[eclein]

I bought a Grant Fidelity DAC-09 and its due to be delivered Friday so I am stoked, especially since the price I got was pretty cheap and cheerful and just went up since my purchase. Paul hooked me up with tubes--NIB GE from 1986 and a WE square getter-- it comes with a 5670..from whomever.
 A) So do I even bother with the stock tube other than to see if it works and is not dead, or jump right into the shallow end with another flavor??
 B) Burning it in for a few days means just having it on? or having it on with a signal constantly??

My first foray into anything tubed and would like start off correctly, I really just want to crack it open, peel away the tube hold down clip and start slappin different tubes in it but that might be bad..yes? no?

[rajacat]

I would use the stock tubes for break-in and then start tube rolling.

-Roy

[Mariusz]

I bought a Grant Fidelity DAC-09 and its due to be delivered Friday so I am stoked, especially since the price I got was pretty cheap and cheerful and just went up since my purchase. Paul hooked me up with tubes--NIB GE from 1986 and a WE square getter-- it comes with a 5670..from whomever.
 A) So do I even bother with the stock tube other than to see if it works and is not dead, or jump right into the shallow end with another flavor??
 B) Burning it in for a few days means just having it on? or having it on with a signal constantly??

My first foray into anything tubed and would like start off correctly, I really just want to crack it open, peel away the tube hold down clip and start slappin different tubes in it but that might be bad..yes? no?

Congrats on your new DAC.
I am sure it will sound great.

As to initial process of burning-in and tube swapping.......here is what I like to do:

•Send it for the AC tour for burn-in (minimum 4 guys = 4X50h total- min.200h)
•let your fellow members play with tubes for you - saved time and money
• have fun with it

but there is other way:

•listen with stock tube for few weeks (burn-in period and initial impressions)
•swap tubes between week 3 & 4
•pick the one that sounds "best" to YOU!!!
•listen for another 2 weeks
•swap back to your less favorite tube choice (not necesserelly the stock tube) to
appreciate all the effort you put into it. It also helps assuring the choice for the best tube for your system and ear.

Have fun

Mariusz

[eclein]

Thanks Mariusz!!

[ltr317]

What Roy and Mariusz said, except for the first option.   

[Mariusz]

What Roy and Mariusz said, except for the first option.   

OK, ....OK, you're right Paul
4-8 guys and 200-400h



And be nice to "P" 

[ltr317]

OK, ....OK, you're right Paul
4-8 guys and 200-400h



And be nice to "P" 

That's much better.   

[eclein]

Great advice except the part where you guys get to play
with it-
 It will be interesting to hear my SB through it since I changed
power supplies. I'll use supplied tube for burn in then all bets are
off!!!!

[Ericus Rex]

I've done a lot of tube rolling recently thanks to Paul (Thanks Paul!).  And here's the thing you need to keep in mind.  All the unused NIB tubes will require a break-in.  When you switch to tube Z from tube Y and prefer the change keep in mind that the preferred new tube (tube Z) will sound different after a few hours of break-in and might in the end not be any better sounding to you than tube Y.  What I like to do when rolling a bunch of tubes is pick only three at a time to keep things simple.  I'll go about a week with each tube before rolling on to the next and sometimes I take notes about what I'm hearing.  I try and give each tube 20+ hours before moving on to the next one.  Then, when it's all said and done and you think you've picked your favorite, do it all over again and see if your initial, pre-break-in impressions for each tube still hold true.  I've found they often do not.  In some cases, I've ended up preferring the tube I initially rejected after the second or third roll.  Have fun!

About break-in.  I usually don't like to leave tubes on when I'm not around but it's probably OK in a dac that shouldn't get too hot.  Make sure there is ample ventilation.  I don't think a signal is critical.  I have heard of people connecting DACs to Squeezeboxes/Pandora in order to get a 24/7 signal without wearing out a CD transport.


I think what Mariusz meant was 4-8 guys and 200-400 hours but STARTING WITH HIM!

[eclein]

Good stuff from all you guys-Thanks!! I have 3 tubes and that includes the one it shows up so I'm set for awhile but I have a feeling Paul may want to stock up on tubes...
 I'm interested in how it will sound using my PS3 via toslink as a transport for CD's, something I didn't get to check out with the Mav.
 

[eclein]

Congratulations!! Its a DAC!!!!
Delivered at 2:15, playing by 2:18, its all good!! Really good!!
Its extremely quiet, very dimensional and has a wonderful smoothness, and its not even broken in yet!! or had its tube violated!!
Very happy customer here....just thought I'd spout off very first impressions

[eclein]

Wanna see pics??? LOL...

[evan1]

Wanna see pics??? LOL...

YEP

[Lyndon]

Double Yep
or
Yep! Yep!
The Chihuahua Brigade...

[eclein]

[goldlizsts]

That's much better.   

Reeeeallllllly promiscuous!  4-8 guys at a time? 

[evan1]

I guess no volume bypass button?

[evan1]

Double Yep
or
Yep! Yep!
The Chihuahua Brigade...

Hey Lyndon are you hitting NY again ?

[eclein]

No button, it comes setup with only volume control to headphone output, you can do a mod with the jumpers to enable volume control. Its a tweak they have posted on website, I'm using it without. Using my blu-ray player as a transport into the DAC is really nice-I may be starting a new excercise program called "swapping CD's"

[evan1]

any difference in sound compared to the Maverick ? did I ask you that before ?