Regarding Opamp rolling the EE Minimax DAC Plus; NOTE: I have been in contact with Morningstar Audio about the opamps used for the Plus version; It is not acceptable to simply use any of the opamps which worked for the original version.

I mentioned the LME49990 but this opamp is not suitable for the Plus version of the Minimax DAC. I am seeking a listing of appropriate Opamps for the Plus version and will post it when it is available.

douglas_schroeder December 23, 2011 17:12

To keep current I should list that I have Opamp rolled the EE Minimax DAC Plus. I used one of the "finalist" sets of Opamps from when I rolled the original unit for the Audio Blast article on the same subject.

By Opamp rolling the same fantastic - and I DO mean fantastic - results were obtained as with the original unit. I think this may be the most profound economical upgrade/tweak I've ever encountered. To my ear the benefit is more than what is achieved with treating CDs or tube rolling, and as powerful as swapping an entire suite of cables. That is an incredible boost for under $100(and in some cases well under $100)!

It seems the circuit board layout of the Plus version is similar to the original, at least in respect to the Opamps. It appears the doubles can still be put in U1/U2 sockets and the singles in U6/U7 sockets. I am using the dual 8620's in the U1/U2 positions and the single 827's in the U6/U7 positions. A gentleman with moniker "Gianc" here at the Gon has used dual OPA2604 for U1/U2 and the AD797 singles for U6/U7. Frankly, it might even be better. It would be interesting to try the dual and single LME49990's at their respective positions. This is truly a tweaker's dream! None of the vaugeness which goes on so many times with ineffective changes.

Finally, I am running the unit currently without any tube in it! Obviously, SS output is mandatory. I think if I were forced to return to the digital sound I had two years ago I would likely be frustrated as it was far less refined.

douglas_schroeder December 21, 2011 04:12

System edited: I have updated the component listing to reflect the replacement of the EE Minimax DAC with the updated Minimax DAC Plus. The new model represents a sea change in quality and is worthy of use with extremely high end rigs. I unreservedly recommend the upgrade from the first model. Since my Audio Blast article on Dagogo.com I have discovered that when used with the tube output on systems using active crossovers there may be introduced more tube distortion than desired. With the Legacy Whisper DSW speaker system in active X-over mode far more clarity and precision is experienced when using SS output. With most speakers (with passive x-over) I have been using the Tube output with the Siemens silver plate 12AU7, but when using the DAC with active x-over I find SS output superior.

douglas_schroeder November 10, 2011 03:04

Kiwi, nice of you to respond to my ruminations. Your thoughts confirm my experiences regarding ownership of multiple speakers.

Concerning the causes of the surprise/enjoyment of switching around speakers I tend to think that listening level differences and "time delay" between setup of the different speaker would not come into play significantly. The changes to me seem far too extreme to credit those effects.

The factor which i think may play into it is the third one you mention - bias. That I believe describes the similar phenomenon I have discussed, the expectation that the new speaker will somehow characterize the one just moved out of the way. It's like we get our acoustic memory set and when something changes too radically it rebels temporarily until it has time to accept the new acoustic paradigm.

What's interesting is that with enough time the newness wears off and it becomes "normal" to our ears. It's only when the other product enters the scene again that we remember just how radically different it is. After you've been through it a few times it's not so much shock as admiration.

Got to get to bed; get up at 5 a.m. to play basketball tomorrow!

douglas_schroeder September 02, 2011 03:01

One interesting side effect is that I seem to be in love with whichever speaker is running. After I've re-familiarized myself to it, I think, it's the better of the two. Then I switch back to the one which has been sitting idle and shortly thereafter think the exact same thought. I take this as a sign that I have speakers complementary to my ears and how I perceive music should naturally sound.

Greetings Doug - I feel the above is an interesting an important observation and worth further exploration. I understand where you are coming from and ponder whether it is due to any of the following?

1) Level differences
2) Time delay (we can only remember differences for short periods)
3) Bias. We expect it to sound different or a certain way i.e. ESL has wonderful resolution; Magnetic speaker has wonderful bass etc.

Like you I have some vastly different speakers at home, Electrostatics, Magnetic with Ribbon, all cones etc and I find each to have a strength and weakness. One observation I'd make is that we'd like to think that we can suppress the weaknesses but then one day we play the speaker for which that weakness is a strength and suddenly that speaker becomes flavor of the moment! Just some rambling thoughts.

kiwi_1282001 September 01, 2011 01:10

I neglected to mention that revisiting the positioning of the speakers was not a result of attempting to fix a perceived problem, but rather due to the sharing of experiences and preferences of different audiophiles. This is one good side effect of inviting others to hear one's rig; you get a fresh take on what the system is doing and how others perceive it.

Some of the best advances in my personal journey of audiophilia have been as a result of comments and insights that others have shared, which have opened up my thinking to see/hear things afresh. Even persons who seem to hear things quite differently and set up their rigs in a fashion which seems inscrutable can have some keen insights which can be beneficial. :)

douglas_schroeder July 28, 2011 15:33

I have had some interesting experiences recently in regards to assessment of my system's depth of soundstage. Consequently, I have repositioned the speakers with less toe in to achieve a more shallow soundstage.

I typically have spent quite a bit of time developing a very focused center image, even though that image has resided several feet deeper than some of the L/R channel information. I have chosen that in preference to losing some of the crispness of the center image by toeing outward or running speakers absolutely parallel to the head wall.

Recently I have had some musicians and professionals from the industry in who have tended to sit much closer, more near field, than I typically do. As I have discussed this with them they have stated that the imaging means much less to them than the tonality and dynamics. One drummer moved quite close to the Kingsound King spekaers such that he was trying to get the "immersive" feel of being within the band, just like when he was drumming.

All of this discussion caused me to open myself up again to the possibility of repositioning the speakers. After weeks of experimenting, they have been moved, all of about 1.5", keeping the outer leg stationary and swinging the inside edge of the speaker toward the listening position. This is a fair bit in terms of what it does to the soundstage and phantom image; when rigs get fine tuned every inch becomes a mile. The system has lost a hair of precision in the center but has gained a lot in terms of moving the performer(s) in the center closer and thickening them up a bit. The bass has not suffered much from this, even though the bass drivers are now directed slightly away from my respective L/R ears. Again, I hear a bit less definition but not enough to cause abandonment of the positioning. There is no "right" or "wrong" in this, just preference. The input of industry professionals and musicians have changed my preference slightly.

However, I do not agree with the viewpoint that imaging is nothing, that the only thing that really counts is tonality. I still demand a highly focused image and would not be happy at all if I sensed the soundstage was getting sloppy. My compromise to move the phantom image closer by turning out the speakers a bit more only goes so far. The changes are not sweeping, but I am finding the repositioning to be positive at this point.

Over time I have had occasion to make another observation relating to perceived "break in" and my adjusting to the sound of components/speakers/cables. As I continuously work with these two radically different speaker systems, both of which I am quite familiar now, I still find that it takes a few days to readjust to the sound when I switch between them. Initially the sound is quite poor/alien to my ears, as I've been accustomed to the other technology. But as I'm immersed more in the listening the perception of the sound changes dramatically. The first time or two I swapped out the speakers was shocked and worried over what I perceived to be terrible sound. But after two days or so my mind/ears adapted to the different technology and character of the speakers. Within a week I was thinking, "This is fantastic sounding!" What's amazing is that given the time to adapt both speakers sound incredibly natural. They both have intrinsic qualities which capture the essence of live music.

Even after switching out the speakers several times and being aware of it I still go through this cycle, which reinforces for me the belief that it is not so much component break in but my ears adapting to the sound, familiarizing myself with it that changes over time. I no longer have worry over the quality/nature of the sound of each speaker; I know very well what they are capable of. Yet, still, my ears have to sync again with how radically different the sound is whenever I switch. But, again, within a week I'm back to euphoria again.

One interesting side effect is that I seem to be in love with whichever speaker is running. After I've re-familiarized myself to it, I think, it's the better of the two. Then I switch back to the one which has been sitting idle and shortly thereafter think the exact same thought. I take this as a sign that I have speakers complementary to my ears and how I perceive music should naturally sound.

It would be interesting to hear from others whether they have similar experiences when using multiple pairs of speakers.

douglas_schroeder July 28, 2011 15:23

The Clarity Cable digital is the best I have used.

douglas_schroeder May 11, 2011 22:57

Is the CC digital cable in the same league as the MIT Ma-X?

glory May 11, 2011 01:22

A noteworthy improvement in sound which is invisible, I rolled Opamps in the Eastern Electric Minimax DAC. I was quite surprised by the powerful influence of these devices; they improved the sound quality of the system by an order of magnitude commensurate with that of a component change (See my Audio Blast articles on the EE DAC and Opamp rolling).

The Minimax (reviewed) has gone in my mind from being a great bargain component to being a fantastic component regardless of price. I would not hesitate to recommend an Opamp enhanced Minimax to anyone with a rig under $100k.

Digital cable is critical to attain the maximum from the Mmax DAC. I have been using a new version of the Clarity Cable Organic Digital to much success (review on Clarity Organic/Vortex products forthcoming).

I urge anyone who owns an EE Minimax to do some form of Opamp rolling, as the unit can be taken to much greater heights of performance than the stock version.

I am increasingly finding it difficult to nitpick the system, whether using the Kingsound King or Legacy Whisper DSW speakers. It has taken a year or two of work to get to that point. Enthusiasts should know that building the ideal rig takes dogged determination and experimentation. The rewards are considerable.

Case in point, the Whisper DSW operating in active X-over mode with the Pathos Classic One MkIII integrateds has been highly rewarding. I am quite pleased with how the beauty of these amps becomes leveraged by active x-over. Likewise, the Cambridge Audio Azur 840W amp is much more powerful when used on the bass with an active X-over than on a traditional passive x-over inside a speaker. The ultra-clean nature of the Azur gains in terms of macrodynamics to yield very clean subwoofer-like bass.

The active x-over experiement/review and Opamp rolling the EE DAC has been a success; I'm elated I looked into these things.

I would very much like to hear how things go for others who have the Minimax DAC and will roll Opamps. I would be interested in which transports you are using as well as Digital cables (S/PDIF).

douglas_schroeder March 31, 2011 02:05

Brownsanandy, Nice to hear from you. Alas, no I do not have any Chapman speakers left. I was going to hang on to one pair of T-7's but several things conspired to let them go. They were in my third system and taking up a bit much of the family room - wife let me know that politely from time to time (I can do whatever I wish with my room, but the living room she has a lot of say about), I was working on putting funds toward the reference speakers in the listening room, and a guy I knew who had bought the wild looking Canary Zama speakers I had sold him blew them out completely by hooking up his power amp wrong after moving the system in the room. He was devastated and had no money to get a nice set of speakers again, so I gave him a good price on the T-7's. I just wasn't using that system; might listen to it about twice a year, so the Chapmans were just being unused. Now he's enjoying them, doing a lot of HT.

You're going to have a hard time finding Chapman speakers used. Everyone knows how good they are, so they are snapped up in a hurry. Another option from a slightly different angle is the Eminent Technology LFT-8A or 8B. It's a very good value used and has quite respectable sound, given its physical limitations, i.e. 8" bass driver. I happened across a pair of LFT-6 speakers a few years ago and put a couple of HSU subs with them for a great result in a secondary rig.

douglas_schroeder March 08, 2011 21:58

Doug, do you still have your t-7 speakers or have they been replaced. I have been looking for almost 4 years to replace the set that was damaged with little success.

brownsanandy March 07, 2011 21:57

There has been a great deal of experimentation and informal testing going on in my system lately. Some pretty radical and surprising changes/improvements to system performance have been taking place. I am working toward the end of the evaluation phase and will be writing up the results for the world to see. The past few weeks have been quite an adventure, one of the more fascinating periods in audiophilia in terms of learning and experimenting with gear.

douglas_schroeder February 07, 2011 05:51

Cbd0815, that's terrific! If you do not have the time/desire to conduct the remodel yourself, then you are wise to have pros with experience in HT/Sound rooms doing it. I hope it turns out exactly as you wish.

If the room is done well you can have some fairly large speakers running without problems. The Whisper DSW sounds tremendous in my room. I'm very happy I have not let convention dictate what size speaker I use. The room is direclty involved in that freedom to move to a bigger speaker.

douglas_schroeder January 02, 2011 04:20

Yes I am Doug. I'm planning on converting a spare bedroom that is 13 x 16 x 10. I'm thinking about having the Rives guys take on the design work.

cbd0815 January 02, 2011 00:06

Starting the year out right with a good workout this morning at 7 a.m. and an upgrade! The workout was much more onerous than the upgrade.

The upgrade consisted of popping in four new Opamps into the Eastern Electric Minimax DAC; total cost under $20. Painful, huh? The result was an expansion of soundstage and far better clarity than the stock Opamps provided; a huge benefit for nearly no cost. I am unimpressed by a great number of tweaks, as they give marginal benefit. This, however, is what I call a good tweak which easily passes my Law of Efficacy! The result was experientially like moving from mid-hall listening to an orchestra to being near the front row. There is a tremendous improvement in palpability of the event and is much more involving.

I will have more to say about Opamp rolling soon, including my directions for this tweak for those with the EE DAC (which I reviewed on Dagogo.com).

douglas_schroeder January 01, 2011 15:49

Cbd0815, no problem; the dimensions are 13'x23'x7.5', which makes it intimate, but not tiny. Earlier in this thread I shared about some of my construction techniques.

Were you perhaps considering building a dedicated room?

douglas_schroeder December 17, 2010 17:35

Doug - sorry if I missed this in an erlier post but what are the dimensions of your room? Thanks!

cbd0815 December 17, 2010 00:24

System edited: I have determined that the proper time has come to move into the "All Out Assault" category. In the past I have reserved myself from doing so, though I have been nearly maniacal over audio for decades, designed and built my dedicated audio room years ago and have undergone numerous upgrades in the meantime. The latest development is quite exciting, a new reference dynamic hybrid speaker; this is the first of its kind in the world - the Legacy Audio Whisper DSW! It was a concept speaker I discussed with Legacy Audio, which they built and is available as an option for the Whisper speaker. I have been impatiently waiting to reveal it to all. A fresh off the press review (at least part I of three) resides at Dagogo.com for your entertainment and enlightenment. For fun, take a look at the wiring configuration of the picture of the Pathos amps! It looks to be a mess, but it is quite correct and is due to the unique nature of the speaker. The past several months refining the performance of the DSW has been pure pleasure, some of the grandest times in audio I have experienced. A couple years ago I gave up. I simply quit chasing "the one", the one speaker which supposedly was the Holy Grail, the one speaker which would forever satisfy. Due to the advancement of technology and my enless need to hear new sound, I realized that for me it does not exist. I am far more satisfied with a beautiful expression of a wider variety of sound than can be had from just one speaker. Thus, I pursued what I feel are two beautiful expressions - speakers - of those technologies I prefer. I have been quite pleased with that decision. My assault on the summit of satisfaction has gone quite well! Thank you for sharing in this by reading about these blessings.

douglas_schroeder November 13, 2010 03:23

Excellent....looking forward to it!

zephyr24069 August 24, 2010 15:23

Zephyr, the Focus SE is a very good speaker. I'm looking forward to posting new pics; my son got a new camera, and when my current articles are done I'll post new system update pics.

douglas_schroeder August 24, 2010 02:05

I look forward to when you can disclose more on your current project. Hope that you are doing well! Still enjoying the Focus SEs?

zephyr24069 August 23, 2010 21:06

I've been working with 32 bit processing lately. Can't say too much about it now, but I urge those who cannot get enough of the detail, clarity, openness etc. to look into it. It's astounding with the Kingsound King. 32 bit can get you closer to SOTA sound in a hurry. BIG :)

Haven't tried the 32 bit yet with the dynamic speakers, but I anticipate seriously great improvements. Way, WAY beyond slight improvement. I am going to spend a lot of time exploring this!

douglas_schroeder August 23, 2010 13:37

On a different note, Pettyfeversk's system entitled "Forever Done, Never Done" was just upgraded with the Ayon CD-5. He and I talked quite a bit via phone about his moving from the CD-2 to the CD-5. He had a lot of concern that the upgrade would be worth it. I think he's elated, and he is running the player direct to recently acquired Pass Labs amp. We had quite the time discussing influences of various cabling schemes.

I'm amazed on a weekly basis how important/effective different cabling is in the establishment of superior rigs. I have come to learn through the years that one simply cannot claim to have established their best rig if they have not worked seriously with the cabling. It has paid handsome benefits over time. Getting the cabling "right" is every bit as critical as selecting the proper components or speakers.

Also, I'm working with some new amps which are escalating the performance of the King speakers to much greater heights. Full story in due time. :)

douglas_schroeder May 19, 2010 14:33

Doug: Always great to hear from you! I've noticed similar things for alot of the material I listen to with the Focus SEs. The new cabinets and drivers definitely deliver on this...have a great week!

zephyr24069 May 19, 2010 10:23