

  (D1 as a DAC)

or can I configure like this? :

2.Notebook (USB)-->D1(Output tube)--> Power  amp-->Bookshelf speaker

  (D1 as a DAC+Preamp)

Which one better?

I think you can plug it straight into the Power amp since the Tube output's considered as a Pre-amp

Quote:

Originally Posted by jazzwave 

I'm waiting Maverick D1, (status on shipping)

 

I wil use this machine as DAC or DAC+Pre amp for my PC/notebook rig.

 

So the planning are:

 

1.Notebook (USB)-->D1(Output tube)-->Integrated amp-->Bookshelf speaker

  (D1 as a DAC)

 

or can I configure like this? :

2.Notebook (USB)-->D1(Output tube)--> Power  amp-->Bookshelf speaker

  (D1 as a DAC+Preamp)

 

Which one better?

The volume pot on D1 is bad but the overall performance depend on whether your integrated amp is as good as your power amp.

No one on head-fi can answer you for certain, you need to try it out yourself.

My D1 came last night,

Open the box, found the D1 with manual, USB , 3.5mm and power cable. The built good enough not feel cheap.

my set up :

1.Notebook -> USB (orig D1cable) -> D1 (set Direct) -> Inteconnect (RCA) via Tube out - > Integrated Amp (DIY hybrid)-> CambridgeAudio S30

2.Notebook -> USB (orig D1cable) -> D1 -> Gradolabs SR60i

I set Foobar ouput Direct Sound USB DAC

Here my first impression:

Compare to my previoust DAC (Muse DA20), D1 deliver wider soundstage,clear instrument separation ,bass tight enough ,treble lilttle bit sharp.

I believe when burn in process finsh, the sound will be  better and more fluid .

rgds

Ron

I suggest trying it with the optical/coax inputs instead of usb if you can.

The USB circuit sounds noisy to me

I'm just curious why you call the volume pot "bad". The D1 responds well to tube and opamp rolling. I have mine in my main system and it's hard to fault its value to performance ratio.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by uelover 

The volume pot on D1 is bad but the overall performance depend on whether your integrated amp is as good as your power amp.

 

No one on head-fi can answer you for certain, you need to try it out yourself.

I did not say that D1 is bad. I say its volume pot is bad and if can, avoid using it as a preamp.

.

After running more than 8 hours, The  D1 sound geeting better, smoother than yesterday.

Actually, I expect thicker vocal sound (especially man vocal) from D1 tube but this machine did'nt produce this kind sound.

Originally Posted by Riverback 

I suggest trying it with the optical/coax inputs instead of usb if you can.

 

The USB circuit sounds noisy to me

Unfortunately , I don't have Coax output in head unit (Dell notebook).

While I ordered Squeezebox Touch from Amazon (will come on next week) to pair with D1, this machine has coax and optical output.I will update you the result of this configuration

~ron~

Have you tried tube/opamp rolling? Its a good way to tweak the little things

Quote:

Originally Posted by Riverback 

Have you tried tube/opamp rolling? Its a good way to tweak the little things

Yes, my D1 upgraded with GE 5670W.

This tube buffer give wam enough sound.

You will recognize tube sound from D1 easily.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mechnutt 

Thanks Spanky!  I am out of town till Sunday, when I get home I will try your suggestion.  I just emailed Ryan to see about exchanging the unit for a new one.  I am pretty sure that the popping sound is a shielding, filtering  or grounding problem.  I'm no novice to electronics and I also talked to a Hi Fi repairmen at one of the local hi end stores here in Minneapolis and he agrees that what we are expriencing is not just digital switching on and off.  I'll keep you posted.

 

Larry

Hi Larry, did you get some resolve for the problems you were having? I just received my D1 and it seems to be exhibiting the same issues as yours. Have emailed Ryan and await a reply.

Also can someone tell me how to stop the D1 clicking loudly everytime I skip tracks etc, surely this can't be normal??? It's a pain in the butt and very distracting- especially when searching through a music collection- click,click,click,click,click....... is all I hear. I did try searching the forums but couldn't see any specifics on this, so sorry if this question has been answered before.

I had some spare tubes and opamps so have briefly rolled those, have to agree with others sentiments that these do make a noticable improvement to the sound.

Have you guys tried other sources? (USB, Coax, TOSLINK)

Hi all--I'm wonderig if I have a defective D1, or if this sounds typical to you.

I've noticed, especially in high choral music, a lot of harmonic distortion. When it happens, it's not subtle--it sounds like severe mistracking of a phono cartridge in the inner grooves.

This is using a USB connection from a laptop, and occurs with both the tube or solid state output, so it's not the (GE) tube. It also occurs whether the D1 volume is set low or high, which seems to acquit the later amp stage from being the culprit.

What it sounds like is that the computer's output is occasionally overloading the D1 USB input, if that's even possible. Turning down the volume at the computer (using VLC Media Player) does in fact help, although it doesn't provide a completely clean sound.

Does this sound like a defective unit? Would it respond to an upgrade of the op-amp? Or a new driver on the (Win7) computer itself?

Thanks much for any help you can offer. I've just asked this same question on the Maverick support page.

Hi all--I'm wonderig if I have a defective D1, or if this sounds typical to you.

I've noticed, especially in high choral music, a lot of harmonic distortion. When it happens, it's not subtle--it sounds like severe mistracking of a phono cartridge in the inner grooves.

This is using a USB connection from a laptop, and occurs with both the tube or solid state output, so it's not the (GE) tube. It also occurs whether the D1 volume is set low or high, which seems to acquit the later amp stage from being the culprit.

What it sounds like is that the computer's output is occasionally overloading the D1 USB input, if that's even possible. Turning down the volume at the computer (using VLC Media Player) does in fact help, although it doesn't provide a completely clean sound.

Does this sound like a defective unit? Would it respond to an upgrade of the op-amp? Or a new driver on the (Win7) computer itself?

Thanks much for any help you can offer. I've just asked this same question on the Maverick support page.

[EDIT: Turns out this wasn't the fault of the D1 at all, which sounds fine, but of the playback driver on my computer...]