Maverick Audio D1 DAC/Pre-amp

Im sure they didnt develop the IC itself, thats what im curious about. If you could take some detailed pics of the inside that would be awesome. Just curious on whats in it. Might need to start a thread on whats in what.....

Im working on remote volume for something else im working on if I get it working reliably ill let you know.

imagen154w.jpg


Is a Xiang-sheng similar to the maverick
 
From what I have read the Xiang-Sheng and the maverick and the grant and the pacific audio are one in the same. It seems they scratched out the IC info on all them of. Also from what i read they were made in the same place so im sure its just one person licensing to others for sale.

I dont know for 100% but..
 
From what I have read the Xiang-Sheng and the maverick and the grant and the pacific audio are one in the same. It seems they scratched out the IC info on all them of. Also from what i read they were made in the same place so im sure its just one person licensing to others for sale.

I dont know for 100% but..

Rachel of Grant Fidelity addressed the issue as follows - Note English isn't her first language

"I would like to contribute some facts on the various version of the Grant Fidelity TubeDAC-09 and some discussion raised around it. Hopefully it will help confused readers to get closer to the truth rather than guessing:

1) Maverick Audio is based out of Shanghai, China and is run by an individual. Maverick DAC is designed and manufactured by Xiangsheng out of China.
2) Grant Fidelity TubeDAC-09 is also manufactured by Xiangsheng - we choose to distribute under Grant Fidelity brand as Xiangsheng is not a common English word for branding. Xiangsheng is following our quality control request in fulfill Grant Fidelity DAC orders.
3) Grant Fidelity and Xiangsheng has reached agreement to be the sole distributor of Xiangsheng DAC product in Canada and USA.
4) Maverick Audio has sold their existing stock DAC back to Xiangsheng and those stock will be re-printed for Grant Fidelity. Maverick Audio will no longer sell the DAC product to North America nor other international market after November.
5) Grant Fidelity's coming DAC shipment will have both silver and black faceplate for customers to choose from.
6) Grant Fidelity TubeDAC-09 MSRP US$390 is priced with consideration to allow audio retail stores to carry the product and allow consumers to 'touch, see and listen' to the product in-store before making a purchase
7) Before retail network is set up for the Grant Fidelity TubeDAC-09, it will be on special price of $300 including free shipping in Canada and continuous USA - this will benefit internet shoppers who do not request a must-have audition before making purchase
8.) Xiangsheng has confirmed to Grant Fidelity that Pacific Valve doesn't have any Xiangsheng DAC product in stock. Xiangsheng has never sold any DAC product to Pacific Valve and will not recognize Pacific Valve's sale as authorized resale so no manufacturer warranty will be provided.
9) Many eBay sellers (out of China or Hong Kong) list a product for sale but has no stock of the product at all. Be aware of low priced eBay listings out of China or Hong Kong. When they get a sale on eBay, they will purchase one on Chinese market to fulfill the order. This practice is against eBay policy but still prevail in Asia. If the seller cannot spot a unit upon receiving a buyer's money, there is high chance that a buyer will be left without delivery for a long time. Grant Fidelity recently received a customer's email about an eBay seller with 100% positive feedback scammed him $700 on a Grant Fidelity brand tube amp (retail for $1900) but never deliver and disappeared off eBay. Be cautious when purchasing from sellers in Asia - 100% feedback doesn't mean it's a safe transaction all the time.

Grant Fidelity will continue service Canadian and USA customers with high quality products along with top level service.

If you have further questions on the Grant Fidelity TubeDAC-09, please feel free to contact us through http://www.grantfidelity.com or call us at our toll free number. We will be more than happy to help you with any questions you may have related to our product.

Thank you.
Rachel - Grant Fidelity
 
4) Maverick Audio has sold their existing stock DAC back to Xiangsheng and those stock will be re-printed for Grant Fidelity. Maverick Audio will no longer sell the DAC product to North America nor other international market after November.

This statement is true. They are now producing and selling the D1 (the one I have). It is differnt from the GF/XS/MAV clone. I can't take a picture of it at the moment, but will be rolling tubes this weekend and will take a pic of it then. Ryan (Maverick owner) has posted about this on the Head-Fi site. Cheers.
 
4) Maverick Audio has sold their existing stock DAC back to Xiangsheng and those stock will be re-printed for Grant Fidelity. Maverick Audio will no longer sell the DAC product to North America nor other international market after November.

This statement is true. They are now producing and selling the D1 (the one I have). It is differnt from the GF/XS/MAV clone. I can't take a picture of it at the moment, but will be rolling tubes this weekend and will take a pic of it then. Ryan (Maverick owner) has posted about this on the Head-Fi site. Cheers.

I also recently purchased the D1 w/ 1057 tube. The more I use it the better it gets. + it is very versitle
 
I also recently purchased the D1 w/ 1057 tube. The more I use it the better it gets. + it is very versitle

Yep, mine is sounded quite nice after 50 hrs or so. I have the 5670 tube. I wonder if the 1057 tube is the same thing.
 
1057 is a tetrode, XS or Maverick only use double triode

2C51
5670
Western Electric 396A
ECC42
6385
6N3P
 
I see Maverick Audio is now selling on the Bay for a couple hundred plus shipping. I am curious to hear the results of your comparison as I am thinking of buying one myself.
 
I think its $10 less on their website. DAC is the missing piece of the puzzle for me. I ordered one and waiting to see if this is it.
 
[QUOTE = djnagle; 3395142] Yep, so am I. This coming Saturday we are holding a SMAC meeting and we will A/B the D1 with the DacMagic. I'll report back. [/ QUOTE]

Hi djnagle,

How was the test with the maverick dac?
 
Last edited:
Thought it sounded pretty good...

http://audiokarma.org/forums/showpost.php?p=3416958&postcount=3

It did sound a bit harsh and screechy on a couple Linda Ronstadt tracks I played (Hummin' to Myself, "Never I Will Marry"), but that was with the preamp in the circuit. I didn't bring the CD with me, just the .wav files I burned onto my netbook, so we didn't know if the recording was at fault or the gear. That is why we went the burn and play route.
 
Last edited:
Andy, I don't think the D1 was a good match for Jerry's spud amp either. For some reason that combo sounded nasty. It sounded much better with Ashok's amp though. To bad we did not get a chance to put it in A/B with the Dac Magic that was there.
 
Well the interesting thing I noted was that the sound from the computer files and the source CD were quite comparable, one through the Maverick DAC and the other through the Dynaco tube CD, and that helps me validate it as a viable option for computer playback.
I'm not buying or not based upon Saturday's results, but I am optimistic about the process.
 
Hey everyone, I know this thread has been dormant for 4 months...but I'm seriously considering picking one of these up to use as a dac and a tube preamp into my Phase Linear 400 (and maybe running and phono preamp into the Maverick as well).

Any further thoughts on this unit, after living with it for a while? I'm also considering a factory-refurbished Peachtree Decco.

Thanks, Matt
 
I can't make any comparisons to other DACs for you. Mine has been running 24/7 - I turn the volume down at night. Works great. Music is very clear. PC to DAC via USB. CD player to DAC via optical. When I flip back and forth between CD and PC with same track I can't tell the difference. Not sure if that means anything. For the price its a no brainer if you want tube DAC.

I do wonder about DAC to integrated amp (SA-9800) going from tube to SS. If this sorta defeats the purpose - tube sound into SS and therefore now SS sound. I suppose the tube sound is maintained.

Anyway it is a nice way to connect external devices to system - no problems and I am happy with it.
 
Hi guys,

Please note Maverick Audio has moved to a new site which is mav-audio.com.
The old domain is no longer in use due to domain name theft.
 
Well first I want to thank AK members who bought some of my equipment that I sold on Bartertown (if not an AK subscriber, need to become one just for this "extra") to help finance the purchase of my first external DAC - the Maverick D1 with the upgraded GE tube.

I ordered mine on Thu 1/13/11 and got it from Shanghai, China on Wed 1/19/11 (less than a week!!!). It was packaged very well and the device seems to be built very well and has a very nice metal chassis.

Hooked it up last night (Thu 1/13) and played some songs from my WDTV from it's optical output and played out through the tube pre-amp. Compared to the WDTV (which I know has crappy DAC inside it) the songs sound "fuller" and more detailed. I played some 16 bit / 44khz FLAC files, BUT what I really wanted to here was some higher bitrate FLAC files. I played some 24/96 files that I had from HDTracks and some from SACDs and WOW!!! these sounded really much better. The soundstage opened up both across the stage and the depth of the stage and the finer details were very noticeable. I have some Steely Dan on 24/96 and I thought their songs sound very, very good. I also played some 24/44 Beatles songs and the voices sounded noticeably better and more realistic and not so "shrouded". I can't wait to let this thing "burn in" (have it playing non-stop for the next 50 or so hours).

I tried out the headphone amp with a pair of Sennheiser HD280 Pro headphones and compared to my Yamaha integrated amp headphone output the Maverick is a GIANT step up. I occasionally listen to these headphones and really like them especially the bass they produce and with the Maverick the details are jaw-dropping (know I know why people buy good headphones and amps). At lower volumes the music sounds great and I could hear a lot of detail and I am looking to use my "cans" a lot more with the Maverick :music:

P.S. One thing very evident is the extended bass coming out from the songs. This is a very good thing because my speakers aren't really noted for their bass output.

I am playing the DAC in direct mode and have the tube-preamp going into my Yamaha A-960II integrated amp tape input and playing some stacked vintage EPI 100 (on top, upside down) and KLH 33 speakers (on bottom, 8 inches off the floor). So far it has been worth the $234, but I am feeling as the DAC and tube burns in it will only get better.

I will be experimenting with different amps (SS and tube) and with some different speakers (full rangers and two-ways). I will try and provide feedback. Wondering what setup with the Maverick will provide the best synergy and thus best sound with the equipment I have :scratch2:
 
Hey Green. Glad you are digging your D1. If you go to Head-fi.com (I think that is it) there is a very long thread about the D1 and the guy running that thread also started a D1 FAQ thread. You can change chips in minutes and they don't cost much. The change in sound is supose to me a leap forward. Also, roll some differnt tubes and that makes a big diff as well.
 
Back
Top Bottom