[Bill O'Connell]

Hi Guys,

 A couple reviews hit the web the last couple of days.

http://www.stereomojo.com/Eastern%20Electric%20MiniMax%20DAC%20Review/EasternElectricMiniMaxDACReview.htm


http://www.dagogo.com/View-Article.asp?hArticle=798

[Big Red Machine]

And yes, it is that good.

[Kinger]

I know I'm quite the happy camper with mine

[coke]

I just got mine today.  This is my first external DAC and I had no idea what I was missing 

[mfsoa]

That Dagogo review seemed kind of strange-  Maybe it's just the away I read it first time through, but was he comparing redbook  output from his transport vs. redbook upsampled output from his transport (no apparent difference) and using that as a basis for saying that true hi-rez files will sound the same as redbook files? And also therefore that lossy internet radio MP3s will also sound the same as true hi-res, because the DAC upsamples everything to 32 bit?   

Yet the transport will make a big difference to the sound quality from the DAC?    (Even though the chip, which he raves about, has anti-jitter technology, which I think he doesn't mention  )

And he says that the DAC has 129 dB dynamic range, when all know that it doesn't.

I'm no engineer or reviewer either, and I'm commenting based on a quick read-through last night, but still... 

Great DAC, though- Still love the sound mine makes. But does it really render the concept of hi-rez digital unnecessary?  I think not.

-Mike

[roscoeiii]

Congrats to Bill and Alex on the fantastic reviews!! Well deserved.

[Bill O'Connell]

"And he says that the DAC has 129 dB dynamic range, when all know that it doesn't."

 Why do you say the DAC doesn't have 129dB dynamic range?  It does!

[mfsoa]

Sorry Bill, I guess I was confusing S/N (90 dB tube, 95 dB solid state as per the EE web site) with dynamic range (129 dB).

I don't understand though how the dynamic range of a piece can exceed its S/N ratio, especially by 39 dB?

Isn't the 129 figure that of the chip itself and not of the dac as a whole? I thought that was discussed somewhere already.

Anyway the dac is making absolutely great music here! Linn Radio/Linn Classical/Linn Jazz at 320 kbps through my Touch sound great.

Again sorry for any (my) misunderstanding/misinterpretation.

-Mike

[roscoeiii]

And now we can start taking bets on how long until Bill's current stock is sold out following such glowing reviews....

[John151]

Bill - Congrats on the great reviews.  Hope you have a good supply of units on hand, cuz the orders will be pouring in.   

Not sure that I agree about the difference between SS and Tubes.   If limited to the stock tube, then yes the gap is small.  Also, in my system, my ears find the Siemens tube to be on the SS side of the spectrum.   A warmer tube, such as an Amprex or Mullard, might have resulted in a different write up in in the SS vs tube comparison.   

[Jon L]

From the Review:

"The only real shortcoming at this point is the limitation of the USB input to 16 bit/48 kHz resolution (and lower) material.  However, if you really want to get jiggy with computer audio, just invest in a really good high resolution USB to S/PDIF converter (they can be had for around $1000 or less), combine it with the EE DAC, and you are good to go for less than $1750 total."

Implement true 24/96 asynch USB input on the EE DAC, call it MadMax for few hundred $ more, and let's call it a day.  Use the Tenor chip everyone else uses..

[Bill O'Connell]

Hi John,

 The Siemens silverplate is the leader on the neutral/natural side of the spectrum, warmth is not it's fortay, but accuracy is ,IMHO, definetly not recommended for SS systems trying to add a little warmth and organicness to their system, but if you have all the right things in place(tubes, LOL) then the Siemens may be right up your alley.


 To the other Jon,

  We made what we made, and from what others have said seems to be what others like, our choice to use the 9018 was for us the right choice. If other company's choose to go with the Tenor chip then that is their decision , there are so many variables when designing a circuit to optimize its use that the possibility to fullfill everybody's "this is the way to design a DAC and use the parts I think would be appropiate are endless.Sure bigger power supplies,balanced input outputs, remote control,USB192 capabililities, drivers to work with every computer known made to man so there are no glitches, all takes time to develop. Oh yeah, and bring it in for a couple hundred bucks over what your currently asking.
 I like your thinking but realisticly if you think that is possible you are (listening to Pink Floyd, Maggot Brain by Funkadelic, or Porcupine Tree and are in a state of delirium) Just kidddin you Jon , please don't take it seriosly.
 We really just try to make a product that is musical and for those without deep pockets. I know everybody has an opinion an since the beginning when Alex and I started up Eastern Electric/Morningstaraudio, it has always been about " God people got to hear this thing" from our first product the MiniMax Preamp until present day with our DAC.  Could we have done a few things differently, yes,. But we stand on what we have created for those who love music and to those who think that is what it sounds like and try to recreate in their home audio systems.

 May Love Always Abide,
 Bill
 

[JLM]

I've never known Doug Schroeder to be so excited about a product, wow.

His review includes the first clear picture of the unit I've seen.     But I'm still unclear as to how much room is there to change the tube out.

Mike, from what I read Doug found no difference between Redbook, Hi-Res, or 32 bit.  But I know that I've heard improvements going from my little Oppo to an Onyx CD3, so like many aspects of audio each component can add/subtract from the signal in the overall chain.

[John151]

Hi John,

 The Siemens silverplate is the leader on the neutral/natural side of the spectrum, warmth is not it's fortay, but accuracy is ,IMHO, definetly not recommended for SS systems trying to add a little warmth and organicness to their system, but if you have all the right things in place(tubes, LOL) then the Siemens may be right up your alley.

Bill, we are in perfect agreement on the Siemens.  I was just pointing out that the EE DAC really responds to tube rolling, where the author's comment of "the difference between the solid state and tube sides was still not night and day" could be taken to suggest that it does not.     

[mfsoa]

Even if you don't use the SS output for regular listening, it's very valuable as a "control" for tube rolling, allowing for quick back to backs. "The highs in tube A were more pronounced vs the SS, yet tube B is more laid back vs the SS"  - Makes  for an extra data point when trying to remember the character of different tubes, esp considering the possibility of tube warm-up/break-in over time.

-Mike

[low.pfile]

Is the Siemens the stock tube provided?

[Jon L]

ll

[Jon L]

our choice to use the 9018 was for us the right choice. If other company's choose to go with the Tenor chip then that is their decision

Bill, I think you misunderstand me.  I'm not talking about the DAC chip used but the USB chip used.  A bunch of companies sell Tenor USB chip based 24/96 asynchronous USB converters/DAC's for couple hundred dollars, including Firestone Bravo, TeraDAc TeraLink, Audiotrak, etc.  All I'm saying is OEM cost differential between the Tenor USB chip and the current 16/44 USB chip implementation in EE DAC should not be insurmountable. 

Cypress USB chip combined with Xilinx FPGA running 24/96-192 asynch software is another good option, as used by M2Tech HiFace or Musiland. 

We computer audiophiles still long for that GREAT-sounding DAC with 24/96 asynch USB input at a great price, and I'm personally hoping the next Eastern Electric DAC will do that for us 

[Lyndon]

Jon L said:

We computer audiophiles still long for that GREAT-sounding DAC with 24/96 asynch USB input at a great price, and I'm personally hoping the next Eastern Electric DAC will do that for us 

As a beginning computer audiophile, I second Jon's suggestion.  An excellent idea.
Lyndon

[Bill O'Connell]

Jon,

 I'm really the novice here but you can bet I will have Alex look into this for the future for sure.
 Thanks for keeping us on our toes and we will try to provide.
 Kindest Regards,
 Bill

PS: No the stock tube is not the Siemens