Eastern Electric Minimax DAC opamp rolling thread

Bigfishhk · « **Reply #20 on:** 4 Apr 2012, 10:37 pm »

Some general questions. re- USB connection and media player. hope for some feedback to these questions. I did not see the info on previous threads.
thanks
TOm

I have been using DAC+ with cdp. Tried to get it to work with my laptop (Mac powerbook 10.4 leopard). Did all the downloading etc but no sign of EE software in system preferences.
(I have successfully downloaded EE drivers onto a PC and a desktop Mac (OS Tiger), however neither of them useful for setting up with my system)
1. Is anyone running EE DAC tethered to a 10.4 OS MAc? If so, pls tell me where I am going wrong!
2. I was going to buy a Squeezebox Touch, but wanted to know if there are any other media player recommendations that are in same ballpark, price and quality-wise. Perhaps a new version of Touch will be worth waiting for since the EE is capable of higher res playback as far as I can see.
3. Do you use special USB cables for audio? (eg laptop to EE dac)

bunky · « **Reply #21 on:** 4 Apr 2012, 10:40 pm »

OK, i am trying the DAC in SS mode with LME49990's and the tube pulled using the 94 db Silverline Sonata III's and a JAS Audio Bravo 2.3 18 wpc 6C33-B powered Class A SET integrated.i will run it for a week and switch back to the tube ouput and see what happens.

wilsynet · « **Reply #22 on:** 4 Apr 2012, 11:36 pm »

Quote from: Bigfishhk on 4 Apr 2012, 10:37 pm

1. Is anyone running EE DAC tethered to a 10.4 OS MAc? If so, pls tell me where I am going wrong!

I've run it with Mac OS X 10.6 and 10.7 but not 10.4. Having said that, have you opened Applications -> Utilities -> Audio MIDI Setup -> Windows -> Audio Devices? It should show up there.

Quote from: Bigfishhk on 4 Apr 2012, 10:37 pm

3. Do you use special USB cables for audio? (eg laptop to EE dac)

Nope, no special cable required. Just a plain old USB cable.

setamp · « **Reply #23 on:** 5 Apr 2012, 12:19 am »

Quote from: wilsynet on 4 Apr 2012, 09:02 pm

What comprises your transport, a computer, right? What are the specs for the computer, how are the files stored, etc, and are you using USB, coaxial or optical?

I am using a Bryston BDP-1 playing FLAC and AIFF files stored on an external HDD with its own power supply. I have tried RCA, BNC and AES/EBU terminated coaxial cables.

wilsynet · « **Reply #24 on:** 5 Apr 2012, 05:33 am »

I know that for some computer based systems, trying to process and push through 192K / 24-bit files can be a bit taxing on system resources, whether that's CPU or I/O.

I would suspect either the BDP-1 or the USB external HDD drive before I would suspect the digital interconnects.

Just throwing some darts out there ... Are you using a USB 2.0 class external HDD? Also, I know quite a few USB drives will power down shortly after the disk is idle. I wonder if yours is such a drive, and if so, does perhaps the audio drop out coincide with the BDP-1 reading the disk again but the disk needs to spin up and there's a bit of latency before that happens?

setamp · « **Reply #25 on:** 5 Apr 2012, 12:23 pm »

The HDD idea is interesting. I did recently change to a new HDD and enclosure. The stuttering, however, starts from the very beginning of the song so there should be a buffer. It's easy to switch to a different HDD/enclosure, though, to test. Good idea. Thanks

TJHUB · « **Reply #26 on:** 5 Apr 2012, 07:32 pm »

After burning in the 2604/827 combo (tube pulled), I find the sound unlistenable. There is a rolled off treble sound that takes away any sense of treble extension. There is no sense of air, and most tracks have absolutely no ambiance. The midrange is good until you get to the lower range or upper bass area. The sound then gets sort of thick in a weird way. The biggest issue, however, is that the sound completely loses any sense of reality. It now sounds like speakers playing tones. So much for this combo.

For the next couple of days, I intend to try a LME49990/827 combo. I'm hoping there is some magic with this combo. If not, I'm going to happily go back to the oem opamps/Psvane tube. It's not "perfect" sounding, but it is easily better than anything else I've heard from this DAC in my setup.

Swapping any of the opamps I've tried change the sound rather considerably for me. I have no idea how some state there is minimal differences. I just went from being very happy to no longer wanting to listen. That's pretty big in my book.

TJHUB · « **Reply #27 on:** 5 Apr 2012, 07:53 pm »

I just swapped the 2604's for the LME49990's and the change is HUGELY in the right direction. My initial impression is that things are very good. I think all of the complaints I had in my last post are gone. Now I need to figure out how this will compare to the oem opamps/Psvane tube.

It's nice to have decent sound again...

David C · « **Reply #28 on:** 5 Apr 2012, 08:37 pm »

I read the output impedance of my Mini max DAC is relatively high. I saw the note about the published stats and the measured ones. Measured output impedance for the tube is ca. 7K. I am feeding the DAC to a Nuforce P9 preamp whiiich has a 10K input impedance. I see that the recommendation is 10x minimum. Would I benefit from something like the Burson AB-160 audio buffer???

thanks in advance

setamp · « **Reply #29 on:** 5 Apr 2012, 08:49 pm »

I benefited significantly with the addition of a Dodd tube buffer with my 50k input impedance beta22. ymmv

Big Red Machine · « **Reply #30 on:** 5 Apr 2012, 09:57 pm »

Quote from: TJHUB on 5 Apr 2012, 07:53 pm

I just swapped the 2604's for the LME49990's and the change is HUGELY in the right direction. My initial impression is that things are very good. I think all of the complaints I had in my last post are gone. Now I need to figure out how this will compare to the oem opamps/Psvane tube.

It's nice to have decent sound again...

Agree. This combo works best for me even though I have a Bolder unit. The 2604/827 was weird.

groovybassist · « **Reply #31 on:** 6 Apr 2012, 04:18 am »

Well, been running music through the Dexa discrete opamps on and off since Sunday night - probably have 50 hours on them now. Listened for a bit over the last few days and sound is changing for the better. Initial sound had things being prominent or not prominent in mix that was "different" than the original opamps (which had lots of hours on them). Some things were further back in the mix than expected and some more forward. Very thin and metallic - not sounding too great. A day or so ago, clarity was getting better, but was now accompanied by hardness - turning it up felt like a bit of an aural assault. Tonight, sounds in the mix are getting back to what I think is the correct perspective, hardness is greatly diminished, but not completely gone, and transparency is much better than initial. In addition, instruments are taking on more body - when you hear an acoustic guitar, you get not just the string tone, but the resonance of the body - this was totally MIA when I first installed them. This is one of my personal criticisms of this DAC when running SS w/tube pulled - the presentation is a bit thin and lacking in body, so the Dexas bringing some body back to instruments is a welcome addition. All in all, a big improvement and moving in the right direction. We'll see if anything changes at about 100 hours. Maybe I'm changing - who knows.

Bigfishhk · « **Reply #32 on:** 6 Apr 2012, 02:16 pm »

What are the sonic differences from STOCK to PSVANE tube for those who have tried it on EE Plus?
(hope we are still allowed general questions here).

I rolled a 50's Mullard and RCA already and it did not have great synergy with my set up.

Many thanks

TOm

munosmario · « **Reply #33 on:** 6 Apr 2012, 02:22 pm »

Quote from: groovybassist on 6 Apr 2012, 04:18 am

All in all, a big improvement and moving in the right direction. We'll see if anything changes at about 100 hours. Maybe I'm changing - who knows.

groovybassist, by "a big improvement in the right direction" do you mean getting back to sound the way it did before you put the DEXAS in, or the improvement you perceive is actually beyond that?

Thanks,

munosmario

groovybassist · « **Reply #34 on:** 6 Apr 2012, 02:38 pm »

munosmario:

I'm actually a bit shocked at the transformation in these opamps. The first day or two I would've said Levi was right - veiled presentation, period. I'm sitting here listening to Janis Ian Breaking Silence right now and this is unquestionably the best I've ever heard this DAC sound! The SS out, with tube pulled and oem opamps sounded very transparent and detailed, but I always felt it was also thin and that detail was being forced at you. I couldn't relax into the music. With the Dexas and 50 hours on them, all of that transparency is there, but it's naturally integrated into the music, there' more body to instruments, and the whole is a very coherent picture.

My intellectual side tells me this shouldn't be so, but there's no doubt in my mind this is the best this DAC has sounded since I got it. Anyone considering the Dexas should be prepared for a not so happy honeymoon period. To my ears and in my system, the patient wait is very much worth it.

Mike

Bigfishhk · « **Reply #35 on:** 6 Apr 2012, 02:54 pm »

since focus here is OPAMPS, is there any general thread still going for EE Plus?
TOm

munosmario · « **Reply #36 on:** 6 Apr 2012, 03:18 pm »

Quote from: groovybassist on 6 Apr 2012, 02:38 pm

munosmario:

I'm actually a bit shocked at the transformation in these opamps. The first day or two I would've said Levi was right - veiled presentation, period. I'm sitting here listening to Janis Ian Breaking Silence right now and this is unquestionably the best I've ever heard this DAC sound! The SS out, with tube pulled and oem opamps sounded very transparent and detailed, but I always felt it was also thin and that detail was being forced at you. I couldn't relax into the music. With the Dexas and 50 hours on them, all of that transparency is there, but it's naturally integrated into the music, there' more body to instruments, and the whole is a very coherent picture.

My intellectual side tells me this shouldn't be so, but there's no doubt in my mind this is the best this DAC has sounded since I got it. Anyone considering the Dexas should be prepared for a not so happy honeymoon period. To my ears and in my system, the patient wait is very much worth it.

Mike

Mike, thank you very much for your excellent appraisal--methodical, objective and honest. Easy to get drowned or marooned (going in endless circles) when attempting to navigate that ocean of subjective SQ. Of course a keen ear surely helps.

Good work,

Mario

TJHUB · « **Reply #37 on:** 6 Apr 2012, 05:32 pm »

Quote from: Bigfishhk on 6 Apr 2012, 02:54 pm

since focus here is OPAMPS, is there any general thread still going for EE Plus?
TOm

No. They have all been locked.

TJHUB · « **Reply #38 on:** 6 Apr 2012, 05:40 pm »

I just swapped the LME49990/827 combo back to the oem opamps/Psvane tube. The tube isn't warm as I just fired it up, but the sound is ever so slightly smoother, and the just a bit less defined. However, overall, the presentations of VERY similar. I'll have to switch back and forth and pay attention to sound stage width and depth, I could likely live with either combo. Now I'm wondering if I'll be able to pick a winner over the next week or so...

TJHUB · « **Reply #39 on:** 6 Apr 2012, 10:11 pm »

I can't believe it, but the LME49990/827 combo has already won the battle over the oem opamps/Psvane tube. I've been playing everything I could over the last couple of hours, and everything sounds better with the LME49990/827 combo.

In comparison, the LME49990/827 combo has more bass definition and more bass impact. The midrange is very similar, but the tube comes off as slightly smoother. I can't pick a clear winner here. The treble is where things get even better. There is a slight shift down in timbre, and the treble comes off as more defined and realistic sounding. It's actually a little richer than the tube sounds. Everything is very clean for both, but between the bass and the treble, the LME49990/827 combo wins.

So it looks like I'll be putting the tube away in its box. I finally found something that beats the tube output for me.