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Eastern Electric MiniMax DAC Modifiation Level1
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Manufacturer:
N/A
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EMMDAC1
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Price: $900.00
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The Eastern Electric DAC offers great sound for the dollar. We go inside and upgrade most of the passives parts, some of the active ones and completely redesign the tube output section. This will give greater dynamics, lower noise floor and more of a sense that the musicians are in the room with you.
We remove and upgrade 30 capacitors, 12 diodes and 7 resistors. In addition we install 30 more capacitors as supplemental or by-pass. We also install two new circuit boards for cascaded current sources for the tube output section.
We can offer a few custom options in regards to input and output connectors, use of the volume control and switch and tube socket. Please contact us for more details.
Please note that this mod does void the warranty from Eastern Electric. If anything does go wrong with the DAC we are willing to work with you to get it repaired. We will warranty our work for a period of one year.
We do not stock modded DACs. BOLDER CABLE DOES NOT SELL ANY EASTERN ELECTRIC PRODUCTS.
The Eastern Electric MiniMax DAC has been discontinued. You might be able to find one used. We do not supply the DAC.
The price is for the MOD ONLY.
Mods can take 3-8 weeks depending on out backlog. It can be less, it can be more.
This is the best sounding unit I have ever heard using a modded SqueezeBox Touch as a front end.
Here are some comments from people who have heard the modded DAC:
Ted B:
I mention this because I just finished listening to two DACs that are based on the very resolving ESS SABRE 9018 chipset (plus I own the Oppo BDP-83 SE player), and I am realizing that this chipset is so incredibly detail-oriented that on first listen I am overwhelmed by the microdetail and view into the recording…but for one of the DACs (Wyred4Sound DAC1) it was not enough to overcome the dryness that ensued. I know many folks, including the AC friend who let me borrow it, are huge fans of this DAC, and I understand their enthusiasm. In a less analytical system it would be the perfect yang, but in mine it became a 1080P high definition black and white picture….you could see all the whiskers, but not the skin tone. The rest of my system bleached it out a bit.
During the first two days of my Bolder EE DAC listening I was afraid I had stumbled onto an allergic reaction to the SABRE chip, being that this iteration was supposed to be more colorful and organic, given the tube and analog work. Sure, the tube stage did add some hues and some nice mellowness to the SABRE hidef image, but it did so with a brittle leading edge and a congestion in complex music. I even sent Wayne an email stating such……I was quite disappointed because my Weiss replacement needs to have enough wetness and tonality that I could continue to use the other ingredients in the recipe. On day three I went to bed ready to write a soft Dear John letter kind of review when I thought of something…..I have had very remarkable experiences with aftermarket upgraded fuses, mostly Furutech, and during these experiences have come to realize (but not understand fully) that fuse orientation can make a big difference. We’ve already discussed it here, but I misremembered! 
The Wayne-labeled fuse was oriented in the Wayne and Mark (carusoracer) preferred position, i.e pointed out to the edge of the case. I turned it around, pointing now to the inputs/outputs area, an orientation that Gopher preferred on his stock DAC. Fred (gopher) you are a frickin’ genius (just kidding, this orientation can have everything to do with one’s ac polarity, etc and is clearly system dependent). The leading edges cleared up immediately (after some non-listening warm up of course) and the congestion that seemed to be quite evident on nasty complex passages got quite a bit better. All the nice detail (maybe a few percent less than the Wyred) and yet a perfect smidgen of warmth, organic texturing and tonality that made a Martin not sound like a Taylor. And since gopher is next on the list, but is buried till Christmas….I will continue to enjoy this DAC for what it is….an incredible deal at way less than $2k (and if the stock one is 90% of this, a steal at $750)..and a perfect companion in a system that, like mine, needs a little lovin’ from a nice curvy figure.  If your system already has all the curves it needs, and would like an infusion of master tape-to-digital directness, then the more $$ and significantly more direct Wyred4Sound DAC is your candidate.
By the way, I will hop on the bandwagon and reiterate what others have said about the choice of the PSVane 12AU7. I tried tube rolling with my way more expensive Amperex d-getter long plate, a tube loved by preamps like the Concert Fidelity and Audio Valve Eklipse…..it was somewhat lifeless here. The stock tube was also not anything to write home about either, but the PSVane is a perfect blend of dynamics and image density.
I tried the DAC in ss mode, as well (since Wayne did some mods that affect the ss signal path too) but found that it was not to my liking nearly as much as the tube stage. The gain is lower, but after compensating, the soundstage depth withdrew a bit and the dynamics actually seemed ever so slightly diminished; I felt no real advantages (except the cost of a tube). It’s now been 5 days since I last listened to the Wyred, so a direct a/b between the Wyred and the modded ss option (not really listened to until last night) is less authentic in my mind.
In summary, this modded DAC is a real value in the “under $2k DACs” and is a nice option for those of us who need a little glowing glass warmth in our lives.
Gopher:
Alright, so this sucker was on all day while I was in the office and when I got in, fired up the rest of my rig and actually sat down to listen my jaw dropped. This thing had a good first impression on me, but things are just sounding really damn good today.
Leading edge/attacks are damn good and excitement is there in full force, but I need to A/B to really get a feel there as the stock dac is not a slouch in that department. Today what I'm hearing is depth, definition wonderful staging and an uber natural tone. Liquid, bold and beautiful--this thing really jumps up a notch.
Yowser--this thing warmed up/stablized really is damn good... I liked it yesterday, but today I'm fearing for my coin purse.
The quality of this modified DAC has continued to impress me deeply. I was content with the stock EE DAC, but the Level 1 modifications really do raise the bar appreciably. The inherent musicality of the DAC is still intact but there is just a lot more information being presented... Enough that I'm questioning the true value of my ~$13k analog setup... Enough that I'm in purchase talks with Wayne for mods to my own DAC.
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