sotto123
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jan 25, 2009
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I prefer the Orchid to both the Pagoda and the Metrum Amethyst. I didn't have the Pagoda to compare directly to the Orchid, but I have a pretty good audio memory and was able to compare a modded Atlantis to both directly.
The Amethyst is great, but the Orchid is a slightly more beautiful listen.
The Gumby has a bit more bottom end slam, and is a little less smooth up top than the Orchid.
The Pagoda would be closer to the Gungnir Multibit flavor than the Orchid.
I recently added the Orchid to my MHDT round-up: http://www.basshead.club/mhdt-labs-pagoda-stockholm-atlantis-and-canary/
Versus the Gungnir Multibit, it's in the same league but has a NOS presentation. Depending on your tastes, you could prefer the Orchid, Pagoda, or Amethyst.
Note, however, that with any of those 3, you're limited a bit by the USB implementation. The USB Gen 5 on Gumby is much better than the USB on any other DAC I've had in my possession. I'd highly recommend you pick up a Schiit Eitr if you don't have a good USB->S/PDIF converter or something similar so you can reach the full potential of the DACs.
Thanks. That's all very useful information, particularly on your site.
Looks like it's either going to be the Orchid or Pagoda. There seems to be very little information out there about the Orchid, as it is quite new.
I like how the 2Qute has an excellent sense of rhythm, but it's a bit on the thin side. I like how resolving the Gumby is and its tight bass. Both are a tad too hot up top for me at times.
The GMB seems to have too much of a separated soundstage, which would be okay if it didn't throw everything it picks up at you at an equal volume. It takes away some cohesiveness and doesn't let the music just naturally flow, making me analyse everything more than I would like. I can never really fully relax when listening to it.
Based on the above, would you say that the Pagoda or Orchid would be more to my liking?
I've been looking to buy an Eitr for a while now, but it still isn't available in the UK since I first looked a month or two ago. I'm actually using the USB Gen 2 straight into my laptop as the Gen 5 upgrade isn't available either.