[Greg121986]

Hi all. I am new to hi-fi audio and just trying to get my foot in the door with a decent system, but my budget is slightly limited. I have a few questions about the Maverick Audio TubeMagic A1. I am considering it to start my headphone setup.

I wonder if the TubeMagic A1 will power a pair of bookshelf speakers like B&W 685? I listened to some the other day and was blown away. I'm all for headphones, but I am still a fan of speakers. I would like to get some B&W 685s in the future. If I could get a headphone amp/DAC that would power a pair of book shelfs that would be such a huge added value to me.

A second question, would the TubeMagic work in conjunction with a Little Dot MKIII as a preamp- amplifier combination for headphones? Would there be any benefit in doing this? Would I be better off getting a separate DAC for $200 and only using the Little Dot MKIII for the headphone amp?

What is drawing me to the Maverick Tube Magic A1 currently is the potential for it to power some bookshelf speakers like B&W 685s. If it will do that, I may have to buy one.

 

[attenuated 3db]

Although I'm currently just using my Maverick A1 as a headphone amp for my Sennheiser 650s, read the initial review of the product by "sp70" and "Spanky" - two of the most knowledgeable and experienced Maverick Audio owners - they both marvel at its ability to drive speakers:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/500237/maverick-audio-tubemagic-a1-hybrid-amp-discussion-and-review-thread#post_6753410
 
Don't know any specifics about B&W 685s, but if they are "bookshelf" speakers, they shouldn't be a problem for the A1 to drive, given sp70's story about his JBLs. 
 
I am new to Head-Fi, too, so I can't give you an authoritative answer about the Little Dot Mk. III, but I think it is just a headphone amplifier, so you would need a DAC (like the Maverick D1, or any number of other DACs that don't include all the control/switching/preamp features of the D1) to go with it, and if you have an A1 to run loudspeakers, it has a very nice tube headphone amp stage built-in.
 
In another post in another thread, I think you expressed some remorse about having just bought a Maverick D1 on eBay for basically list price.  Are you sure you didn't buy it new, direct from Maverick Audio?  They maintain a constant "buy-it-now" listing (apart from their own fancy website), and I haven't seen many used D1s for sale on eBay.  Just a thought.
 
Best wishes.

 

[Greg121986]

Thanks for the reply. The D1 I bought was in fact used, but I paid basically brand new price for it. The seller got a heck of a deal. Another one sold the previous day for only $175. I did not bid on that one thinking the later auction would go for a cheaper price.
 
I will have to read into the A1 a bit more.

 

[_Spanky_]

The A1 should power them but keep in mind that the A1 is meant for small rooms and casual listening. You might want something more in a large living room but I will say that with my Insignia speakers, there's extra room to turn up the volume. But, I also have them in a small room. Check the FAQ (in my sig) and you'll see that it's output is 20 watts per channel (30 peak) and the B&W's take 25 watts minimum. I think that watts are commonly over-rated