I am fairly new to headphone based audio. A move to a smaller apartment made my speaker based system impractical. I started off with a used Sugden Headmaster amplifier and a set of AKG K240 II headphones. I was fairly happy, but the sound could't match what I was used to through my speakers.  ...

I have decided to purchase the Sugden Bijou Headmaster as my headphone amplifier. I considered a few other options, but didn't need a combination headphone amp/DAC as I have a highly modified Mdht Labs Havana DAC.    My goal is to get a set of headphones that have a wide frequency range. I am...

I wanted to add that I have a very good DAC (a highly modified Mdht Labs Havana DAC), so I am only looking for a headphone amplifier and headphones.    Would a set of Audio-Technica ATH-W1000X headphones be a good choice for headphones? They seem to get pretty good reviews...   Kendra

Circumstances have forced me to move from a large speaker based stereo system to a smaller headphone based system. I have become used to a very full range sound, and am looking for recommendations for a similar full range sound. I listen mostly to blues, jazz, and acoustic guitar music.   I am...

Hello Everyone,   I just replaced my old Mdht Labs Havana DAC with a PS Audio Labs Perfect Wave II DAC + Network Bridge. In the past, I had been running J.River Media Center 18 on a PC, but I decided to switch to a Mac Mini, and the J.River Media Center for Mac is still very much in Beta...

I know I am very happy with the V-Cap setup in my Havana. I used two V-Cap OIMP 2.0uF capacitors, then bridged each capacitor with a V-Cap CuTF .1uF600VDC capacitor. My dac now has about 310 hrs on it, and sounds very nice. When I listen to some of my favorite albums, there is a whole new level...

I see a few posts now about bypassing the op-amp in the PCM56P chipset. If you have done all the main upgrades in the Havana dac already, how much of an improvement is doing the op-amp bypass? What do we gain sonically?   Also, at this point, the capacitors I offered have now been spoken for...

Quote: I forgot to mention these capacitors are a give away...

I have a few more upgrades in mind, but want to enjoy what I have for a while first.   My next (last?) upgrades are going to be the addition of an Audio Note Model 280 silver toroidal transformer for the digital section, and a Furutech AC-1501R IEC inlet with EMI filter. If I can lay my...

I had my Havana D/A convertor updated recently. It is back in my home, and has about 50 hrs on it. I can already tell it is vastly improved over the original unit. A friend of mine has a Naim CDS II CD player with Naim XPS power supply, and the modified Havana being fed from my PC is pretty...

It was mentioned near the start of this thread that the Mdht Labs Havana dac can use the Analog Devices AD1865 series chipsets as well as the regular Burr Brown/TI PCM56P series. I believe someone tried switching them, and reported they were more "electronic" sounding, but I believe this was in...

I ordered the last of the parts for my Havana A/A convertor today. It will be fairly similar to Robeeert1's dac.   I decided to go a little further and replace the 5 remaining 0.1uf capacitors with Mundorf Silver Oil versions. The .22uf capacitor will be replaced with a Mundorf Silver Gold...

Blackgate capacitors have gotten quite pricey now that they are discontinued. I have a Blackgate FK series 47uf16V capacitor and an FK series 100uf16V capacitor. Blackgate only made the 47uf one in a 16V version, although I can get a Blackgate FK series 100uf25V capacitor. Blackgate never made a...

A while ago, there was mention of the benefits of changing the 47uf and 100 uf capacitors below/in front of C5 to improve sound. Both Robeeert1 and Naimex posted on this. I believe use of Blackgate FK series 47uf 16v and 100uf 16V capacitors were mentioned. Now that I have my dac apart, I see...

I have been gathering info on modifying the Mdht Labs Havana Dac for a while. I like what people are saying about the modified versions. A round of purchases from here and on e-bay has got me pretty close.   I am trying to build to a pretty high standard. This means I am using Blackgate...