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HIFIdiy's mini USB DAC MK2--Also a headphone amp!
Oct 12, 2009 at 1:56 AM Post #76 of 377
Well, you will have more of an opportunity at the Maverick than US folks, as Grant Fidelity has secured exclusive North American rights to the product. Pacific Valve will also have to stop selling in the US. They are all made in the same Chinese factory, so I think most differences are purely cosmetic. I have talked to a gentleman who has the Maverick and he has nothing but good things to say about it.

I have no frame of reference so I am sure I would find quite an improvement over my computer headphone jack, I just don't know how to judge is it is worth $200. Then again, the options for dac/amps under $200 are limited to very entry level stuff. The Aune is $150 and is a SLIGHTLY more known commodity, but it doesn't have the tube buffer that intrigues me. The only well known DAC/amp that uses tubes under $200 is the HiFiMan EF2, which gets great reviews, but its DAC is only so-so and you can't use it as just a dac.

I wish I could afford to buy both the AUNE and Maverick to side by side them, but I am not sure I can even risk the AUNE.
 
Oct 12, 2009 at 2:28 AM Post #77 of 377
Has anyone used the Aune with the K701/702's? Those are going to be my next phones and I would like whatever amp I get now to be able to push those well.
 
Oct 12, 2009 at 2:56 AM Post #78 of 377
The Maverick Audio looks like a clone of a unit that has been around for a while, there is very little info about the Maverick unit, specs for the DAC, amp, USB receiver etc is as vague as you can get, 10 foot barge pole springs to mind...
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The good looking case is the only thing I can be sure about lol.
 
Oct 12, 2009 at 3:07 AM Post #79 of 377
The fact that the Maverick has a tube in it is a tad worrisome for me as I've only ever dealt with solidstate gear in the past and I'm not very au fait with the vagaries of tubes. I'm not sure I'd appreciate the difference enough to justify the additional housekeeping that a tube represents.

This brings me back to the Aune, the only real shortcoming of which for me is no optical input, which whilst useful, I can live without. I can always run the PS3's audio through a low-jitter optical->coaxial converter and power it off one of the USB ports or something.

Decisions, decisions
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Oct 12, 2009 at 3:10 AM Post #80 of 377
If you're that big in tubes, why do you even consider Hifidiy mini usb DAC mk2??
I'm not a tube guy, the sound from m902 or auditor is clear, detail and musical enough to me.

The truth is, $150 is a ridiculous price to beat for a DAC and AMP solution.
The amp is powerful, unlike some portable amps.
It can drive my K271s without any trouble, so it can also easily drive your future K701.
The only concern maybe its match with Grado phones (in my case, GS-1000, but GS-1000 is notorious in finding a proper match).
Afterall, you can just use its DAC part and use some other tube amps later when you have money.



Quote:

Originally Posted by FraGGleR /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Well, you will have more of an opportunity at the Maverick than US folks, as Grant Fidelity has secured exclusive North American rights to the product. Pacific Valve will also have to stop selling in the US. They are all made in the same Chinese factory, so I think most differences are purely cosmetic. I have talked to a gentleman who has the Maverick and he has nothing but good things to say about it.

I have no frame of reference so I am sure I would find quite an improvement over my computer headphone jack, I just don't know how to judge is it is worth $200. Then again, the options for dac/amps under $200 are limited to very entry level stuff. The Aune is $150 and is a SLIGHTLY more known commodity, but it doesn't have the tube buffer that intrigues me. The only well known DAC/amp that uses tubes under $200 is the HiFiMan EF2, which gets great reviews, but its DAC is only so-so and you can't use it as just a dac.

I wish I could afford to buy both the AUNE and Maverick to side by side them, but I am not sure I can even risk the AUNE.


 
Oct 12, 2009 at 9:12 AM Post #81 of 377
Quote:

Originally Posted by stokitw /img/forum/go_quote.gif
If you're that big in tubes, why do you even consider Hifidiy mini usb DAC mk2??
I'm not a tube guy, the sound from m902 or auditor is clear, detail and musical enough to me.

The truth is, $150 is a ridiculous price to beat for a DAC and AMP solution.
The amp is powerful, unlike some portable amps.
It can drive my K271s without any trouble, so it can also easily drive your future K701.
The only concern maybe its match with Grado phones (in my case, GS-1000, but GS-1000 is notorious in finding a proper match).
Afterall, you can just use its DAC part and use some other tube amps later when you have money.


Well said. In this unit, you know exactly what you buy. It's circuit is not that complicated. I don't think i would buy a complicated "budget" circuit, there must be a reason why it's cheap. They must save costs somewhere to make it profitable, it may be components, design or anything. Just a side note: just the alps blue volume pot in the aune costs like $20, it's really made out of good components. Also, opamp rolling can make this little amp even more exceptional. I'll share my thoughts once my replacement opamps arrived.
 
Oct 13, 2009 at 4:01 AM Post #84 of 377
Hmm, the local supplier has OPA2134's in stock and that's about it, same as he's used on the primary stage anyway. Apparently there's not much demand for OpAmps in NZ
smily_headphones1.gif


I think I've seen enough to get myself into an Aune unit, so I'll order one when I get home and start poking around inside when it eventually turns up. Sounds like existing OpAmps are probably fine, will be interesting to see what other things are like such as grounding and cap quality. If nothing else I can always go over the solder joints and tidy them up.
 
Oct 14, 2009 at 2:37 PM Post #85 of 377
Quote:

Originally Posted by stokitw /img/forum/go_quote.gif
If you're that big in tubes, why do you even consider Hifidiy mini usb DAC mk2??
I'm not a tube guy, the sound from m902 or auditor is clear, detail and musical enough to me.

The truth is, $150 is a ridiculous price to beat for a DAC and AMP solution.
The amp is powerful, unlike some portable amps.
It can drive my K271s without any trouble, so it can also easily drive your future K701.
The only concern maybe its match with Grado phones (in my case, GS-1000, but GS-1000 is notorious in finding a proper match).
Afterall, you can just use its DAC part and use some other tube amps later when you have money.


Oh, I am not all that obsessed with tubes, outside of the fact that they tickle a geek nerve in me. I have heard that they can warm up the sound, which I think I would like, but opamp rolling can also get me a warmer presentation.

In the end I think SS appeals more to me simply because I won't have to worry about tube maintenance.

The reasons I keep looking at the Maverick is because of its looks (I like all black), and the fact that it looks like it could have a slightly better dac and possibly headphone amp overall than the Aune at not much an added cost. The Maverick is a clone of a DAC/amp that normally sells for around $400. For me the $50 difference isn't that great to POTENTIALLY get something that is valued much higher.

Without getting both, the K702's and comparing them, all I can go on is the opinions of people like you that have listened to these pieces of equipment. I already enjoy my music, researching and shopping for the next piece is what makes this fun.

Thanks for your opinions. The Aune definitely looks like a super value and might be the safest bet.
 
Oct 14, 2009 at 4:09 PM Post #86 of 377
Quote:

Originally Posted by FraGGleR /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Thanks for your opinions. The Aune definitely looks like a super value and might be the safest bet.


Yup, it's a safe bet. I simply wouldn't buy a maverick couse it feels too risky. I've learnt, that peoples subjective experience should not be trusted easily, the best way to purchase would be: listen to them yourself. If thats not possible, it's down to the components quality, and how clean the design is, with a high emphasis on pre/aftersale support from the seller. Then comes other peoples experiences. I'm not saying you should buy the aune, buy what you think fits you. Heed canamp goes well with k701/702s you should consider one as a possibility.
 
Oct 14, 2009 at 7:30 PM Post #87 of 377
Thinking about this way more than I should, it really makes sense to buy stuff for what I have now. And for now since I use headphones that don't need amping at all apparently, my Total Bithead is everything I need right now. It has a DAC that is better than my computer's headphone out, a line input for a DAP, and two headphone jacks (one for my headphones, one so I can run my computer speakers from the DAC). Nice, small, simple, and for now, all I need at a super value (got it for nearly half off).

At this point, I am going to skip this value sector and wait until I can jump into the $400 per component pool when I finally get my K702's.
 
Oct 14, 2009 at 7:47 PM Post #88 of 377
Just a note on this DAC - in my opinion, it definitely doesn't sit in the $150 component pool, if there is such a thing. Granted the version I am using is upgraded in a few ways (the power supply being the big one), but I use it very happily with a pair of JVC DX1000s.

Be careful using an LT1364 in this DAC, as it's a bipolar input opamp.

I would avoid replacing the 2134 in this DAC - it is part of an active LPF circuit, so normal rules of rolling do not apply. In the amp section several people have reported no problems using bipolar input chips, so something like the LT1364 may be fine. I would recommend the fet input AD8620 though, based on the low internal voltage of the unit.
 
Oct 14, 2009 at 8:23 PM Post #89 of 377
Quote:

Originally Posted by Starky /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Be careful using an LT1364 in this DAC, as it's a bipolar input opamp.


Can you elaborate moer about this problem, for a beginner ? What could be the problem, and if there is any how can you measure/notice it and possibly fix it.
I've found this cicuit drawing for a similar hifidiy dacs buffer part(very similar without headphone amp). I wonder if it's the same as in the aune.
 
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