Eastern Electric Minimax Tube Dac (32-bit dac) - Page 71

hmm actually the fact is i couldn't even install the drivers. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Carlsan 

Speaking of the Eastern Electric Minimax, anybody do any kind of tube rolling with this dac?

I know that earlier in the thread a different tube was recommended, psvane tube (see page 6 of the thread), which I have ordered and am waiting for. 

Anything else that has impressed?

Wow, there's been a LOT of discussion about this earlier, but I guess it's a pain to find it all given the bad search engine on head-fi.  

I was really unimpressed by the stock tube - everything I've tried is better - and not that impressed by the Psvane.  There's a good reason people pay so much for certain NOS tubes from the 1950s and 60s.  

You can search for info on 12au7 on the internet and find tons of info.  Someone had posted a chart to the relative "voicings" of the major tube companies (dark, bright, smooth, articulate, etc.) somewhere.  To some extent, you get what you pay for, because people with good tubes know this and charge more for them.  But then a lot has to do with the rest of your system and your own preferences.

There's a relative consensus among many that the 12au7 Siemens Silverplate is among the best you can find. It's airy, powerful, and detailed with tight bass.  The Mullards have smooth, dark, rich sound that's pretty much the quintessential tube sound for many.  

There are also a lot of variants of the 12au7 that are supposedly mechanically superior to it than many swear by.  These go by many names:

American

http://bit.ly/Iau7J4

European

http://bit.ly/HYwO70

The Tungsram E80CC has become one of my favs with the LME49990. It replaced the Psvane and Siemens Silverplate for me, though both of those are fantastic with the right setup.

Anyhow, I'm having a bit of trouble finding the Amperex PQ/SQ E80CC. If you get a chance, could you link me to some stores that sell them in the States or Canada?

err what is SOL?

finally got the problem solved.

As you download the zip package, extract everything to a new folder and install the win 7 version from there.

Its possible to install the 32bits version from the zip file but not the 64!

I tried a different menthod this morning and it worked!!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shirox 

err what is SOL?

 

A google on it tells me that it means 's.h..it out of luck'.

Quote:

Originally Posted by uelover 

 

 

A google on it tells me that it means 's.h..it out of luck'.

LOL!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shahrose 

 

The Tungsram E80CC has become one of my favs with the LME49990. It replaced the Psvane and Siemens Silverplate for me, though both of those are fantastic with the right setup.

Anyhow, I'm having a bit of trouble finding the Amperex PQ/SQ E80CC. If you get a chance, could you link me to some stores that sell them in the States or Canada?

A bunch come up on ebay, but who always have to worry about counterfeiters with the expensive ones.  I got mine at http://www.audiotubes.com/12au7.htm but I think I may have bought the last one. 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Philips-SQ-E80CC-Goldpin-/270956481367?pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item3f1643cb57#ht_500wt_1413

Good pictures here:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/MATCHED-PAIR-SUPER-STRONG-SQ-E80CC-PHILIPS-BIG-O-Getter-NIB-Gold-pin-TUBE-6085-/300696936477?pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item4602ef201d#ht_2219wt_1180

and here

http://www.head-fi.org/t/530502/e80cc-gold-pin-amperex-amplitrex-tested-for-bottlehead-crack

Quote:

Originally Posted by AVU 

 

 

A bunch come up on ebay, but who always have to worry about counterfeiters with the expensive ones.  I got mine at http://www.audiotubes.com/12au7.htm but I think I may have bought the last one. 

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Philips-SQ-E80CC-Goldpin-/270956481367?pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item3f1643cb57#ht_500wt_1413

Good pictures here:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/MATCHED-PAIR-SUPER-STRONG-SQ-E80CC-PHILIPS-BIG-O-Getter-NIB-Gold-pin-TUBE-6085-/300696936477?pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item4602ef201d#ht_2219wt_1180

and here

http://www.head-fi.org/t/530502/e80cc-gold-pin-amperex-amplitrex-tested-for-bottlehead-crack

Thanks for the links. I'll try to get my hands on a pair.

In what ways do the Bursons differ from the Dexas in the Minimax?  Thanks

Hello folks,

Regarding the Minimax Plus.

Is the BNC input improved over the original?

It bugs me that I'm feeding 75ohm's into RCA with the original Minimax.

Thanks.

I used to swear by BNC and would systematically replace all RCA input connectors with them. I'm not sure about perfect impedance, jitter, etc but to be honest I would say that it doesn't really make that much of a difference soundwise - at least not on the EE DAC and not to my ears.

I have now gone back to RCA but make sure to use good quality connectors(WBT, etc). I was also told by someone who knows the EE DAC inside-out that the RCA input was better than the BNC. I would tend to not disagree with that.

Alex Yeung told me that he believes the AES/EBU input to be the best amongst the other digital inputs on the MM DAC.

I have read opposing arguments, each supporting either the RCA/BNC while criticizing the other. Not sure which are the true ones but I find it hard to really pick up a difference between BNC and RCA.

WBT plugs. Hmmm. It could easily cost more than the coaxial cable itself =)

Quote:

Originally Posted by uelover 

Alex Yeung told me that he believes the AES/EBU input to be the best amongst the other digital inputs on the MM DAC.

 

WBT plugs. Hmmm. It could easily cost more than the coaxial cable itself =)

Could be,  I also remember reading something about that but I would tend to think that the source output would need to be AES/EBU 110 ohm for it to be optimized.

The WBT's are pricey but they were left over from a previous DIY project.

Bling bling