Maverick Audio DAC/Amp
Jan 7, 2010 at 5:07 AM Post #511 of 2,660
Quote:

Originally Posted by millerlitescott /img/forum/go_quote.gif
How long does it take for the tube to warm up?


At least 5 minutes to guarantee the prevention of clipping, maybe another ten to reach its full potential, in my experience.
 
Jan 7, 2010 at 8:10 AM Post #512 of 2,660
I have been monitoring this thread for quite sometime now. I am in need of a DAC/AMP combo and the Maverick seems to be a decent unit. It seems as if most people are using this strictly as a DAC and less as a headphone amp. Is the amp section of this unit worthwhile to drive cans such as the Shure 840s or will I want a separate amp? I would be using this with the USB adapter to listen to CDs and 320k Mp3s off of my laptop with WMP.
 
Jan 7, 2010 at 8:16 AM Post #513 of 2,660
Suedehead, I think it is. With the opamp sockets, you can upgrade the opamp to a better quality unit. If you out-grow that then there's always room for a new amp because this has tube pre-amp and solid-state output. It's a very flexible unit that allows for future upgrades if you need them.
 
Jan 7, 2010 at 2:59 PM Post #514 of 2,660
Thanks for replying. I have been torn between the Maverick and the Zero unit, however with the Zero's reliability issues, I may go with the Maverick. It looks like a good starter unit for the price.
 
Jan 7, 2010 at 5:46 PM Post #515 of 2,660
I need your help about the hum !
I recorded directly (no microphone) the solid state out, the tube out and the headphone out. I talk here only about the solid state out since the others have the same hum.
I analysed the record with audacity and here is my finding :
At low level (ss-out_min.jpg), I have two big 100Hz and 200Hz (-60db) and a small 50Hz (-80db).
At high level (direct button) (ss-out_direct.jpg), there is a big background which makes a kind of white noise.

Where does this 100Hz and 200Hz come from ? How to remove them ? diy mod ?

I need your help to try to see if you all have this hum, putting the volume of the maverick to minimum and putting the volume of your amplifier to the max.
If everyone have it, I will go diy mod but if not I will have to replace it ! This is why i need your help, do i have to return it or not ?

I am ready to modify the resistors for the headphone amp, in order to use my headphone with low impedance, but for the ss out and tube out ? Can I do the same thing ? Perhaps it is related to the hot outputs ? Is lowering the gain of the output stage lowering the noise and hot ?

I think there is something here to explore in order to change the opamp. Someone in this thread reported some problems about opamp rolling (high offset, oscillation), maybe checking the gain of the output stage will allow to do opamp rolling.

 
Jan 7, 2010 at 6:49 PM Post #516 of 2,660
I just opened up my Maverick D1 to put in a GE 5670W tube. And while I know little about electronics manufacture, I have to say everything looked pretty tidy inside my unit. The new tube is now settling in. (I was a little surprised to see that the GE tube is about half the length of the Chinese tube.)
 
Jan 7, 2010 at 8:02 PM Post #517 of 2,660
Quote:

Originally Posted by Suedehead /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Thanks for replying. I have been torn between the Maverick and the Zero unit, however with the Zero's reliability issues, I may go with the Maverick. It looks like a good starter unit for the price.


I was in the same boat as you. But there's a few things you can think about to help you decide, they did for me anyway:

Support - So many threads and dead Zero's and from what I've seen nobody representing the company has registered on these forums or provided any kind of support. Instead it's the eBay sellers that do that and they're not obligated to. Ryan is here and replies very fast to e-mails.
Features - It has more features than the Zero. You would have to add the USB module to the Zero and that bumps it's price up.
Reliability - I have yet to hear about someone with a dead unit.
Looks - I try not to buy electronics for this but you gotta admit, the Maverick has that professional look that the Zero just can't accomplish. Several people have said that all the knobs and switches are solid.
Re-sale - With all of the options of the Maverick, if I just absolutely end up hating it (I highly doubt this will happen), it has such flexibility that I would imagine it could be easily re-sold for several different setups.
 
Jan 7, 2010 at 9:01 PM Post #518 of 2,660
i know i asked this several pages back but doesn't anyone have experience with both this and the D10? i no longer need the portability of the d10 and am wondering if it'd be worth stacking with the d1 DAC or if i should go ahead and just sell the d10.
 
Jan 7, 2010 at 11:31 PM Post #519 of 2,660
Quote:

Originally Posted by _Spanky_ /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Suedehead, I think it is. With the opamp sockets, you can upgrade the opamp to a better quality unit. If you out-grow that then there's always room for a new amp because this has tube pre-amp and solid-state output. It's a very flexible unit that allows for future upgrades if you need them.




Which would be a better opamp?, Thanks
 
Jan 8, 2010 at 12:05 AM Post #520 of 2,660
Quote:

Originally Posted by MartinV56 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Which would be a better opamp?, Thanks


I'm actually trying to figure that out. I'm not electrically inclined so I don't want to fry the unit or damage it.

Check this out though:
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f6/opamp-swap-465069/

Eventually, I hope to get 2 of the dual Earth HDAM units if they will work and fit physically:
н¨ÍøÒ³ 1
 
Jan 8, 2010 at 12:35 AM Post #522 of 2,660
MartinV56, I saw that and a couple of comments about the HDAM. I just don't know, I can't find anyone that's tested it nor anyone that's said it will work. I know opamps can be interchangeable, being a noob, I don't want to risk damage to my unit. I know I'll burn the Maverick in with the LF353 and then perhaps use the LT1364 on the DAC and LM4562 on the amp. I will definitely post back findings if and when I do it.
 
Jan 8, 2010 at 11:14 PM Post #525 of 2,660
I think, its safe to say that it won't be fixed until the next revision.
This batch is pretty much sold as it is as its been mass produced in china - having a fix now would mean recalling all the stock back and re doing the circuit.
 

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