I listened to the Maverick for approx 1 1/2 weeks via the Audiocircle tour recently, and although my cd player is a decrepid POS the rest of my set up isn't too shabby. As a linestage the Maverick is so-so but I found the dac to be pretty good with a noticeable improvement in most areas, especially running it through my Tad-150 I'm surprised you haven't noted any type of improvement with the Maverick, most people that have listened to it have been quite impressed with it especially at it's price point. Have you tried bypassing the Maverick's pre section and running it through the Audible Illusion?
Please recommend for my next upgrade
My upgrade bug bites me again, although I ok with my current system. My current system consist of:
B&W CDM9NT
Rotel RB 1080 power amp
Audible Illusions L1 preamp
Sony BDP350 Bluray player
Maverick Audio TubeMagic DAC
1 Volex 17604 power cord on power amp
Straight wire speaker cable
Other coaxial and RCA cables are just no name ordinary cables
Monster surge protector (not power conditioner)
I think my weakest links are:
Sony player
Maverick Audio DAC
no power conditioner
power cords
interconnects
I know everything plays a role, but given budget constraint of $500, what would you recommend to upgrade first that will give me biggest bang for the buck? I am thinking probably the player and DAC. Any recommendation?
B&W CDM9NT
Rotel RB 1080 power amp
Audible Illusions L1 preamp
Sony BDP350 Bluray player
Maverick Audio TubeMagic DAC
1 Volex 17604 power cord on power amp
Straight wire speaker cable
Other coaxial and RCA cables are just no name ordinary cables
Monster surge protector (not power conditioner)
I think my weakest links are:
Sony player
Maverick Audio DAC
no power conditioner
power cords
interconnects
I know everything plays a role, but given budget constraint of $500, what would you recommend to upgrade first that will give me biggest bang for the buck? I am thinking probably the player and DAC. Any recommendation?