[warp2600]

Curious if there are any comparisons to other tube DACs? I use a quad 300B/45 DAC and my interest and belief with tubes is piqued.

I have got a cherished MHDT LAB Canary DAC currently utilising a milspec TUNGSRAM e88cc tube (with adapter) and the sound is gorgeous. Especially in a couple of hours after switching it on, suddenly it just hits me, blows me away. The music it eminates is dense, full bodied, very enjoyable for loooong listening sessions.
I also have a LAMPIZATOR Atlantic TRP (tube rectification, currently using NOS TESLA EL34 tubes in the analog circuit) and it has better resolution, throws a deeper soundstage and plays higher resolution PCM even DXD plus there is s separate DSD engine inside. I listen to the Lampi way more than the Canary but there are days (often) when I want that denser sound so I switch on the Canary for the day.

Edit: forgot to mention that my Lampi ATLANTIC DAC is a 2017 model with an R2R transistor ladder PCM board. (and you may well know that the Canary utilizes 4 x TDA1545 Philips chips.)

 

[paradoxper]

I have got a cherished MHDT LAB Canary DAC currently utilising a milspec TUNGSRAM e88cc tube (with adapter) and the sound is gorgeous. Especially in a couple of hours after switching it on, suddenly it just hits me, blows me away. The music it eminates is dense, full bodied, very enjoyable for loooong listening sessions.
I also have a LAMPIZATOR Atlantic TRP (tube rectification, currently using NOS TESLA EL34 tubes in the analog circuit) and it has better resolution, throws a deeper soundstage and plays higher resolution PCM even DXD plus there is s separate DSD engine inside. I listen to the Lampi way more than the Canary but there are days (often) when I want that denser sound so I switch on the Canary for the day.

Edit: forgot to mention that my Lampi ATLANTIC DAC is a 2017 model with an R2R transistor ladder PCM board. (and you may well know that the Canary utilizes 4 x TDA1545 Philips chips.)

Does the Atlantic present better tonality and tonal density? I was thinking about the Atlantic but lean towards trying the Pacific to keep things linear comparing the 300B.
Also, what is your rectifier of choice?

 

[warp2600]

Does the Atlantic present better tonality and tonal density? I was thinking about the Atlantic but lean towards trying the Pacific to keep things linear comparing the 300B.
Also, what is your rectifier of choice?

yes, the Lampi has slightly better tonality than the Canary when I think of Redbook material, which both can play back. However, there are CD's that I much prefer listening to thru the Canary, it just gives me more enjoyment even though I suspect that the Lampi is more accurate in tonality. The real difference shows when the Lampi plays back DSD material but that's not a fair comparison.
I haven't heard the Pacific or any other Lampi, but no doubt the Pacific kills the Atlantic TRP in tonality (among other things).
I have tried quite a lot of reasonably priced rectifier tubes in the Lampi and I love the RCA 5u4g, the "potato masher" 5r4wga/5r4wgb, and even the default Soviet made 5C3S - these sound the most linear in my system.

 

[paradoxper]

yes, the Lampi has slightly better tonality than the Canary when I think of Redbook material, which both can play back. However, there are CD's that I much prefer listening to thru the Canary, it just gives me more enjoyment even though I suspect that the Lampi is more accurate in tonality. The real difference shows when the Lampi plays back DSD material but that's not a fair comparison.
I haven't heard the Pacific or any other Lampi, but no doubt the Pacific kills the Atlantic TRP in tonality (among other things).
I have tried quite a lot of reasonably priced rectifier tubes in the Lampi and I love the RCA 5u4g, the "potato masher" 5r4wga/5r4wgb, and even the default Soviet made 5C3S - these sound the most linear in my system.

Are there any tube complements you feel close the gap in the favor of Canary? The TRP is appealing due to the immense amount of flexibility with rolling and fine tuning things. I'm just not sure anything can match the type of sound the Elrog 300B provide which is the ultimate gift and curse.
The RCA are great. I have an infinity for the Mullard GZ34 metal base as they just do their job without concession and will last a lifetime.

 

[warp2600]

Are there any tube complements you feel close the gap in the favor of Canary? The TRP is appealing due to the immense amount of flexibility with rolling and fine tuning things. I'm just not sure anything can match the type of sound the Elrog 300B provide which is the ultimate gift and curse.
The RCA are great. I have an infinity for the Mullard GZ34 metal base as they just do their job without concession and will last a lifetime.

The most amazing tube in the Canary for me has been the abovementioned TUNGSRAM e88cc, which needs an adapter to use in the MHDT LAB DACs - very linear/balanced in the entire frequence range. The second best for me was the Soviet made 6N3P-DR (no need for adapter), and the third is the triple mica GE5670 (it came with the DAC as a spare from the manufacturer).

 

[Haidar]

Hi everyone,
What are the highest quality tube socket adapters (e.g. for 6922 or 6SN7) that would fit the Canary DAC?

 

[JacobLTA]

Hi everyone,
What are the highest quality tube socket adapters (e.g. for 6922 or 6SN7) that would fit the Canary DAC?

I think the go-to is the garage1217 adapter. I've used this one for E88CC in the Orchid.

 

[Pharmaboy]

I think the go-to is the garage1217 adapter. I've used this one for E88CC in the Orchid.

+1

 

[NunoC]

Hi all
I have been having issues with my Orchid, I hear a very strong hum noise when the dac is turned on and it doesn't go away, even when playing music, even if the music masks it a little. The noise is very evident and I'm wondering if it is not working properly and I'm afraid the dac will stop working all together any time. I have changed power cables, connection cables, tried 3 different tubes and the issue is there with zero improvement. The hum gets louder as I turn up the volume.


I think when the unit is still warming up the hum is not as noticeable, but after 20 minutes it gets too intrusive and loud.

Could any of you please help me address this issue? any idea what could be the origin of the problem?



Thank you in advance

 

[Loftprojection]

I have mine for a long time and no such problem. I've had a bit of tube noise with my amp a while ago before buying a power conditionner but the Orchid itself has never been problematic. Have you tried to send an email to MHDT, they might be helpful, noise is often an issue with tube based equipment.

 

[David222]

Hi all
I have been having issues with my Orchid, I hear a very strong hum noise when the dac is turned on and it doesn't go away, even when playing music, even if the music masks it a little. The noise is very evident and I'm wondering if it is not working properly and I'm afraid the dac will stop working all together any time. I have changed power cables, connection cables, tried 3 different tubes and the issue is there with zero improvement. The hum gets louder as I turn up the volume.


I think when the unit is still warming up the hum is not as noticeable, but after 20 minutes it gets too intrusive and loud.

Could any of you please help me address this issue? any idea what could be the origin of the problem?



Thank you in advance

what amplifier are you using ?

 

[Mike C]

Hi all
I have been having issues with my Orchid, I hear a very strong hum noise when the dac is turned on and it doesn't go away, even when playing music, even if the music masks it a little. The noise is very evident and I'm wondering if it is not working properly and I'm afraid the dac will stop working all together any time. I have changed power cables, connection cables, tried 3 different tubes and the issue is there with zero improvement. The hum gets louder as I turn up the volume.


I think when the unit is still warming up the hum is not as noticeable, but after 20 minutes it gets too intrusive and loud.

Could any of you please help me address this issue? any idea what could be the origin of the problem?



Thank you in advance

A pure guess is that it might be a failed electrolytic capacitor in the power supply of the DAC; it would fit the symptom but only a guess!

Should be fairly easy to find the problem by checking things with a scope, I have two, shame I'm not there to do it; but a competent audio repair guy should be able to find the problem.

If you are good at soldering and can work very carefully, you could try replacing the large value electrolytic caps in the power supply as it just might fix it at low cost; but you would need to remove a PCB and treat it carefully, and removing components from a PCB is tricky and can easily cause damage.

 

[NunoC]

I have mine for a long time and no such problem. I've had a bit of tube noise with my amp a while ago before buying a power conditionner but the Orchid itself has never been problematic. Have you tried to send an email to MHDT, they might be helpful, noise is often an issue with tube based equipment.

I just send mhdt an email, waiting for their answer. This is a very recent issue, just identified it in the last 2 days.

 

[NunoC]

what amplifier are you using ?

I'm using an Yamaha AS2100. I have no issues with another DAC I also use, or CD player etc... so I don't think the issue is in the amplifier. What do you think?

 

[NunoC]

A pure guess is that it might be a failed electrolytic capacitor in the power supply of the DAC; it would fit the symptom but only a guess!

Should be fairly easy to find the problem by checking things with a scope, I have two, shame I'm not there to do it; but a competent audio repair guy should be able to find the problem.

If you are good at soldering and can work very carefully, you could try replacing the large value electrolytic caps in the power supply as it just might fix it at low cost; but you would need to remove a PCB and treat it carefully, and removing components from a PCB is tricky and can easily cause damage.

Hi Mike

Thank you for this indiction. One point to add, this morning I turned the dac on and it is working fine but I only played one song. Yesterday it was working fine too but after 1h or so the noise started. Apparently this issue manifests itself as the dac warms up, could it be? later today I will seat to listen for a couple of CDs and see if the issue repeats.
Could this still be linked to the electrolytic caps?