[bigfatdynamo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheBigCW /img/forum/go_quote.gif From what I've read, wouldn't the DAC in the Maverick be an upgrade from the US? (I'm getting the USD, the usb/spdif) EDIT: I'm a bit worried. It's almost Thursday where Ryan is and he said he would ship Wednesday... but I still haven't received an email...

I have thought about posting this earlier for you, as you seem anxious, but I didn't want to be 'that guy.' However, as you appear to be getting ancy I thought I would provide a more realistic view on the shipping times.

Keep in mind that I am assuming things are backed up because of the holidays and in noway blame Maverick Audio for any delays. The tracking information speaks to this, as it is clear to see where the delays have been.

Mine was shipped on the 17th, was not processed in China until the 19th, did not arrive for departure until the 21 (Monday), flew out of China on the 22nd, arrived in North America very early on the 23rd, Made it to Canada this morning and is awaiting a flight to the East Coast (Moncton) and then will be driven to Fredericton (assuming).

I am hoping it gets on a plane for the East Coast today so it goes out for delivery tomorrow, but I am not holding my breath. This is fine, as I am awaiting an audio cable for my xbox360 anyways

If you live in a more central location, I am assuming your wait will be less. If I lived in Ontario or British Columbia, I would probably be receiving the Maverick today.

 

[TheBigCW]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigfatdynamo /img/forum/go_quote.gif If you live in a more central location, I am assuming your weight will be less. If I lived in Ontario or British Columbia, I would probably be receiving the Maverick today.

Sadly not the case :[

I live in North Carolina, USA... almost as East as you can get.

EDIT: Yay! It's shipped. I just received an email.

 

[u20v00a]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheBigCW /img/forum/go_quote.gif I agree. Bit-perfect has never been too big of a difference... but I'm going to get a Musiland Monitor 01 US that supports 24/96 Usb to SPDIF conversion and try it out. I'll still be using "normal" USB most of the time I guess.

I think I'm going to hold off until there is a solution that doesn't involve buying another piece of equipment. The Musiland Monitor 01 US is $86 from coolfungadget on eBay, which adds about 40% to the cost of the Maverick D1, bringing the total cost of both devices to $296. At that price point, I feel like I should just get the Compass, which is a well known device for only a little bit more.

I know JustVisit said the difference between Bit Perfect and not isn't that much, but I'd like to try for myself, if possible. I'm just hoping for a resolution while Bing cashback to eBay is still 10%!

JustVisit: Are you going to offer any of the D1s with the NOS GE 5670W on eBay or are you reserving that only for your webpage?

 

[vhaarr]

Recieved mine today while making dinner (pizza!), you can see the fat finger marks on the right side there

I will definetely play around with this a bit tonight and then write up a review during the weekend!

 

[DannyBuoy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bearmann /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks for the hint, DannyBuoy. I'll try this next week, when (hopefully) Ryan answered some of my questions regarding the gain of the headphone amp. Did I understand you right, that you think, it's a problem of WASAPI by not correctly identifying the USB receiver of the Maverick?! But that wouldn't explain why foobar's kernel streaming and ASIO4All also didn't work, would it?! I have had quite a few USB DACs in the past and that would be the first time that a "standard" USB receiver wasn't correctly recognized by the OS. Can't quite believe that that's the problem here... best regards. bearmann

WASAPI/ASIO4All and others use a lower level of communicating with the USB interface then other codecs do (and I am only referring to codecs built to communicate with the MS "DirectX/DirectShow" sub-system).
Without going through the explanation I did already because it was long winded and did not make the main point I was attempting to emphasize, let me just focus on the detail of the codec/USB interface only:
WASAPI/ASIO4All are little software programs that make calls from a MS library that makes available a lot of information about the interface, the data stream, the media type, the clock, and on and on. There are hundreds of queries the can be made of the interface and once you decide you are going to handle the low level queries of the interface and media type, you accept the responsibility of selecting the appropriate parameters in your codec (when I saw "you" I mean the developers of the codecs) to adjust to the changing data stream from the interface.
The other side of the coin is Microsoft's own implementation of the Media Foundation in its native configuration of a virgin install of Windows Vista/7/2008 which uses Windows Media Player and with this basic install WMP is "conversing" with the music file and DAC at a higher level, almost blindly IMO and this is where I was going with all of this.
MS defines any audio higher than 16 Bit as being High Definition Audio (I know this is an industry fact, but for purposes of focusing on MS this is important) and WMP is querying a high level function of the file to read the header information and if High definition =true then it will attempt to decode with greater than 16Bit resolution (I've exaggerated the simplicity of this in order to demonstrate the process, both WASAPI-low level , and WMP-high level require many other steps in outputting the audio as a data stream but for this example I think it helps illustrate the point).

That is why I was suggesting a base install on Windows and then put in a high definition source to see what is sent to the D1. My guess is that WMP will send it as a high resolution stream to the D1. If that works, try a CD to see if 16/44.1 works. If it does not then there may be an issue with the USB/DAC in the D1 being set by an external master clock instead of picking up the clock from the USB data packet which is a separate path we can go down to troubleshoot and ultimately make recommendations on how that can be addressed.
You can also try the fresh Win/WMP install above and after the test, install FooBar but DO NOT install any ASIO codec, instead go to DirectSound and set the output as 16Bit. For a better DirectSound test(DS) install JRiver Media Center (which I also like) and set output to DS and for the DSP Output settings select the "Output Format" checkbox and set BitDepth at 16Bit and Sample Rate at 44.1. Since you can set the DS output settings right in JRiver you can easily see if 16/44.1 is supported.

I have ordered a D1 for myself as I think this is the best bang for the buck for my desktop setup and I will be able to run any of the code libraries that I have against it soon and be able to provide much more than theoretical proposals soon.

 

[krmathis]

I am in desperate need of a nice little inexpensive DAC/Amp for the office, to stand between my Lenovo X200 and the K240 Sextett.
This Tube Magic D1 looks to be close to spot on. I like its black design, its USB and S/PDIF inputs, its headphone and pre-amp outputs, and the price is right. The lack of bit-perfect 16-bit/44.1kHz (CD audio) playback though USB make me hesitate though.

Fingers crossed that the developers find a solution! Then I am all in.

 

[TheBigCW]

I really, really hope we find a solution to the lack of USB bit-perfect.

Ryan is such an amazingly nice guy, and I really want his product to do well...

But the lack of bit-perfect via USB... :[

It's definitely a problem. But if there are drivers/tweaks that can fix this and make it work with ASIO it will make the already great looking product even better. Until then, maybe a Lilo III or Musiland Monitor 01 US will work fine.

 

[Remains]

I was just graced with the unexpected visit of the DHL man who was here to hand over my maverick! It took only 3 days for the package to make it from Shanghai to Michigan! I've spent 30 minutes listening so far and I'm definitely pleased. Stay tuned for pics and a review in a few days.

 

[rv5]

are those of you purchasing the $219 unit? at this cheap a price and something i was planning on spending a good deal more on for a desktop amp/dac combo an extra $20 really makes no difference to me. i've never owned a tube-anything so i have no idea.

 

[thearrow]

Great... My D1 was ordered on 12/13 and it shipped on 12/24.

The tracking status currently says the shipment is "On Hold" in Shanghai.

What does that mean?

 

[unl3a5h3d]

How does this sound with Grados? I have been lurking this thread lately. I am looking for a starter DAC/Amp combo, I will use as both for now and in a month or so get a Little Dot 1+ to go with it as well. I will be mainly using USB for now. And I have been seeing that the USB is not "bit perfect" how much does this affect quality and is the SPDIF "bit perfect"? Thanks.

 

[AcousticDreams]

Quote:

Originally Posted by thearrow /img/forum/go_quote.gif The tracking status currently says the shipment is "On Hold" in Shanghai. What does that mean?

It means that the whole container with your D1 is waiting near the docks for a freighter to Yokohama!

 

[sp70]

So whats our final word on OPAMPs? Anyone else try rolling yet? Please post your results.

@unleashed: The answer to the Grado question would be pretty well, but bright. The D1 might benefit from a more mellow sounding 'phone. It powers the Grados with power to spare, and still retain that powerful Grado sound til very loud listening levels - albeit with the fatigue from aforementioned brightness from the headphone output. I haven't much speculation yet as to how they would sound with the tube preout as i've still got the stock tube. Best wishes.

 

[_Spanky_]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sp70 /img/forum/go_quote.gif So whats our final word on OPAMPs? Anyone else try rolling yet? Please post your results.

+1 I'm interested in this. Does anybody know if the LT1364 or LM4562 opamps would physically or electrically work in this?
*EDIT*
Am I right in saying that a Dual-OPA HDAM would work in this unit? After looking at the pictures carefully it looks like it would fit with the extension leads...

I'm highly thinking of getting this instead of a Zero, how do you guys think it would hold up in my setup? I would probably use digital out of my X-Fi for gaming and then USB for music/movies.

 

[grokit]

My D1 with the NOS GE 5670W tube finally arrived today; I just hooked it up and could not be any happier with it so far. It feels like a substantial product; no traces of cheap plastic, with a very solid, all-metal feel and tight tolerances. I am actually very surprised with the initial impression of quality as I was kind of expecting a cheap box that hopefully sounded good.

And it does sound good, right out of the box; it definitely adds a great toslink-based DAC option and more flexibility to my main system. I have the tube stage going out to my HT receiver, and the regular SS pre-out to my dedicated headphone tube amp (Indeed hybrid, waiting for EF5). The DAC is being fed by a cheap 12-foot optical cable with 16-bit 44.1 lossless, and it sounds very good in my system.

The built-in headphone amplifier section is also better than expected. I was expecting it to be over-driven in the gain department, and it wasn't that hot at all. From what I have read earlier in this thread, I am guessing that Maverick improved the attenuation curve in the D1 somehow by reducing the gain.

I found that the volume control of the D1 had a decent curve for both my ESW9As and my K701s, not an easy feat. While my Indeed hybrid sounds a little more powerful, it does not feel this solid and has poor attenuation; I am attributing both characteristics to hopped-up gain. The Maverick also has a smoother, more-rounded sound, even after rolling my NOS tube into the Indeed. Neither the D1 nor the NOS tube in the Indeed are burnt in.

edit: the rolled-in tube of the Indeed has had about 30 hours on it or so, and has put the Indeed slightly back in front in the headphone amp comparison. But it's $60 tube (doubling the value of the amp), so money well spent. I did not buy the D1 for the headphone amplifier section, it's a bonus and can have tubes rolled into it as well.

So I am pleasantly surprised with the build quality, and the initial sound quality. The Maverick D1 seems to be a very versatile preamp/DAC/headphone amp, with a switchable tube stage, and mine seems to be very well built with no QC issues. For $219 shipped with the upgraded NOS tube, I was not expecting that much, frankly, and am quite pleased with it.

This seems to be much more of a "keeper" than a "gimmick" component, overall. I would have still been pleased at a $300 price point, and expect the price of the D1 to either go up or it may help drive the market down. It has quite a few functions and does them all pretty well, and therefore owns its niche, IMO