[jeremyarntz]

Is it worth the $44 to get the upgraded opamp and tube from Maverick? Especially if I have no interest at the moment in switching them out myself.

 

[Rook]

Quote:

Is it worth the $44 to get the upgraded opamp and tube from Maverick? Especially if I have no interest at the moment in switching them out myself.

 
Anyone have input on this? I'm curious about the same thing. The Maverick D1 looks like it'd fit the bill for a decent DAC/headphone amp to pair up with my old dvd player.

 

[sKiZo]

I can't give you a head to head comparison as I went with the upgrades right out of the factory after reading other user's reviews. What I can say is that the OPA627 op amps are highly regarded, and the upgrade price is very reasonable if you price the individual components. Maverick also does a burn in test on every unit before shipping, so you're out any DIY worries. It's not just a simple plug 'n play either - some assembly required as you're replacing the original dual channel op amp with TWO single channel amps (there's another one underneath the adapter board) ... twice.
 

 
 
That said, if it weren't for the reviews and head to head comparisons, I might have just gone with the stock setup. And always wondered what I missed.
 
Ditto on the tube. The baseline Chinese tube is rated adequate at best. Also subjective in that if you don't do any comparison, it probably sounds fine. I just went with the GE upgrade there also. Since then, I've developed a bit of a "rolling" problem here ...
 

 
Arguably, the most important part for fine tuning the sound to your particular tastes ... and I just couldn't stops myself ... I swear, I'm done buying tubes ... for now ... probably ... <G>
 
(Not shown is a 1959 Tesla 6CC42. Just added that to the collection. Considered the "holy grail" in the lineup, but ... eh. Sounds thin to me - I expect that's because it's OEM "new" and has real low hours on it - probably just needs some more burn in to make it sing.)
 
The tube of the day is a GE Command Series triple mica 5670. Surprisingly, that's my current favorite - surprising in that it's the cheapest one I got. Very defined soundstage and smooth all across the frequency range. Maybe a bit light at the deep bottom, and the gain is lower than the others, but hey, that's what they make sub synthesizers and volume controls for ...

 

[sKiZo]

Oh. I did make one other mod to my D1 ... dremeled off the lower flanges on the top. No amount of bending and tweaking loosened it up to where it'd slide on and off without a struggle. Probably not an issue for most, but with my rolling habit, a good thing.
 

 
Pops right off now and you'd never know just looking at it. I cut it close to the corners with a cutoff disk, then used the edge of the disk to deburr, round off, and smooth the edges.

 

[Shroker]

Hey hey .
You will love it.
Even more so as you start mucking around with modding them if one wants to.
 

 

[chuckle490]

Would the D1 be good for Electronic music?

 

[Shroker]

I believe so. I play plenty of electronica through mine. I think in the end it also depends how good your headphones are at handling them .
What I love about the D1 is being able to play around with it and change it over time in little steps.The tube here, the dac chip there. Eventually getting one of Audio-gd's HDAM for em .


I love being able to use the D1 as a multi-source device.

 

[Shroker]

I just took the whole thing off . Mine is open top now . Made it easier to move the audio-gd HDAM around too haha.
 
Quote:

Oh. I did make one other mod to my D1 ... dremeled off the lower flanges on the top. No amount of bending and tweaking loosened it up to where it'd slide on and off without a struggle. Probably not an issue for most, but with my rolling habit, a good thing.
 

 
Pops right off now and you'd never know just looking at it. I cut it close to the corners with a cutoff disk, then used the edge of the disk to deburr, round off, and smooth the edges.

 

[chuckle490]

Thank you very much for answering my question, I currently use the Ultrasone HFI-580 and this will be my first real DAC/Amp. What kind of cable will I need to use my ipod classic with this amp? Also do I need any other equipment with the D1 or just a source component the D1 and my cans?

 

[Shroker]

That is the awesome part about the D1. As you noticed on the website, it has all the information listed out.

Source in can be done through RCA to a 3.5mm splitter; optical and USB .
If you have your iPod out you can use a 3.5mm cable and plug it into the line-in for the front (you'll need an adapter; I don't remember if it comes with one but Monoprice.com has them for inexpensive prices and good quality!)

Then you can just plug in your headphones to the headphone jack in the front or use the preamps to connect to a headphone amp later in the future.
With that in mind, you can also plug in your XBox, PS, Blu-ray player or whichever since most of them all will have optical out on them. .

 

[chuckle490]

I think that has pretty much made up my mind! One last question, what will the sound difference be like compared to my Fiio E11 portable amp? Will the soundstage be wider?

 

[Shroker]

I have not personally used the E11 myself but out of the box I really enjoyed it. What you can do, actually, is use the pre-amp stage on the D1 (tube output if you like) using an RCA to 3.5mm or 3.5mm adapter for RCA cables and plug it into your E11 and see how you like it. . See if they synergize or not.

Lots of play and upgradability with this little baby. 

 

[chuckle490]

haha ive made up my mind! Thank you for all the info!

 

[Shroker]

You're very much welcome. . The FAQ has lots of info too.
I've basically change the tubes and the DAC chip (very easy to do as the D1 is designed to have the DAC changeable). 

If you have speaker systems you can set them up to connect via out the outputs too.
The outputs for the D1 has both tube output and straight from the DAC chip. .

Hope all goes well for you!
If you are able to afford it, getting the upgraded kits is a good start. If you're willing to start fresh out of the box as standard and get hte components else where (which is what I would have done if I had to buy a second one) it is also a good way to start.

 

 

[chuckle490]

I'm going to get the $244 version. What DAC is yours?