I've got nothing useful but wanted to say hi Indra and welcome back! Hope we see you around some more. Cheers!

I can't say much about DAC's in general. But as an owner of Magnepan 1.7i speakers, I will say that Maggies will be very sensitive & revealing to changes in your audio chain. I assume the Mini-Maggies are similar. So, I suggest having a somewhat clear idea of what improvments you are looking for if changing any individual piece, and being able to compare a few different new samples, returning what doesn't fit into your overall desired sound signature.

For example, I went from a quite revealing, all solid-state chain (DAC/Pre->Stereo Amp & cables), to a more pleasing, warmer amplification section (warm class-D Amp monoblocks->Tube Pre-amp), but keeping my slightly more analytical DAC. Substituting a warmer DAC was too much of a good thing & didn't balance quite right to my ears with the warmer upstream components. Bringing back in my original DAC balanced things out better.

As always, trust your own ears.

Edited November 20, 20232 yr by jpelg

Hi guys! Thanks for the replies and kind welcome backs 🙂

Good point @jpelg . I think the Maggies need a bit more juice so a more powerful amp would be a future thing. But it's now mostly a matter of changing the source due to compatibilty issues. The Macbook is seriously outdated and I would prefer not to use a laptop anymore. A mac-mini would mean that I'd have to go the route of a USB-dac again. A streamer with a proper dac would also be an option but I don't know where to look. Or at least a streamer with a dac on par with the Duet and with the ability to bypass the internal one and add a more proper one down the line.

I am very much in love with these Maggies though. I heard the 1.7 at a friend's place..that just blew me away. Never heard electrostats in speaker shape before.

I don't have any experience with anything newer than the apogee element, but I'd be surprised if the quality of their conversion has gone downhill as technology improves.  I know they make the Boom for $250 which seems to be a step up from the old duets for windows, Mac, and IOS with usb c.  

On 8/27/2021 at 9:32 PM, screaming oranges said:

This is exactly what I need right now. Minimal as you can get. Haven't sold anything yet and I'm already looking into getting that thing. Geez...

How do you like it? Seems like a proper way to go. Would be what I need actually..

Are there any docks for the Mac-mini that have a lightning port to which your existing DAC can plug into (as a stop-gap, anyway)?

17 minutes ago, jpelg said:

Are there any docks for the Mac-mini that have a lightning port to which your existing DAC can plug into (as a stop-gap, anyway)?

The duet is firewire, so you'd just nee the the thunderbolt to firewire adapter, and the thunderbolt to thunderbolt 3/4 adapter.  I have all the parts, I should validate that it works with current revisions of macOS 

Quick update: purchased a Matrix Audio Mini-i pro 3 via Ebay for 400€. Good bang for the buck I suppose and option to upgrade the dac in de future. 

On 11/19/2023 at 4:40 PM, Pars said:

People tell me that SPDIF still sounds better than USB

I've read similar in the interwebs. Is this "audiophilia nervosa", or based at all in reality? Anyone have experience comparing direct-USB connections to converted-USB to SPDIF for DAC's that have both inputs?

https://www.acousta.at/?lang=en

 

this looks interesting 

I primarily listen to classical and jazz and  recently purchased a Blue Tack modified pair of Stax SR007A's. I  have a KGST amplifier on the way to drive them. My old SRM-1/Mk-2 is doing duty until the new amplifier arrives. I'm considering upgrading my front end. I have Brennan B2's upstairs and down feeding an Mhdt Havana, and an Orchid and an Orchid SE. Will the Soekris 2541 or Denafrips Ares 15 or Pontus 15 provide a significant improvement? Has anyone heard all these options? Thanks.

Hi first post in a while, I do highly recommend the OKTO Dac 8 stereo. It's a bit nerdy but sounds way better than the asking price and has held off my GAS for a new dac for nearly 2 years. Downsides, balanced output only and firmware upgrades via windows only (I believe). Bought it new with the ropee card installed for Roon output. I occasionally think about an upgraded endpoint but the consensus is the installed card is just as good as the usual $2k endpoint suspects 

Having started with an Mhdt Havana and progressed to and Orchid and then Orchid SE I was advised to look to check out higher resolution in light on upping my game with  higher level Stax ear speakers and a Mjolnir KGST amp. I picked up a Denafrips Pontus 15  and there was possibly some improvement but no clear winner. Then I splurged and picked up a LTA Aero DAC. Not thinking of the money as I listen.  I have them set up for switching and easy comparison and it's night and day. I briefly listen to the others and always go back to Aero. Very pleased. 

I had all the dacs you mentioned. Soekris has the most character of all of them and I suspect it pairs very well with the more ethereal stax sound. Its a bit dark sounding dac (very dark background) more closed soundstage and "sweet" sound, but not the most airy. Denafrip is more airy and still warm, but more refined kind of sound  but still soft which I call noodle sound.

Edited December 26, 2025Dec 26 by Spychedelic Whale

But does it HDCD?

Finally, a more objective analysis of Pacific Microsonics' technology:
 

 

Here are a couple of posts in Audio Asylum from the late Mr. Charles Hansen (founder of Avalon speakers and later Ayre electronics) where he illustrated the history and inner working of HDCD. There are many more related posts you can find in Audio Asylum. I found them both educational and very interesting read.

https://www.audioasylum.com/audio/digital/messages/18/184385.html

https://db.audioasylum.com/mhtml/m.html?forum=digital&n=184436&highlight=HDCD+pacific+charles+hansen&search_url=%2Fcgi%2Fsearch.mpl%3Fsearchtext%3DHDCD%26b%3DAND%26topic%3D%26topics_only%3DN%26author%3Dcharles%2Bhansen%26date1%3D%26date2%3D%26slowmessage%3D%26sort%3Dscore%26sortOrder%3DDESC%26forum%3DALL