Lossless Files (some Hi-Res 24/96 files) > Foobar2K > Audio-GD DI-U8 DDC > MHDT Labs Atlantis > Cavalli Liquid Carbon > Hifiman HE560
MHDT Labs, a Taiwan based company, started producing their own multi-bit/R2R DACs in seeking pleasing but accurate sound to the 4 founders of the company. Their earlier models, Constantine and Paradisea, were some of the most musical DACs I've heard but without sacrificing a whole lot in detail and resolution. Fast forward some 10 years and they now offer several models ranging from AD R2R chips to the more common PCM1704.
The name MHDT comes from an acronym of the original 4 founders and the first letter of their Zodiac signs (Mouse, Horse, Dog, and Tiger). The acronym meaning was later changed to Music Heaven Development Team but given the time of the year and that Lunar New Year is upon us (Feb 7th on this side of the globe), I would prefer the original meaning of the acronyms of the name.
The original focus of the company is to create a musically pleasing sound that catered to the liking of the founders. What it has evolved into is an accurate recreation of sound and timbre of instruments and vocals while remaining musical to ones ears. Searching around the net will yield many reviews from many in the speaker side of audio but using these DACs with headphones has shown the amazing accuracy they're able to reproduce from the digital files.
A little disclaimer: their website is a bit of a throwback in terms of layout, just part of the company charm I suppose. Most e-mails are answered directly by Jiun himself and I believe the company while creating fantastic sounding DACs, may be a bit slow on the response as it is a smaller company compared to Audio-GD. That should not detract you from the company, however keep in mind if you do make inquiries. Lastly I'm not associated or affiliated with the company, just another enthusiast who really likes the products.
The name MHDT comes from an acronym of the original 4 founders and the first letter of their Zodiac signs (Mouse, Horse, Dog, and Tiger). The acronym meaning was later changed to Music Heaven Development Team but given the time of the year and that Lunar New Year is upon us (Feb 7th on this side of the globe), I would prefer the original meaning of the acronyms of the name.
The original focus of the company is to create a musically pleasing sound that catered to the liking of the founders. What it has evolved into is an accurate recreation of sound and timbre of instruments and vocals while remaining musical to ones ears. Searching around the net will yield many reviews from many in the speaker side of audio but using these DACs with headphones has shown the amazing accuracy they're able to reproduce from the digital files.
A little disclaimer: their website is a bit of a throwback in terms of layout, just part of the company charm I suppose. Most e-mails are answered directly by Jiun himself and I believe the company while creating fantastic sounding DACs, may be a bit slow on the response as it is a smaller company compared to Audio-GD. That should not detract you from the company, however keep in mind if you do make inquiries. Lastly I'm not associated or affiliated with the company, just another enthusiast who really likes the products.
I've had the Atlantis DAC for about 2 weeks now on loan from @Luckbad and after giving it some time to settle (50hrs when I received it and maybe another 150-200hrs of music on top of that), I think I've heard enough to come to some conclusions in comparison to the Pagoda. First the Atlantis are fitted with dual AD1862 R2R chips, essentially the same layout as the Pagoda and Stockholm 2, this DAC is the newest addition to the MHDT Labs family. The main difference I can see between it and the other two models is a smaller toroidal transformer on the Atlantis. This is the same smaller toroidal used in the older Havana models as well as the Paradisea units. Other than that the input capabilities are the same (up 24-bit/192khz hires files) and output in 16-bit (Pagoda is 24-bit output).
The Atlantis holds that same house sound the MHDT Labs has which is a warm/neutral tone with very good details and accuracy. The Atlantis seem to be the best in mid to mid-highs detail retrieval, even surpassing the Stockolm 2 and Pagoda in this aspect! Part of this could be due to it's drier sound signature in comparison to the euphonic Stockholm and Pagoda. Another attribute that may be playing into this mid/mid-high detail retrieval is it's early roll-off of the treble along with the dry signature. What happens here is subtleties "hidden" or pushed back in the music becomes more apparent in comparison to the Stockholm where it sweetens the treble tremendously while keeping the details. Also just like with the Pagoda, the treble is also more euphonic but faster than the Stockholm and even more extended (at times possibly sibilant with poor/mediocre recordings) than the Stockholm. The best way to put this mid-focused sounding Atlantis is very similar to those who have heard a properly cabled and amped HD650, with the treble rolled the amount of detail being retrieved/perceived in the mids and mid-highs is incredible. The Atlantis offers great sound quality that is a bit mid-centric but the bottom end can be expanded with different tubes. A more euphoric sound can be achieved with different tubes but my favorite tube for use is the Bendix 2C51 which with the Pagoda and Atlantis offers some of the fastest sound I've heard in comparison to other tubes. The AEG variant (which is nearly impossible to find but is half the price of the Bendix) is very close in sound and provides a thicker bottom end and a slightly more euphonic sound but again, I like the tight bass the Bendix provides.
One of the down downside being fitted with a smaller toroidal it seems is less dynamics. The bass, while capable of extending to the sub-bass region, lacks the slam some music calls for. The bass is still very well present but lacking that punch that the Pagoda and Stockholm provides, I believe if MHDT fitted these with the larger toroidals it may solve this issue. While it doesn't take much away from the performance of the DAC, it leaves this end of the spectrum lacking that emotion bass slam can create with classical music. This is incredibly apparent when listening to Gustavo Dudamel's "Discoveries" CD, one of my main reference albums to test dynamics. I will be testing later tonight with the Audio-GD SA31SE to verify this finding, as initially I've only been using the Cavalli Liquid Carbon with the Atlantis.
The treble roll-off is also a bit of an issue if you enjoy the sparkle and crash of cymbals, if you're treble sensitive this DAC plays well into your sound signature. The roll-off only changes the sound subtly but it is enough to miss the top end of sound when looking for it. This may or may not be solved with a larger power supply as it may very well be the tuning of the DAC (read; intentional roll-off). The soundstage is good on the Atlantis, putting instruments from far left to far right and but it is a 1st row listener. It does lack a bit of depth/imaging in the sound signature in comparison to the Stockholm, which may be associated with the drier signature, and even more so in comparison to the Pagoda. This is more apparent with headphones than speakers, something worth mentioning. The instrument separation is still excellent as well as placement but it lacks a bit of that 3D imaging that the other DACs are capable of.
All in all, the Atlantis is a fantastic offering by MHDT Labs. It is also the least expensive R2R DAC offered by MHDT and I would definitely take one over any Delta Sigma DACs as well as over the Schiit Bifrost Multibit. With the smaller toroidal used on the Atlantis and the price ($370 less than the Pagoda and $120 less than the Stockholm V2), I believe MHDT has made this their entry level. If MHDT Labs can offer these with a larger transformer it may be an excellent end-game for a lot of people, one that will provide excellent detail retrieval, with less euphonics than the other models as well as deep/impacting bass and extended highs with a slight roll-off. Until then it is a fantastic entry-point into the MHDT Labs family and could very well be labeled as a side-grade to the Stockholm V2 and depending on taste a side-grade on the the Pagoda.
