Eastern Electric Minimax DAC opamp rolling thread

groovybassist · « **Reply #40 on:** 6 Apr 2012, 10:50 pm »

Sounds like another 49990 convert! Hope things keep improving.

TJHUB · « **Reply #41 on:** 6 Apr 2012, 10:57 pm »

Quote from: groovybassist on 6 Apr 2012, 10:50 pm

Sounds like another 49990 convert! Hope things keep improving.

I've owned the LME49990's for quite a while now. I found them to be way too thin for my setup, but combined with the 827's, they work amazingly well. Personally, I think the 2604's are garbage.

I don't expect anything to change from here. Both pairs of opamps should be fully settled in as the LME's have hundreds of hours, and the 827's have been running 24/7 all week.

pjnad · « **Reply #42 on:** 7 Apr 2012, 01:53 am »

Has anyone tried the 2107 opamps with the 827s? Bill had recommended the 2107s which he is presently using with 627s. I had read/heard many positives about the 827s so I ordered those...
My order of2107/827 was shipped from cimmaron on Wed., so I'm hoping that they arrive tomorrow!
By the way, RadioShack carries both opamp "pullers' and anti-static wrist straps...

Levi · « **Reply #43 on:** 7 Apr 2012, 02:32 am »

We all knew by now that OPamps are system dependent. Likewise on tubes. What works for my system might not work for yours.

I found this picture from Head-fi dot com. I think this is the best way to get excellent sound from discrete OPamps.

Cheers!

balja · « **Reply #44 on:** 7 Apr 2012, 07:05 am »

Levi, very very nice, can you add any comparison?

mfsoa · « **Reply #45 on:** 7 Apr 2012, 10:55 am »

Quote

Has anyone tried the 2107 opamps with the 827s

That's my current combo in an original EE DAC. Sounding v good to me.

pjnad · « **Reply #46 on:** 7 Apr 2012, 12:39 pm »

Quote from: mfsoa on 7 Apr 2012, 10:55 am

That's my current combo in an original EE DAC. Sounding v good to me.

Thanks. I have the plus and like some of the other posters, I find the ss to be too thin sounding, with lack of body to the instruments compared to the tube output. I'm using a vintage Holland made amperex which sounds very nice.
I'll report back once the new opamps are in....

Levi · « **Reply #47 on:** 7 Apr 2012, 01:44 pm »

Unfortunately, the DAC pictured above was not mine. So no comparison made. Yet.

Quote from: balja on 7 Apr 2012, 07:05 am

Levi, very very nice, can you add any comparison?

jonbee · « **Reply #48 on:** 7 Apr 2012, 02:21 pm »

Quote from: TJHUB 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.

Thanks, TJ. Very interesting. I appreciate all the testing, and posting what you've heard. I like the 49990 all around, but I may give the 827s a try.

Just to confirm- you're running 49990 in the dual U1/2 positions, and 827 in the single U6/7 ?

TJHUB · « **Reply #49 on:** 7 Apr 2012, 03:30 pm »

Quote from: jonbee on 7 Apr 2012, 02:21 pm

Thanks, TJ. Very interesting. I appreciate all the testing, and posting what you've heard. I like the 49990 all around, but I may give the 827s a try.

Just to confirm- you're running 49990 in the dual U1/2 positions, and 827 in the single U6/7 ?

I have to thank Bill (billc here on AC) for loaning the 2604's and 827's to try out. I likely wouldn't have spent the money to try these. I'll have to order a pair of 827's on Monday for myself.

Yes, you have it right. The 49990's are duals for U1/U2, and the 827's are singles for U6/U7. I find the 49990's to be too thin and bright for my setup, but not terribly so. So I'm guessing the 827's are a bit warmer in presentation to compensate for what I hear from the 49990's.

This is a very long story I don't want to share, but there is a good chance I'll be moving on from the EE Plus DAC. While the sound is very good, it's just not what I'm looking for as ideal. I would really love to try a pair of Burson's in U1/U2 with my Psvane tube when funds allow. The Burson's completely transformed my previous DAC, a Music Hall 25.2, into something VERY special. I won't sell my DAC until I at least try the Burson's.

Bigfishhk · « **Reply #50 on:** 7 Apr 2012, 05:32 pm »

This is a very long story I don't want to share, but there is a good chance I'll be moving on from the EE Plus DAC. While the sound is very good, it's just not what I'm looking for as ideal. I would really love to try a pair of Burson's in U1/U2 with my Psvane tube when funds allow. The Burson's completely transformed my previous DAC, a Music Hall 25.2, into something VERY special. I won't sell my DAC until I at least try the Burson's.
[/quote]

If as a result, you decide to sell one a single Psvane tube, pls let me know. I don,t want to buy two just to test whether it sounds good in my system. Thank you, tom

setamp · « **Reply #51 on:** 7 Apr 2012, 05:43 pm »

And I am looking for a Plus at a fair price..............

fridays · « **Reply #52 on:** 7 Apr 2012, 05:59 pm »

Tjhub
What dac are you thinking about getting?

TJHUB · « **Reply #53 on:** 7 Apr 2012, 07:16 pm »

Quote from: fridays on 7 Apr 2012, 05:59 pm

Tjhub
What dac are you thinking about getting?

I have no idea. That's why I'm investing the time in opamp rolling.

Also, we should not turn this into for sale thread. I'm not selling until I find a replacement DAC first. It could be months before that happens.

bunky · « **Reply #54 on:** 7 Apr 2012, 10:06 pm »

I already went back to the tube output with the Amperex Holland 7316 PQ and the LME49990's in all positions.the Silverline Audio Sonata III's obviously like the vintage European flavor

TJHUB · « **Reply #55 on:** 12 Apr 2012, 09:40 pm »

I just wanted to update my latest findings. I've left the DAC running 24/7 since testing the 49990/827 combo. I've been very busy with work and life in general, and I haven't really listened much since my last post. However, my setup sound COMPLETELY different, and not in a good way.

It seems the 49990/827 combo has lost a lot of treble extension. The sound is really subdued. This was not the case at all when I made my last post. So I have no idea if the 49990's or the 827's settled in some more? Nothing else has changed, so it has to be the opamps that changed.

Now I can't listen to this combo either. So I'm about to go back to the tube with the LME49990's in the U1/U2 positions. If that doesn't work, I'm going back to stock with my Psvane tube.

jonbee · « **Reply #56 on:** 12 Apr 2012, 09:52 pm »

I have really liked the 49990s in all positions, with no tube, but I'm switching front ends to a music server and with that change the sound is more forward than I'm used to.
I just bought the 827s and will install them and see what happens.
I'll will report what I find.

pjnad · « **Reply #57 on:** 14 Apr 2012, 05:46 pm »

Help!! No sound being output...
Turned on my system and nothing...everything is powered up, no cables disconnected, no knobs turned...
If I put my ear up to the speaker I can hear the music very faintly, so I guess that a signal is going through but not being amplified?
I have a Krell KSA150 amp and the MW SWL 9.0 Signature pre. A transport is feeding the signal to an Eastern Electric Dac...which I tried bypassing and running the output from the cd player into the pre...still nothing.
Any ideas?
Paul

Noseyears · « **Reply #58 on:** 16 Apr 2012, 11:40 pm »

Quote from: TJHUB on 7 Apr 2012, 03:30 pm

The Burson's completely transformed my previous DAC, a Music Hall 25.2, into something VERY special. I won't sell my DAC until I at least try the Burson's.

Good to know. The burson's work nice together with it, i have tried a stock minimax vs a modded one. You can hear the difference, soundstage and detail improved.

@paul: is everything hooked up like before? check all the connections.

Big Red Machine · « **Reply #59 on:** 17 Apr 2012, 12:08 am »

I ordered both Burson and Dexa's - complete set of each. Almost $600.