I recall the RME throwing a deeper stage (out of the box)....but personally (for me) consider this like comparing an Apple to a Cucumber....b/c with the Orchid I can be "there" with the music/artist.
I remember the RME having a wide but not deep soundstage. It's like everything happens on stage Infront of you.
When I got the chord Qutest the staging moved around me and seperation of different instruments was much better. Some details came through louder than others and were much more noticeable. Very involving but also closed in soundstaging overall.
That impression was noticeable immediately from the start of switching the DACs.
I'm curious what a R2R DAC will do to the staging.
I remember the RME having a wide but not deep soundstage. It's like everything happens on stage Infront of you.
When I got the chord Qutest the staging moved around me and seperation of different instruments was much better. Some details came through louder than others and were much more noticeable. Very involving but also closed in soundstaging overall.
That impression was noticeable immediately from the start of switching the DACs.
I'm curious what a R2R DAC will do to the staging.
Well...DAC comparisons can be tricky... since everyone has different headphones, cables, amplifiers. So, always have to take each others thoughts with a grain of salt. Again, I would not really compare an MHDT to the RME, or Qutest (I also use).
IMHO, the MHDT DACs would be most comparable to a Denafrips, Soekris, Border Patrol, or perhaps Audial gear. I'm probably missing a few in the relative price range.
I find the best way to verify is to research (best you can), then at some point just dive in and try
Picked up my orchid recently and it's been working great! It was between this and the Border Patrol SEi which I had tried out. The Border Patrol was good but I prefer the orchid. I don't think you can go wrong either way.
Picked up my orchid recently and it's been working great! It was between this and the Border Patrol SEi which I had tried out. The Border Patrol was good but I prefer the orchid. I don't think you can go wrong either way.
• I would say that: (1) if the body of the component has to be unscrewed and removed to access the fuse for substitution and (2) the disclaimer “no user serviceable parts inside” is on the back of the component, the fuse upgrade is a modification.
• When access to the fuse is via a clip which is above / next to the IEC socket on the back of the component, the fuse upgrade is not a modification. [e.g. Woo Audio WA6]
Thanks, I think I'm going to enjoy the system for a bit before I venture. I did get the Ericsson tubes that I believe you had some issues with. To my ears they are working wonderfully but I haven't really compared them either. LTA did give me the stock tubes as well so that'll probably be my first tinkering.
• I would say that: (1) if the body of the h/p/a has to be unscrewed and removed to access the fuse for substitution and (2) the disclaimer “no user serviceable parts inside” is on the back of the h/p/a, the fuse upgrade is a modification.
• When access to the fuse is via a clip which is above / next to the IEC socket on the back of the h/p/a, the fuse upgrade is not a modification. [e.g. Woo Audio WA6]
I was a little flippant (self-deprecating) with my lego remark. The fuse swap in the Orchid, while not hard, certainly involved thought and some (amperage / circuit flow) understanding, as I noted earlier in the thread.
Thanks, I think I'm going to enjoy the system for a bit before I venture. I did get the Ericsson tubes that I believe you had some issues with. To my ears they are working wonderfully but I haven't really compared them either. LTA did give me the stock tubes as well so that'll probably be my first tinkering.
Thats a good idea. Enjoy it and establish your baseline. Tube rolling is subjective and everyone likes/hears different things. The LTA guys are fantastic...great decision purchasing from them
If/when you have time, its helpful to read back through this thread (since its only ~40 pages). You can get a great sense for the MHDT evolution over time. Luckbads posts are particularly helpful. Unfortunately, I do not think he is active anymore, but anyone can really benefit from his insights.
I was a little flippant (self-deprecating) with my lego remark. The fuse swap in the Orchid, while not hard, certainly involved thought and some (amperage / circuit flow) understanding, as I noted earlier in the thread.
Update -
The Toucan after about 100 hours of use and with a EH 6922 gold pins, is very musical and enjoyable without missing much in technicalities.
Reminds me of the Pontus II but with better flow and more effortless, natural sounding.
A hell of an achievement for the price.
How do you do this? There's no external fuse socket.
More to the point, what happens when you do this? Does the sound change?
I love the sound of this DAC, but hadn't looked at it as mod-able/changeable, beyond rolling the buffer tube (which does pay off with real sonic dividends w/the right tube).
PS: No need to reply. Just read posts above and realize you covered the fuse swap in earlier posts here. I'm only up to pg-4 in reading this thread...got to this party a couple years after purchasing my Orchid (better late than never).
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