[Allanmarcus]

Anyone compare the DC1 to the (fully upgraded) Mavericks tubemagic D1?

 

[elwappo99]

Anyone compare the DC1 to the (fully upgraded) Mavericks tubemagic D1?

 
Oddly enough, I have. 
 
I have 2 rigs, one is attached to my computer for constant use (gaming, movies, studying, etc.). My other rig is my higher end one that I use when I am only listening to music (Audio-GD reference 1).
 
I had the Maverick and decided to swap it out for the DC-1 on the side rig, mainly because of the great preamp functionality running to my Airmotiv 4 speakers, not really hoping for a DAC upgrade. I was surprised the DAC in the DC-1 was definitely an upgrade over the Maverick. Better detail, and soundstage over the maverick. Also I thought the USB on the DC-1 was a bit better than the Maverick. We are talking about DACs, so not like there was a "night and day" difference, but if the rest of your chain is good, there should be a noticeable difference on A/B. It's not as good as the Audio-GD, but actually pretty close. I heard a rumor they're working on a "flagship" type DAC that is supposed to be even better. 

 

[Allanmarcus]

   
Oddly enough, I have. 
 
I have 2 rigs, one is attached to my computer for constant use (gaming, movies, studying, etc.). My other rig is my higher end one that I use when I am only listening to music (Audio-GD reference 1).
 
I had the Maverick and decided to swap it out for the DC-1 on the side rig, mainly because of the great preamp functionality running to my Airmotiv 4 speakers, not really hoping for a DAC upgrade. I was surprised the DAC in the DC-1 was definitely an upgrade over the Maverick. Better detail, and soundstage over the maverick. Also I thought the USB on the DC-1 was a bit better than the Maverick. We are talking about DACs, so not like there was a "night and day" difference, but if the rest of your chain is good, there should be a noticeable difference on A/B. It's not as good as the Audio-GD, but actually pretty close. I heard a rumor they're working on a "flagship" type DAC that is supposed to be even better. 

 
Thanks for the comments. I'm mostly drawn to the DC1 for the remote. This is actually for my son (at grad school). He has HE-400's and DefTech Inclines, and he would like the remote (lazy SOB) for when he ALL THE WAY ACROSS THE ROOM in bed
 
One think that that I don't like about the DC1 is the 3.5mm jacks. I have a 3.5mm on my NAD D3020, and I much prefer the more solid 6mm jack. The smaller jack just seems flimsy to me. Is that an issue at all to you?
 
Thanks.

 

[elwappo99]

 
 
Thanks for the comments. I'm mostly drawn to the DC1 for the remote. This is actually for my son (at grad school). He has HE-400's and DefTech Inclines, and he would like the remote (lazy SOB) for when he ALL THE WAY ACROSS THE ROOM in bed
 
One think that that I don't like about the DC1 is the 3.5mm jacks. I have a 3.5mm on my NAD D3020, and I much prefer the more solid 6mm jack. The smaller jack just seems flimsy to me. Is that an issue at all to you?
 
Thanks.

 
Grad school? Lazy? Sounds about like engineering to me. 
 
 
I think the DC-1's got a ton of functionality. Even if I only used my Audio-GD DAC, I'd keep it around and find a good use for it on a speaker set up on a TV or something like that, just because of the added remote functionality. Plus a 5 year warranty from the US is a pretty nice comfort to have (i.e. I don't really worry about running this thing all the time).
 
Will the headphone out in the DC-1 be the headphone amp used? I totally forgot to mention the headphone amp in this guy on the comparison. I would say the headphone amp is "good", but not "great". I would say it's below the Matrix M-stage or O2 in terms of overall SQ. That being said, I thought the Maverick's headphone amp was pretty bad. Definitely worse than the DC-1. In my experience these "all in one" solutions usually are good DACs with headphone amps that hold back the DAC. 
 
I wasn't too thrilled about the 3.5mm jack, but:
a) I really don't use it
b) After you have it for awhile, it really doesn't make much of a difference
c) Doesn't feel super flimsy
d) Once you have the unit in hand, it's pretty clear that it would be hard to fit a 6.5mm jack on that size case. I think the decision was made to keep the unit small.
 
 
 
 
Of course, the emo runs at like 2x-3x the cost, so that is a personal decision to weigh. Sometimes they run specials on returned units for 10%-20% off, so if you don't mind a B-stock it might help a bit.

 

[ngyu]

Woo, last night I finally received my Emotiva Stealth DC-1 to feed my Bryston BHA-1. It replaces my Schiit Uberfrost that I used to run through optical/coax with the Schiit Lyr. Only had a quick listen last night, maybe I'll post a more comprehensive comparison later tonight.
 

 

[elwappo99]

  Woo, last night I finally received my Emotiva Stealth DC-1 to feed my Bryston BHA-1. It replaces my Schiit Uberfrost that I used to run through optical/coax with the Schiit Lyr. Only had a quick listen last night, maybe I'll post a more comprehensive comparison later tonight.
 

 
Cool! 

 
 
Are you running those Adams through it 

 

[ngyu]

haha yeah, the Adams are running off of the balanced pre-amp outs on the Bryston.

 

[kawaivpc1]

Interesting DAC with lots of positive reviews and good price.

Do you guys think DC1 is better than Oppo HA-1, Benchmark DAC1, Marantz DAC1??
This product's slogan is "DC-1 beats Benchmark"
I wonder if that's true.

 

[shultzee]

Interesting DAC with lots of positive reviews and good price.

Do you guys think DC1 is better than Oppo HA-1, Benchmark DAC1, Marantz DAC1??
This product's slogan is "DC-1 beats Benchmark"
I wonder if that's true.

I had the Oppo Ha-1 and now the DC1 as a source for my Icon Mk11 amp and felt they both did a very nice job. They have different chip sets and a slightly different sound signature, but enjoyed both.   I did like both of the above dac sections better than the Uber Bitfrost I once had. Don't have a opinion on the others you mentioned.

 

[elwappo99]

Interesting DAC with lots of positive reviews and good price.

Do you guys think DC1 is better than Oppo HA-1, Benchmark DAC1, Marantz DAC1??
This product's slogan is "DC-1 beats Benchmark"
I wonder if that's true.

 
I don't know if it beats the benchmark for sure, but I wouldn't be surprised. I don't think the Benchmark is a great DAC for its asking price. 

 

[greenkiwi]

I think that they were targeting the bm1?

Haven't done a direct comparison..

 

[kawaivpc1]

   
I don't know if it beats the benchmark for sure, but I wouldn't be surprised. I don't think the Benchmark is a great DAC for its asking price. 

Benchmark DAC1 is about $500 dollars as used now. It's not bad considering that many Grammy winning producers and engineers have used it.

 

[amalgamist]

  Woo, last night I finally received my Emotiva Stealth DC-1 to feed my Bryston BHA-1. It replaces my Schiit Uberfrost that I used to run through optical/coax with the Schiit Lyr. Only had a quick listen last night, maybe I'll post a more comprehensive comparison later tonight.
 

 
 
Would love to hear your thoughts on how this new setup compares to your old one.

 

[ngyu]

   
 
Would love to hear your thoughts on how this new setup compares to your old one.

 
Sure! I only used the Emotiva as a DAC, did not try it's built in amp function. My HD800 is balanced, but I do have a SE adapter for it to run it on my Lyr.
 
Schiit Uberfrost + Lyr vs Emotiva DC-1 + Bryston BHA-1, both driving the HD800:
 
The Uberfrost sounds warmer over the Emotiva. This leads to a more detailed and precise over the Uberfrost. Not so much that it is too fatiguing, but definitely a difference there.
 
The biggest thing is soundstaging when running in balanced mode. The Emotiva definitely handles busier tracks better and things do not sound congested. Say in an orchestral piece, you can clearly distinguish the individual instruments and their relative position in the ensemble. Another notable point is the height of the sound. It feels like there is a higher ceiling in the room with the Emotiva. 
 
I also tried the BHA-1 on my friend's Schiit Gungnir/Mjolnir stack driving the HD800 and LCD2 rev 2 pre-fazor:
 
Gungnir + BHA-1
 
LCD2: The BHA-1 definitely has enough power to drive orthos. I really do not see how the LCD2s is a 'dark' sounding can, because it sounds very neutral and doesn't even give up on the high end. The bass is nice and impactful, and the midrange is simply sooooo smoooth and lush, but they are still quick enough to induce a bit of fatigue.
 
HD800: Too bright for my tastes. The HD800 is already an extremely detailed and analytical can. The BHA-1 pairs well with the HD800 as it plays off the HD800's strengths, but pairing it with the cold Gungnir pushed it over the top for me.
 
It's not that either the Gungnir or BHA-1 is bad, I think that this combo doesn't work out very well... for my tastes.
 
 
Gungnir + Mjolnir:
 
LCD2: A very nice combo, the warmth from this stack is a far cry from the Gungnir with the BHA-1. It's as if the musicality of the Mjolnir offsets/compliments the precision of the Gungnir. The flat bass to midrange frequency response of the LCD2 really shines and is emphasized, yet the details are not lost. 
 
HD800: WOW, its like the HD800 was made for this stack. the Mjolnir is definitely warmer than the BHA-1, but it doesn't lose out on the minute details of the track. This combo is very well balanced, and I have very little to complain about it. I feel as if the BHA-1 offers a higher ceiling, but the side to side soundstage is very similar. 
 
 
Emotiva DC-1 + Bryston BHA-1
 
LCD2: I borrowed the LCD2 from my friend and only had it for a couple days so the impressions are still premature, but this combo feels very similar to the Gungnir/Mjolnir in terms of spatial sense, but being slightly less musical, and more analytical. The LCD2 helps offset the tone, but when compared to the Gungnir/Mjolnir, I feel the higher detail retrieval of the DC1/BHA1 compliments the LCD2 better than the Schiit Stack. 
 
HD800: I guess its true when they say HD800 is a revealing headphone, because honestly, it sounds perfect to me on this stack. Just the right amount of detail without being too fatiguing for me. And in no way is it bass-light, but the biggest wow factor is still probably the sound staging synergy that comes from every component. The separation, the openness, the amount of air lets me have these guys on all night long. Only caveat is probably... you better have high quality songs. As in if it was poorly recorded... yep, you'll know it. 
 
But yeah, all this is not objective, this is just my own subjective thoughts and feelings based on how I felt at the moment. Feel free to ask questions, comment, and/or criticize =) Hope this helps!

 

[MWSVette]

First post on this thread, though I first started reading when the DC-1 came to my attention. 
 
I wanted to replace the Fiio E17/E09 combo I had been using as a dac/preamp to drive my Schiit Lyr.  I looked at the Modi 2 Uber/Bifrost/Gungnir for DACs since I really like my Lyr.  They just did not have the features I was looking for.
 
But the DC-1 with all of the inputs and USB at no additional charge.  The fact that the unit is fully balanced allows for great flexibility and room for expansion.  And in addition has a HP amp that is pretty darn good.  Plus a price of $499.00. It had all of the features I wanted.  I had to buy one.
 
I have had it for a while now and can say I am very happy. None of the noise issues mentioned by others on this thread in any mode using any input or HP I own.  Built like a tank, looks good and sounds great. And of course a big improvement over my Fiio combo.
 
I highly recommend the Emotiva Stealth DC-1 for great sound and a great value for all of the features offered.
 
Cheers