[lowrideris]

They have a balanced version, just search " MHDT Pagoda Balanced" on eBay. Sells for $1488 direct from MHDT

i know, im looking who has it, and can tell me its good or not so impresive..

 

[Amish]

I would bet it's awesome. The SE Pagoda is awesome. The balanced model just doubles up on the same awesome parts. I'd love to buy one but I'd have to sell my current Pagoda and I don't think I want to sell it for 1k which is what I feel I would need to sell it for. Nor do I know if anyone would buy it as the Pagoda is a somewhat unheard of DAC. So I will keep it and one day if I have some extra dosh I will consider buying the balanced Pagoda but more than likley I will just buy another amp as the Pagoda SE is that god damn good.
 
 
Well I changed my mind quick. Gonna try and sell the Pagoda so I can buy a balanced pagoda.

 

[Ocellia]

Thanks for this! I found a reference to the Pagoda whilst looking up Dharma headphones. But it has made me try my modded Havana dac on my headphone set-up (replacing a basic Fiio thing) as I rarely play my main hi-fi.
Nice result!
 
Phones used late at night most nights-including falling asleep with phones on! An essential comfort check-can you doze off in them!

 

[Ocellia]

ljgmdad-saw your post on Dharma.
I'm surprised that the MHDT dacs need (it seems) so much modding, as the whole concept of MHDT is that they carefully choose the 'ingredients' for sound production! I started with Paradisea, then spied a modded Havana  on Wigwam for sale and snapped it up, selling the Paradisea.
Sounds nice to me -as someone else said, sounds just like it's letting the music through (like the original 'window into music' from Quad 57s!)

 

[s1rrah]

  ljgmdad-saw your post on Dharma.
I'm surprised that the MHDT dacs need (it seems) so much modding, as the whole concept of MHDT is that they carefully choose the 'ingredients' for sound production! I started with Paradisea, then spied a modded Havana  on Wigwam for sale and snapped it up, selling the Paradisea.
Sounds nice to me -as someone else said, sounds just like it's letting the music through (like the original 'window into music' from Quad 57s!)

 
The MHDT Labs DACS are excellent in their stock configuration and a superb value for the money ...
 
They are simply a very accessible platform for the mod scene, which doesn't necessarily mean they *need* modding but more so that they can be improved to sound even better with some modifications.
 
Personally?  I've always used stock MHDT DACS (Constantine, Paradisea+, Havana and Stockholm v2) and have never felt any need to mod them other than maybe a boutique fuse ...
 
...
 
BTW!!: 
 
In the next couple of months, I will be publishing a review/comparison of the MHDT Pagoda as I've recently obtained one but want to first burn it in for a couple hundred hours.  I'll primarily be comparing it with the Havana v2 and Stockholm v2 as both are limited to 16 bit output and the Pagoda outputs in 24bit (as well as having a different, though also highly respected DAC chip(s) in the circuit) ... being very familiar with both the Havana v2 and the Stockholm v2, it should be a really fun listen ...
 
It will be a bit, though but look out for it ...
 
...
 

 
...
 

 
...
 
joel

 

[richard51]

i will wait for your review....

 

[Barra]

Hey Joel, anxiously awaiting your comparison. Really wanted the pagoda when I came across a really good deal on the Havana 2 that I couldn't pass up. I need to know what I am missing. Maybe you can feed us bits along the way.

 

[lukeap69]

That would be very nice as there is little information available for the pagoda on the net. I actually considered it before.

 

[s1rrah]

Hey Joel, anxiously awaiting your comparison. Really wanted the pagoda when I came across a really good deal on the Havana 2 that I couldn't pass up. I need to know what I am missing. Maybe you can feed us bits along the way.

 
I used the Havana 2 for a long time and still consider it fantastic and one of the best DACs I've heard regarding my particular needs/tastes in music playback.
 
Although the Stockholm 2 and Havana 2 share the vast majority of each others circuit design, I still find the Stockholm v2 to be a slightly better DAC ... a tad more resolving, better micro detail and overall, though still that awesome NOS/R2R sound, the Stockholm v2 is just not quite as "laid back" as the Havana 2 ... this might have to do with the one major difference between the Havana 2 and the Stockholm 2 ... that being that the Havana 2 maintains the use of the PCM56P DAC chips internal OPAMP whereas the Stockholm v2 has done away with this completely and is purely discreet, bypassing the PCM56P's built in OPAMP altogether ...
 
That said ... 
 
The Pagoda is very interesting to me since not only does it maintain this fully discreet circuit (like the Stockholm 2) but it also uses a completely different DAC chip(s) in the circuit, the PCM 1704, which, as with the PCM56P, I've read  *many* great things about ... in fact, the PCM 1704 seems even more universally lauded in the boutique/"antique" DAC scene ...
 
Further, though not a frequent hi res listener, I'm also intrigued by the fact that the Pagoda maintains a 24bit  signal from digital input all the way through final output (whereas both the Havana 2 and Stockholm 2, both output in 16bit format) ...
 
So yeah, looking forward to the listen/comparison ...
 
I'll be posting a link for sure once I get the review done; DAC is currently burning in and I'm not going to give it much attention for at least a few days of continuous play ...
 
More later,
Joel

 

[grizzlybeast]

   
I used the Havana 2 for a long time and still consider it fantastic and one of the best DACs I've heard regarding my particular needs/tastes in music playback.
 
Although the Stockholm 2 and Havana 2 share the vast majority of each others circuit design, I still find the Stockholm v2 to be a slightly better DAC ... a tad more resolving, better micro detail and overall, though still that awesome NOS/R2R sound, the Stockholm v2 is just not quite as "laid back" as the Havana 2 ... this might have to do with the one major difference between the Havana 2 and the Stockholm 2 ... that being that the Havana 2 maintains the use of the PCM56P DAC chips internal OPAMP whereas the Stockholm v2 has done away with this completely and is purely discreet, bypassing the PCM56P's built in OPAMP altogether ...
 
That said ... 
 
The Pagoda is very interesting to me since not only does it maintain this fully discreet circuit (like the Stockholm 2) but it also uses a completely different DAC chip(s) in the circuit, the PCM 1704, which, as with the PCM56P, I've read  *many* great things about ... in fact, the PCM 1704 seems even more universally lauded in the boutique/"antique" DAC scene ...
 
Further, though not a frequent hi res listener, I'm also intrigued by the fact that the Pagoda maintains a 24bit  signal from digital input all the way through final output (whereas both the Havana 2 and Stockholm 2, both output in 16bit format) ...
 
So yeah, looking forward to the listen/comparison ...
 
I'll be posting a link for sure once I get the review done; DAC is currently burning in and I'm not going to give it much attention for at least a few days of continuous play ...
 
More later,
Joel

 

[s1rrah]

About 100 hours thus far ... haven't done any direct A/B comparisons between the Stockholm v2 and the Pagoda but will be doing so over the holiday weekend ... so far the Pagoda is the only DAC I've had running since it arrived ... to early to make any matter of fact statements regarding the differences (is it ever safe to do so with audio gear?) but from memory, my initial thoughts are that the Stockholm v2 and even more so the Havana, are "darker" sounding DACs ... not worse sounding, just more relaxed with less emphasis on "air" and sparkle in the highs, where I think the Pagoda places more emphasis... the Pagoda also seems to have an ever so slightly leaner, tighter bass (which I personally like as my PS1000's are somewhat mid bass forward already) ... the Pagoda uses 2.0uF output caps whereas the Stockholm 2 uses the slightly larger 2.2uF output caps ... this might have something to do with the bass differences... I'm curious to focus more on this in direct A/B tests as the bass has gotten better from the Havana 2 to the Stockholm 2 and it would be nice to see that trend continue with the Pagoda DACs ...
 
I haven't done any research on the PCM56 DAC chips vs the PCM 1704 but I will be doing so before authoring a proper review ... my particular PCM56P DAC chips in the Stockholm  v2 are a couple of the original, Japanese made PCM56P-K that were de soldered from a Technics SLP-1300 CD player ... they are noticeably more smooth/analogue sounding than the later generation (typically Korean) PCM56P chips ... I've also read good things about the PCM 1704's in the Pagoda but I haven't taken a look to see what "grade" they are (as from what I've read, they are graded in a similar fashion as are the PCM56P's ...
 
But more later and once I've done direct A/B comparisons of the DACs...
 
...
 

 
...
 
joel

 

[s1rrah]

*edit* double post

 

[s1rrah]

 

[s1rrah]

 
 
...
 
Just a quick update and without getting into too many details as they are details that I want to reserve for the review proper ...
 
But today I had a chance to spend a good deal of time directly comparing the Stockholm v2 with the Pagoda, both using the same tube and interconnects (I had been waiting for a matching AEG tube to arrive from a friend in Poland (thanks Robeert!) so I could be sure both DACs were using the same tube). I listened to both DACs for a good few hours and man ... the differences between the two DACs are striking...
 
I've been reading lately about the differences between the PCM 1704 DAC chip (24bit Pagoda) and the PCM56P DAC chip (16bit Stockholm v2) and how the "audiophile community" in general regards them ... and though I might not always agree with said community, I can indeed say one thing ... these two DACs are *dramatically* different sounding. Both great ... but very different; and, I can easily see how one DAC might appeal to a certain listener while the other might appeal to some other listener ... 
 
I've been really blown away...
 
I don't think I've ever directly compared two bits of gear from the same builder that sounded so markedly different. It's not like changing from stereo to mono or from color to black and white, or anything stupid like that ... but if one dotes on the highs, the lows, the mids and the sound stage and especially the instrument separation ... how imaging is done, etc.? Then man is it evident ...
 
Anyway ... I've begun compiling notes with today's listening session and hope to have something solid published by the end of Jan 2016.
 
Just a heads up ...
 

 

[richard51]

Enjoy! i wait for your review thanks...