Scott Nixon's TubeDac+ vs Ack! Industries dAck!

MaxCast · « **Reply #60 on:** 1 Nov 2003, 12:01 pm »

I have the TubeDAC and have not had an issue with phase either. I auditioned the MENSA and did not have a problem with phase.

Thanks Chris for your explaination of phase in day-to-day use.

Hantra · « **Reply #61 on:** 1 Nov 2003, 03:50 pm »

C:

The tube is used as a buffer AFAIK.

MttBsh · « **Reply #62 on:** 1 Nov 2003, 09:48 pm »

Just curious if the Tubedac can be improved by replacing the stock tube.

Thanks

Hantra · « **Reply #63 on:** 2 Nov 2003, 06:24 pm »

Quote from: MttBsh

Just curious if the Tubedac can be improved by replacing the stock tube.

Thanks

You aren't Matt Bush, are you? Anyhow, I have tried three tubes in the DAC. The short answer is yes. You can change the sound of the TubeDAC by swapping tubes. Right now, I have an old Amperex in, and it seems to do as well as anything I have tried. I've tried a 50's Siemens Gold pin, and a cryo'd Sovtek. I like the Amperex better.

The long answer is that you aren't going to change the sound as much as say, chenging the tube in a pre. It is not as dramatic an effect in this piece, since the tube is not in an analog stage.

Good luck!

B

MttBsh · « **Reply #64 on:** 2 Nov 2003, 10:23 pm »

Hantra, yes I am Matt Bush, and I appreciate your feedback on the TubeDac. Someone wrote to me that an Electro Harmonix 6922EH 14K gold pin tube could make a big difference in the DAC's sound, but your point is good - the effect would be much more pronounced in an analog stage, like a preamp. I love the sound of my Tubedac + as it is, fed through a Carver Pro ZR1000, but will probably try a few different tubes to see what they do for the sound. Thanks again.

Matt

Hantra · « **Reply #65 on:** 2 Nov 2003, 11:27 pm »

Matt:

You didn't go to Wake Forest, did you?

byteme · « **Reply #66 on:** 2 Nov 2003, 11:44 pm »

Matt,

I've got a NOS Siemens E88CC gold pin in my Tubedac that I really like. I've only tried that and the stock tube thus far but I was happy enough with the Siemens not to search farther.

Brian.

MttBsh · « **Reply #67 on:** 3 Nov 2003, 02:06 am »

Brian - thanks for the NOS Siemens suggestion and Hantra - there must be more that one Matt Bush around (and that's a very scary thought

)because I've never heard of Wake Forest. Is that a school? the name of a rock band? anyway, I live in Seattle, where we don't wake to forest, we wake to rain.

Matt

bubba966 · « **Reply #68 on:** 3 Nov 2003, 02:32 am »

Quote from: MttBsh

I live in Seattle, where we don't wake to forest, we wake to rain.

Or in today's case, snow...

Hantra · « **Reply #69 on:** 3 Nov 2003, 02:41 am »

Hehe. . . My bad Matt. I debated with a guy named Matt Bush who was on the Wake debate team. Wake is a good school, but it's a small private school, so I'm not surprised you don't know it all the way out there. .

B

MaxCast · « **Reply #70 on:** 3 Nov 2003, 02:28 pm »

Hmmmmm, must not watch college BB.

MttBsh · « **Reply #71 on:** 3 Nov 2003, 05:57 pm »

Believe it or not, my little bro's name is Jeb Bush. My folks recently gave him a bumper sticker that says "Who'd have thought Jeb would be the smart one?"

Matt

BeeBop · « **Reply #72 on:** 23 Nov 2003, 02:23 pm »

Would be grateful if one of you boffins could take a moment to help a novice. I have a Denon 1600 DVD player which I like a lot for DVD movies and would like to like a lot for CD play. I thought getting a dAcK! might really improve things, but the Denon 1600 only has an Optical digital out. Would it be possible somehow to hook this up to the dACK!

Any advice much appreciated.

playntheblues · « **Reply #73 on:** 23 Nov 2003, 04:11 pm »

Beebop, I had the same problem. My SATV box only had an toslink out and my CDP had a coax which was fine. Chris Own recommended I look for a jitter decorrelator. If you go to audiogon.com and do a search using the word JITTER, you can find several. I bought a Theta TLC which has both toslink and coax in with a coax out. It has a little switch to switch between both. I paid $130.00 shipped but they usually go for about $200.00. This should solve your problem. All the best, Guy

arthur · « **Reply #74 on:** 17 Dec 2003, 08:01 am »

i wanted to let you guys know that i just upgraded the TubeDack+ to the new specs and it sounds considerably better than it did before
i wrote a few lines about it at
http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=6442.msg57570#57570&highlight=#57570

MttBsh · « **Reply #75 on:** 20 Dec 2003, 07:50 pm »

Arthur,

When you say you just upgraded the SN TubeDack+ to the new specs, do you mean you had Scott upgrade your existing DAC or that you bought a new one?
I too own a Tubedac + , but could not find anything on Scott's site about upgrading an existing DAC. Thanks for any info.

Matt

byteme · « **Reply #76 on:** 21 Dec 2003, 12:00 am »

Quote from: MttBsh

Arthur,

When you say you just upgraded the SN TubeDack+ to the new specs, do you mean you had Scott upgrade your existing DAC or that you bought a new one?
I too own a Tubedac + , but could not find anything on Scott's site about upgrading an existing DAC. Thanks for any info.

Matt

According to and email exchange I had with Scott any DAC produced from June '03 on can be "retrofit" with the upgrade stuff.

However he also said - "It's not a new one, but a consolidation of the TubeDac and the filter from the plus. It has been confusing for potential customers to choose filtered/non-filtered, so the choice is one now instead of two and if they need the premium parts, buy the +plus.
Sinc filter is a passive bosst at 22.05khz to make up the -3db droop at the
same freq. It's very subtle, but useful in some systems. You're probably fine without it."

I'm standing pat with the tubedac I've got.

Hantra · « **Reply #77 on:** 21 Dec 2003, 12:45 am »

Quote

I'm standing pat with the tubedac I've got.

Me too. . .But the cool thing is that on the new ones, you can hit a switch and cut that filter in or out depending on the system, and your tastes. . .

MttBsh · « **Reply #78 on:** 21 Dec 2003, 01:31 am »

Thanks Byteme and Hantra.

I'm curious though.... Arthur wrote "The sound has noticably improved in every way AND i don't even want to defeat the filter for any of the recordings that originally annoyed me a bit! Granted, i've only had the dac back for 1 day, but this thing certainly does sound much better on Paganini, Mingus, AND Dissection! if you've heard the older version of this dac and were on the fence, than i would jump on the new version while the prices are so low"

Sounds like independant of the switch/filter option, the Tubedac + sounds better now because of parts/spec upgrades. Also, I'm curious to hear how the unfiltered (non +) version sounds - I know you guys like it better. I'll contact Scott to see what he charges and maybe have this done while I'm gone on vacation (Its hard to live without the Tubedac once you've had it in your system!)

thanks again,

Matt

Hantra · « **Reply #79 on:** 21 Dec 2003, 01:37 am »

Quote from: MttBsh

Sounds like independant of the switch/filter option, the Tubedac + sounds better now because of parts/spec upgrades. Also, I'm curious to hear how the unfiltered (non +) version sounds - I know you guys like it better....

Well I understand there are new PCB's that are higher quality. But there is no longer a + version. The filter is now incorporated into all the DAC's, but can be controlled via a switch. So you can go from regular to + spec with the flick of a switch.

Quote from: MttBsh

Its hard to live without the Tubedac once you've had it in your system!

I feel you man. I know exactly what you mean. . .