Listing of Opamps for EE Minimax DAC Plus

I've been running the Dexas in my DAC + for about 6 weeks and there is no question that the discrete opamps produce a sound that is much more analog like than any of the IC opamps I've tried. Based on Doug's review I have also ordered the Burson discrete opamps and will do a comparision between the two when they arrive.

I will say that at least in my system (Shindo amp and preamp, Tonian Labs (12" PHY) speakers) some of the IC opamp combinations seem to have more absolute resolution than the Dexas but the Dexas just sound more natural with less listening fatigue.

I still prefer listening to my analog gear over digital but the DAC +/Dexa combo has greatly improved my digital listening experience. For under $2K, the sound has exceeded my expectations and represents an excellent value.

Will report back later when the Burson's come in...

Thanks to Bill for hooking me up with the DEXA's! They do exactly what I want in the sound, more relaxed AND more resolution. In essence they reveal more nuanced details, but do so in a way that makes extended listening even easier. I'll be doing some comparisons with my BMC DAC1, and while I don't expect the EE to come out on top, I do expect it will be very close in many ways.

The results with the original Minimax DAC in the office rig are as expected, beyond expectations. I have rolled in the Dexa duals into the U1/U2 positions and the Burson singles into the U6/U7 spots and the performance uniformly elevated across the frequency spectrum.

Particularly notable is the extra weight and definition with the bass. I have smallish subs in the rig but the Bursons, as with the reference rig, add quite a bit of robustness and presence without sacrificing definition. Tonality continues to improve as well.

Once again, note that one should roll both pairs of the original IC Opamps. Using discrete Opamps in all four locations dramatically improves performance, despite the fact that one could leave the stock IC Opamps controlling tube output untouched. Just as it may sound illogical to remove the tube, so also it seems illogical that replacing the IC Opamps for tube output would affect the overall performance, but it does, and in no small fashion.

This may prove to be among the most affordable answers to the "Class D Amp Problem", that being a white-ish, thinner sound. I am very much enjoying the performance of the Peachtree Audio Nova with the EE Minimax DAC now along with the Eminent Technology LFT-VI speakers. This is the best magnetic planars in an affordable rig have sounded in a long time. And I'm not even using Redbook, but Sonos with a NAS.

(I have reviewed products from these brands for Dagogo.com)

The other day i had the opportunity to compare my Minimax plus modified with the dexa's, psvane grade A tube and a Hi-Fi tuning extreme fuse, with a level 3 Lampi at a hifi store near me. The comparison was done with some large magneplanars(don't know the model no)and some other high end pre and power amps, if anyone is interested i can get the relevant info. Anyway i was very surprised to hear that the Minimax plus sound was so close to the Lampi level 3 in detail retrieval and tone, in fact in regards to detail i would say that they where identical and if there was a difference i couldn't hear it! tone wise the Lampi had slightly more body(by a very small amount)but the Minimax had better bass. Soundstage wise once again the Lampi one by a very small amount, one difference was that the Lampi placed everything a bit higher up(like they where up on a stage) and the Minimax was lower as if they where on the floor in front of you but other than that nothing else stood out as being majorly different.The guy who owned the shop was very impressed with the Lampi but still was more surprised with how the Minimax stacked up against it at the price it sells for.Needless to say i left the store a very happy man knowing just how good a dac this is for the $1100 i paid plus $360 in mods.These dexa's take the Minimax Plus to a whole new level do yourself a favor spend the money and enjoy an outstanding dac

Time for a quick update. I've been running my minmiax dac + with Dexas for about 3 months and thought they were a significant upgrade over any of the IC opamps I tried. After reading Doug's review, I decided to try out the Burson's and report back.

First off I'll list my system for reference. Preamp is Shindo Vosne-Romanee. Amp is Shindo Haut-Brion (25W). Speakers are Tonian Labs Classic 12's (96db speaker featuring PHY driver with supertweeter). When listening to redbook CD I used PS Audio PWT as transport. When listening via USB through my windows computer I used flac files via JPLAY.

When I originally read Doug's review I was a little disappointed and thought he was hedging his bets by not declaring a clear preference. After living with both the Dexas and Bursons for a while I now understand his position. The Dexas and Bursons are to my ears a clear step up over any of the IC' opamps I've used. In addition, the inclusion of the discrete opamps makes digital more listenable over an extended time frame. The digital "edge" is gone. The music sounds more analog like than ever.

That being said, the Dexas and Bursons clearly sounded different in my system. With Dexas, the sound was clearer and cleaner with greater extention in the higher frequencies. With the Burson's swapped in, the sound was weighter, with more meat on the bone. The low end was also more impactful. I realize I'm pretty well echoing the comments that Doug made in his article. He pretty much nailed it.

Which do I prefer? If a gun was held to my head and I had to choose one I would probably pick the Dexas today based on my system. My Shindo electronics do a good job conveying weight and body to the music so I like the clean sound of the Dexas. However, if your system is on the lean side, I can easily see you prefering the Burson's.

My next step is to mix and match between the Dexas and Bursons to see if the combo can give me the best of both worlds. Will report back again with my thoughts in a few weeks.

For those of you who have the Minimax or Mimimax plus, go out and get some discrete opamps ASAP. The sonic bang for the buck is as high as anything I've tried in the 20+ years I've been dabbling in this hobby.