[ninjikiran]

You can ask ryan yourself or check out the FAQ.  The audio routing as shows is...
 
Center opamp ---> RCA out,
CenterOpamp - Tube--> RCA PreOut
 
or
 
Right opamp ---> Headphone out.
 
ignoring the volume pot and direct buttons.

 

[_Spanky_]

=\ The FAQ link takes me to the old site. Not to disrespect Ryan in any way but I try to not ask him technical questions about the circuit. I guess I was just mis-informed about how the circuit goes. I thought the opamp for the DAC was for power or some kind of requirement for the DAC.

 

[Cal]

Noted. Would I benefit from getting a dedicated sound card and using its optical out (compared to using USB)? If so, what's a decent card for around $200 (less if possible...I've bought this D1, dt880/600, hd580, and a WA6 in the last 2 weeks)?
 
Quote:

 
 
SHENANIGANS I SAY! I thought the DAC opamp was just for the DAC... Then the signal gets split to the headphone out and the RCA out. I'll bust open my D1 if I have to in order to get down to the bottom of this.
 
*EDIT*
Cal, the static is normal. That's just how it works. I would probably recommend using USB (as long as you don't get any grounding noise) instead of the Realtek digital out. Onboard output is terrible and in my opinion worse than the D1's USB input. The D1 locks the sample rate while onboard audio can silently resample audio and degrade quality without you knowing.
 
 
Just a small reminder to any "new" people to this thread, check out the condensed FAQ's about the D1 and A1. I recently modded my A1 and put up a tutorial in the FAQ. Enjoy:
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/470639/maverick-audio-tubemagic-d1-dac-amp-condensed-faq-and-info-thread
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/500259/maverick-audio-tubemagic-a1-hybrid-amp-condensed-faq-and-info-thread

 

[_Spanky_]

I think you'll benefit the most by getting something that does bit-perfect coaxial SPDIF output (optical usually has more jitter and quality cables are spendy). Either a USB or PCI/PCI-E sound device. That would probably be the least weakest chain in your setup then. Not that I'm trying to sell my own stuff by saying the above but I have a X-Fi for sale...

 

[Cal]

Is the X-Fi plug and play on Windows 7? Is it PCI or PCI-E? I think I only have PCI-E slots left. Also, what cable would I need to use with the X-Fi and D1?
 
 

 

 

[etteoh]

Yeah, that was what I was worried about since I only use headphones with the D1. I'd hate for the offset to fry my Grados. As for the DAC opamp issue, I'm just gonna stick and leave the LM4562 in there since there are virtually no issues when it's sitting in that socket. I'm still puzzled for the most part but decided that I am not going to lose sleep/hair over it.
 
Spanky, would you or anyone else know if the metal-can LME49720HA would be okay to use on the headphone stage of the amp? This one is worrying me a bit. I remembered in the FAQ you or somebody else tested the DIP version which did show some levels of offset.
 
Quote:

DC offsets are safe for the unit but are not supposedly all that safe for your headphones.  Over time this is supposed to burn the little voice coils.

 

[_Spanky_]

Quote:

Is the X-Fi plug and play on Windows 7? Is it PCI or PCI-E? I think I only have PCI-E slots left. Also, what cable would I need to use with the X-Fi and D1?

If you're interested, check out my FS thread:
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/500292/fs-hot-rodded-creative-x-fi-xtremegamer-fatal1ty

 
Quote:

Yeah, that was what I was worried about since I only use headphones with the D1. I'd hate for the offset to fry my Grados. As for the DAC opamp issue, I'm just gonna stick and leave the LM4562 in there since there are virtually no issues when it's sitting in that socket. I'm still puzzled for the most part but decided that I am not going to lose sleep/hair over it.
 
Spanky, would you or anyone else know if the metal-can LME49720HA would be okay to use on the headphone stage of the amp? This one is worrying me a bit. I remembered in the FAQ you or somebody else tested the DIP version which did show some levels of offset.

If there's no offset on the LME49720HA then it would be ok to use I don't have one and I haven't tested. If the DIP version is in the FAQ and it's the same chip, I see no reason to expect any lower offset since it probably uses the same circuit.

 

[ninjikiran]

which means you sould probably go with the LM4562HA, the 49720 is supposed to be the exact same opamp in terms of sound and design(as well as specs) but lets face it sometimes things change in actual fabrication.

 

[etteoh]

Ah, ok. Man, I hope that guy accept returns/refunds. If he has the LM4562HA, then it should just be a simple swap and go thing. We'll see.
 
Quote:

which means you sould probably go with the LM4562HA, the 49720 is supposed to be the exact same opamp in terms of sound and design(as well as specs) but lets face it sometimes things change in actual fabrication.

Was hoping to be able to use the LME49720HA since there were tons of raves about how good it sounds in both DAC and headphone applications. Still, I love my Grados more to not let the opamp fry it.
 
Quote:

If you're interested, check out my FS thread:
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/500292/fs-hot-rodded-creative-x-fi-xtremegamer-fatal1ty

 

If there's no offset on the LME49720HA then it would be ok to use I don't have one and I haven't tested. If the DIP version is in the FAQ and it's the same chip, I see no reason to expect any lower offset since it probably uses the same circuit.

 

[ninjikiran]

Quote:

Ah, ok. Man, I hope that guy accept returns/refunds. If he has the LM4562HA, then it should just be a simple swap and go thing. We'll see.
 


Was hoping to be able to use the LME49720HA since there were tons of raves about how good it sounds in both DAC and headphone applications. Still, I love my Grados more to not let the opamp fry it.
 

 

LME49720 is a rebranded LM4562
 

 

[Ultrainferno]

@Cal, did you get to try the D1 with the line in from an ipod or the analogue/optical/coax in from a cd player without using your pc?
Or did you get it to work via USB only?
 
On a sidenote, please do send me that wallpaper!

 

[ninjikiran]

Quote:

@Cal, did you get to try the D1 with the line in from an ipod or the analogue/optical/coax in from a cd player without using your pc?
Or did you get it to work via USB only?
 
On a sidenote, please do send me that wallpaper!

Just visit 4chan /wg (wallpaper general), that wallpaper or style of wallpaper I see all the time.  I usually get my wallpapers from 4chan, generally find what I want easier than deviantart or other image aggregation sites.

 

[middachten]

Quote:

Bewildered D1 user reporting back with results from suggested troubleshooting. Here they are:
 
DAC section with no opamps - sound is distorted! What???
DAC section with no opamps and Headphone section with any opamp (LF353N, LM4562) - distorted! What again...
DAC section with LF353N and Headphone section with any opamp - channel imbalance at low levels (4th click onwards ok)
DAC section with LM4562 and Headphone section with LF353N - no problemo (clinical sounding though)
DAC section with LM4562 and Headphone section with LM4562 - perfecto!

Any succes on finding the cause yet?
 
If not, have you checked what happens when you remove the tube?
 
The only reason I can think of channel imbalance is a situation where the output of the DAC is drained to such a level that it can't produce the normal output anymore. Since its output is split over the three channels (headphone, normal out, tube out) a change in either one of them could cause a change in the channel you are listening to.
 
And another relevant question: is the imbalance always around the same position of the Volume control?
 

 

[Cal]

@Cal, did you get to try the D1 with the line in from an ipod or the analogue/optical/coax in from a cd player without using your pc?


Or did you get it to work via USB only?


 


On a sidenote, please do send me that wallpaper!

Not yet because the line in and headphone jacks take 1/4" plugs and I only have one 1/4" adapter.

I'll send it to yah when I get home. Took me a good 15 mintutes to find one in a large enough resolution for my monitor (1920x1200). I was surprised it was not more readily available. It is my iPhone, iPad, and desktop wallpaper right now. LOL

 

[ninjikiran]

Wish you could disable all outputs you are not using, or implement some kind of switch on the front.  I doubt it has any burden on SQ though~
 
I was thinking power issues as well but the variance shouldn't to such levels as to effect the entire system.  Fact that it distorts with no opamp is puzzling as well.