Maverick D1 for headphone

The headphone out on the D1 does not go through the tube nor does the regular RCA out. Only the tube-preout goes through the tube.  

In my opinion (which you should take with a grain of salt--everyone's ears are different) the headphone out from the D1 isn't very good.  But holy cow when you pair the D1's tube-preout with another amp it sounds amazing!

I can confirm.  I had the D1.  While there is thread here that sings its praise, I found the D1 to be a monumental disappointment despite its price point.  Maybe I got a total dud, but there wasn't much I liked about it.  I gave it away to a friend.  The headphone jack had a terrible and persistent hum.  I also thought it was overly bright.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mysteek 

In my opinion (which you should take with a grain of salt--everyone's ears are different) the headphone out from the D1 isn't very good.  

Have you tried the tube-preout?  That's where it really shines.

Quote:

Originally Posted by hodgjy 

I can confirm.  I had the D1.  While there is thread here that sings its praise, I found the D1 to be a monumental disappointment despite its price point.  Maybe I got a total dud, but there wasn't much I liked about it.  I gave it away to a friend.  The headphone jack had a terrible and persistent hum.  I also thought it was overly bright.
 

 

@yhong26:  The bypass is that direct button which allows for the signal to go straight to the tube-preout without needing to interfere with the volume control knob, basically it is what it says, a direct line out which in theory gives a cleaner signal.  You would control the volume with the amp if you use this function.

I have.  Once the placebo effect wore off, I thought the differences between the s.s. and tube outs were extremely subtle at best.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mysteek 

Have you tried the tube-preout?  That's where it really shines.

 

I tend to agree and disgree with you. I thought the headphone out of the D1 was a little bass shy and bright, but with a (cheap) OPAMP swap it changes alot. Though, the tube output of the Mav with a good tube like the upgrade GE or the WE396a vastly improves its SQ. I think the mav would be a great choice if your looking for the extra expandability, ability to mod, and future upgrade potential, but if your looking strictly for a headphone amp and don't want to bother modding the D1 or running the tube out into something, then you maybe better off checking some other options. The headphone amp in the Maverick A1 is far far better in my opinion if its an option for you. sp70.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by hodgjy 

I have.  Once the placebo effect wore off, I thought the differences between the s.s. and tube outs were extremely subtle at best.
 

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by yhong26 

sorry to ask,still not so understand,ha,if I plug the headphone and press the bypass button.then the tube will function?i still can use the tube when output to headphone?

No. The direct button is only for the 4 RCA output jacks in the back. You can either control the volume of those outputs or bypass the volume control and output full volume. The tube output is only for a preamp section for the 2 RCA output jacks in the back of the unit. There is no way the D1 could ever be a tube headphone amplifier. The headphone stage is solid-state. The tube will still function (provided it's plugged into the tube socket :P) no matter what position the bypass button is in. You can use the tube output, solid state output and headphone output all at the same time if you want.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sp70 

I tend to agree and disgree with you. I thought the headphone out of the D1 was a little bass shy and bright, but with a (cheap) OPAMP swap it changes alot.

Well, I read all of Spanky and other people's posts about the incredible diversity of tube and op-amp "rolling" possibilities with the D1, but wanted to play with one in its stock configuration (factory Chinese tube) first.  But then, I didn't understand some fundamentals about the D1 before I placed my order, which has left Shanghai for DHL's East China sorting facility, as my first Head-Fi forum post shows:

http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/519268/why-did-you-join-headfi/105#post_7128248

So, since it may be awhile before I can afford an A1 or other dedicated headphone amp (my brand-new, factory-warranted Sennheiser 650s that I got from an authorized dealer for $319 shipped should be here in a few hours on the UPS truck), what op-amp(s) should I "roll" to improve the D1's internal headphone amplifier?  And does anybody recommend that I just remove the tube until I get a separate amp to save it from being a useless source of internal heat and pumping a little extra CO-2 into the atmosphere by virtue of its current draw for no good reason?

Anybody with op-amp recommendations for the internal headphone amp section is welcome to chime in.  And if you can include a good online source to purchase the op-amps from and a little DIY tutorial (with pics) on how to perform the swap-out, I'd be doubly appreciative.  Additionally, would the Maverick A1 be a good choice to mate with the D1 for driving 650s?  I don't know about a hybrid tube output and the 650's alleged "veil" and "darkness."  Gee, I love throwing around these subjective terms to describe audio like when I used to sell the equipment as  a young man.  Acoustat made an 8-foot-tall electrostatic speaker called the Two-Plus-Two that I sold circa 1982, and we bantered about the soundstage, detail and transient response, but I just couldn't get used to the sound of Joni Mitchell's voice coming out of an eight-foot-tall speaker, no matter how good it sounded.  If you closed your eyes, it was like she could sing "Circle Game" and then dunk a basketball.

Well, I don't really considering this second consecutive entry to be "bumping" my immediately preceding question, because I'm essentially seeking new, different information now.  My Sennheiser 650s arrived today, and I have been tempering a degree on initial disappointment (very high expectations along with an insatiable sense of excitement at acquiring all of this new equipment and capabilities) with the knowledge that they need to be broken in, just like my ATH-50Ms did, but the problem is my little Nuforce uDAC-2 doesn't drive the 650s nearly as well (in terms of simple amplitude) as it did the Audio Technicas.  Looking at specs for the two headphones, that makes sense, even given my rusty knowledge of LCR circuits generally speaking, but my question is will the headphone amplifier section of the Maverick Audio D1 be able to drive the 650s just better than the tiny uDAC-2 HP, even though it may be far from ideal in the long run?

 I just don't have enough gain for the 650s right now; the uDAC-2's volume pot is maxed out (never even came close to doing that with the ATH-M50s without making my ears bleed), and I'd like to turn it up more with the 650s, but can't.  Looking at the specs for the D1 and the uDAC-2 and trying to correlate them with the Sennheiser 650 specs and my experience with the M50s is just too many calculations for me to perform.  My D1 should be here in three more days according to Ryan, so I need to know whether I need to be thinking about having to buy an amplifier (like the A1) sooner than I'd like to or am really able to afford to, just so I can enjoy the 650s to a greater degree of their apparently awesome capabilities in the short term.  So, will the D1 save my 650 bacon at least temporarily when it arrives?  My wallet says "ouch" a lot easier than many other Head-Fi-ers, I'm afraid.

D1 can drive HD650 beyond normal hearing tolerance by 12oclock on the volume dial, and it will drive it very well. Rest assure that you can use HD650 as long as you would like to till you have a separate headamp.