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EE Minimax Plus DAC vs. Rega DAC

This comparison was done using a Cambridge Audio 840c CDP (as transport) and newest Mac Mini running Pure Music HD files. Cables were Cardas.
The system is my friends: Vandersteen 5a's fed by the ARC DSi integrated amp.

The Rega DAC has at least 300 hours on it now and was using a inexpensive Pangea power cord, which makes it sound a tad brighter than the stock cord. The EE Minimax Plus was 100% stock. The EE Minimax Plus belongs to my friend and has 150 hours on it (aprox).

Out of the Gate:
The Minimax sounded sweeter and a bit more refined (smoother) at the top end, loaded with detail, and yet not fatiguing at all. The Rega sounded flatter, neutral and a bit less engaging to us initially. On the other hand the Rega's midrange and overall image was excellent. The layered effect on classical tracks was better with the Rega and we continue to love it's overall coherent ability to create a soundstage across a wide soundfield. The Minimax Plus still exhibited a bit of thickness, (Easy to spot on male vocals on SE of Tumbleweed Connection or Lyle Lovett' I love Everybody), but it was not on the same distracting level as with the original Minimax. Still, this chesty quality was present much of time and it took some getting used to.

Extended Listening
Using the 840c: The Rega is dryer, neutral. At times we felt it was more accurate, but not always more fun. It sounds very analogue. The Minimax also sounded like analogue and added a sweetness to some old tracks when the Rega just let them all hang out. Fed with older recordings we preferred the Minimax much of the time. A perfect example was Bob Dylan CD's, which sounded a little harsh with the Rega. But when we put better recordings it was a closer race. My friend felt the Rega was creating a sense of realism missing from the Minimax Plus. His exact words: "The Rega makes a live recording sound live while the Minimax sweetens it out and it's just not the same." On the other hand I dug what the Minimax was doing with the highest frequencies. It seemed to have them under control, while the Rega just let them shine through too brightly. If the Minimax was forcing some sonic character at the high end I like it a lot anyway. Both DACs were SO CLOSE that we usually found ourselves having to check which one was on at times. The differences were very subtle overall.

Using the Mac Mini and some HD tracks was a whole new battle. The Mini is well configured with memory and most of the stuff in the BG turned off. Software is Pure Music. The Rega DAC was fed with the Musical Fidelity V-Link convertor since it's USB is limited to 16 bit files. This is a inexpensive convertor and it's far from the top pick. We also used it on the Minimax plus.
After listening with the CDP the Mac sounded as if it had a slight edge to the highest frequencies. At times we weren't sure, but we agreed it wasn't a negative, just different. The Mac produced a dead-quiet blackness between notes that made things sound a bit dark until we were used to it. The Rega and Minimax Plus seemed even more evenly matched as the pairing made the Minimax sound leaner in the midbass, which was something we were liking more and more about the Rega. The Rega still retained an edge in resolving the venue in live recordings, but the Minimax evened things up with it's superb sweet high end yet again. Listening to Eva Cassidy's live album we were both liking the Rega's presentation better. 20 minutes later we were listening to Anne Sophie Mutter (HD) and her playing was sweet beyond words with the Minimax besting the Rega on that recording. Oddly we preferred the Minimax with the tube switched out as we did with the first unit. Bass was better on the Minimax without the tube for us. Male vocals could sound "chesty" even congested on the Minimax Plus with the tube, less so in SS mode. The owner of the unit agreed that his previous audition of the unit agreed with what I was hearing, but said unit had been tube-rolled with some improvement. The Rega's bass was tight and a bit deeper than the Minimax, but we really thought the quality of bass was pretty much the same.

Image and Soundstage
The Rega seems to pursue this goal more than the other DACs we've heard. It really makes the speakers vanish (on SOME recordings). The Minimax tries to match this ability, but comes in short. For studio stuff it didn't matter a lot of the time. On live recordings the Rega had the edge.

Conclusion
It's hardly a fun answer, but....Pick one! I had a slight preference for the Minimax plus and my friend liked the Rega better. Maybe we were just being polite as it was a very even match-up. He likes a lot of live jazz and that's where we agreed the Rega was king. But I listen to some older rock with less than ideal recording efforts and the Minimax did something beautiful to those recordings. It also handled strings in a way that could make a grown man cry. The Rega created a "room" of music...it's ability to expose distances between instruments with precision was very impressive. The Minimax seemed to pursue musicality above accuracy. Perhaps the best way to put it is that the Minimax Plus was more forgiving in his system. If you're waiting for me to declare a winner....don't hold your breath! For my Merlin speakers I think the Rega was the right choice. The TSM's are speakers that expose midrange like few others and the Rega compliments that very well. Another item some folks would want to consider is that the Minimax Plus can be tried with other tubes, but I find the Rega's 5 filter settings of more value.
As I always say, be very suspicious of anyone claiming that the Rega, Minimax or W4S or even Dacmagic are far better than others in their ranges. The absolute truth is that these units are excellent and are not seriously dominated by DACs we've heard costing much more. If you hear these DACs in the same system back-to-back and have the ability to hear small nuances you'll soon learn that they all have strengths and weaknesses, but generally sound quite close. The DAC I liked the least (W4S 2) was still excellent and would be fine in my system. Of course that's not what we read shootouts for. We want a winner, but it's silly to think that everyone would hear what I heard in a different room with different gear. For what little it's worth I prefer the cosmetics of the Minimax Plus over the Rega. It has more of a high end look. As I plan to add the Rega Apollo R CPD/Transport, the Rega stack may even that score a bit. Owners of either unit may take exception to my comments, but I think we all know that either unit can be tweaked by settings, tubes, power cords and so on. The point here was to compare the units initial character. Bottom line: You cannot go wrong with either.

Cheers,

Rob
robbob
gianc
4 posts
 
When facing the front of the dac the opamps will have the lettering upside down to you. The lettering on the opamps will be facing the back of the dac. All references for now on will be assuming you are facing the front of the dac. Each opamp will have its designation to the right as U1 and U2 for the duals, U6 and U7 for the singles. There is a dimple on the opamps which matches up to the white outline printed on the circuit board on the right side of each opamp. When removing the stock opamps gently wiggle one side and then the other until it lifts out. There is a special tool for this but a needle nose pliers and a gentle hand works just as good. Another method is to use a wooden or plastic toothpick, just slide it under one side and gently lift up, and then do the same for the other side, it should come loose quite easily. The trick is to not lift one side too much which results in bending the legs. Just lift a little on one side and then the other going back and forth, it should lift out without distorting any of the legs. Before inserting the new opamps get a razor blade and gentle scrape the legs until you see bright shiny metal and take care not to transfer any oil or sweat from your hands on to the metal legs. You may need to pinch the legs so that they are not so far apart and line up with the sockets just right. Place the opamp onto the socket and check that all legs are lined up with the holes before pressing down. Just do a light press so that all the legs begin to engage into the sockets, now check all of them again before pressing down a second time only firmer now to fully insert the opamp. Now before plugging the dac back in and switching the dac on double check again, the lettering will be upside down and the dimples will be on the right side when viewed from the front.

So far I have only tried the OPA 2604 for the duals (U1, U2) and AD 797 for the singles (U6, U7). I believe U1 and U2 are in the circuit for both the tube and solid state. U6 and U7 is only for the solid state. I think you will be quite pleased with the results.

agisthos
506 posts
 
Stereomojo did a DAC shootout last year. The original Minimax, in SS mode, was preferred over it's tube mode by the blind listening panel, which suprised them all.
shakeydeal
979 posts
 

>Stereomojo did a DAC shootout last year. The original Minimax, in SS mode, was preferred over it's tube mode by the blind listening panel, which suprised them all.<

You are joking, no? I would rather trust Consumer Reports with a DAC shootout...

Shakey
schw06
88 posts
 
Do you think anyone would be daring enough to post a youtube video on how to change the opamps. I would love to do it but would definitely feel more comfortable actually seeing it.
douglas_schroeder
3,281 posts
 
Gianc, ah, very good; thanks for the timely response! The clear indications of location and numbering were precisely what I was looking for - thank you!

It sounds like you have some Opamps which have the legs splayed out a bit; yes, you have to settle them in carefully prior to applying the gentle pressure to seat them. It's good that the numbering has stayed the same between the Plus and the original unit; makes things less confusing.

As cheap as the opamp extraction tool is I strongly recommend it over toothpicks and pliers. Remember, the average person has some trepidation about this anyway, so stuffing crude tools into the unit is not recommended imo. I understand if you have experience and feel comfortable with it, but many would see that advice and perhaps shy away from the attempt. Others are more clumsy and might damage something with a larger tool. It's always best to use the right tool. Case in point, the socket for the opamp can be pulled/damaged if one latches onto it rather than the opamp base. It would be harder to ensure you have the opamp and not the base when pulling if you have a needle nose pliers. The extraction tool has a little bent end which is placed right under the opamp whereas the pliers are straight - a greater risk of pulling on the socket. This is just an observation for those without experience.

Interesting idea with the razor and scraping the legs prior to insertion; I'll not endorse that officially but it's creative and certainly makes sense that it would make for a better connection, like getting corrosion off of speaker cable spades, etc.

Gainc, so, why not remove the tube now, with the upgraded Opamps, and see if there is an improvement in the SS output? I most certainly will try that. Again, as if it hasn't been said enough(to the general public)... at your own risk. I think the other interesting tweak was to remove the tube Opamps and run the unit completely SS. When I tried them the tube removal with the tube Opamps in the unit was the best result.

Knowing myself I likely will be opamp rolling several sets again, but at least its easy work for exceptional results. :)

Once again, I'm not speaking here in any offical capacity for Dagogo.com or Morningstar Audio. Bill at Morningstar doesn't mind my futzing personally but wants it universally known that all these activities are beyond the scope of the warranty. So, let no one mess up a unit - i.e. by taking a pliers to it - and then come running back to Morningstar feigning need for a repair due to some defect. It's sad that I have to say that, but with the last unit there were some who tried some home surgery and then went to Bill to seek reparations. We need people with more integrity than that.
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