Please stop rubbing it in, I already figured out years ago that I got screwed with that chip, it's bringing back bad memories!Yes, of course you did. You bought a fake chip off eBay.
And, blaming the fake plastic chip for not sounding good (analog) - seems silly to me.
well the Atlantis sounded better to my ears...sound is a very subjective thing. The soundstage of the Atlantis was definitely wider and the Orchid 69SE was more detailed and had more clarity. The Orchid was more accurate vs the more musical and fuller presentation of the Atlantis. I could have given it a longer trial if I had not disliked the build quality so much...it only stayed in my system a couple of months. The build quality and aesthetics with very bright leds really annoyed me. I expected the SE models to be somehow premium given the price but the unit didn't feel premium at all. The feet were particularly bad, with some rubber rings that kept coming out...Please stop rubbing it in, I already figured out years ago that I got screwed with that chip, it's bringing back bad memories!
Anyhow, my point was that this may have happened also to the previous poster since his Atlantis sounded better then a Orchid he tried.
I may give the Orchid another try but definitely I will stick to the standard version. Sound is a very subjective thing and when you dislike the feeling of a product it can cause bias...I didn't like the SE model at all...the build quality and aesthetics are poor in my opinion. Maybe not fait to say this since the layout of the board looks very good but the case was very disappointing. Here a photo of my actual unit.If I may suggest, it could be that double crown chip. I own the original Orchid for many years now and feel the same as you with your Atlantis. I don't have the budget to try out many dacs like you did but through the years I've never heard anything nicer then the Orchid.
A few years ago there was some talk here about the double crown chip, how great it is... So I thought maybe I could improve my Orchid with one of those chips since mine has the original. Well I don't remember exactly how much I paid for this stupid chip but I ended up re-installing the original chip because it made my Orchid sound less smooth and analog. The other thing is the tubes you tried in your Orchid, the WE396A is the one to use. I tried a multitude of tubes, expensive ones, and nothing beats the WE396A, which also happens to be the preferred listed by MHDT.
Anyway, maybe you could give the Orchid another try!
BTW, thanks for all this info on the different DACs you tried. Every once in a while I have an urge to buy a new dac and reading you comforted me that I can spend my money on other goodies!
there's no such thing as fake TDA1541 chips...the label may be fake but if the chip plays it's not fake, just a different grade.Yes, of course you did. You bought a fake chip off eBay.
And, blaming the fake plastic chip for not sounding good (analog) - seems silly to me.
as an interesting remark, the Merason is hte first dac I came across that sounds substatially better with hi-res files. 24bit 96khz or 192khz sounded clearly better than 16bit 44khz files. In the atlantis and audio note dacs I can't note any increase in sq with higher resolution files.@fcdvpds looks like to me you have found your perfect dac, no need to change/upgarde/tweak it - you are one lucky man, one of very few who can enjoy music instead of listening to the audio equipment all day long
As a side note: thank you for interesting comparison. It seems that Merason based on Burr-Brown is the one that was near your Atlantis, I've been considering for some time together with Lab12 since my 2 attempts to buy MHDT dac in Europe failed.
Thanks for this info, at a certain point I was tempted to change my original Orchid for this newer 69SE version, I'm happy I did not. All jokes aside about the chip, my double crown I bought on ebay does work in the Orchid but the sound signature seems to be exactly like you describe with your test on the 69SE. That's why I went back to the original chip. Also just want to point out another tube (besides WE396A) that I find quite nice is a Philips SQ E88CC/6922. You can use 6922 flavour in the Orchid with an adapter but the tube sticks out of the casing a bit more. I paid way to much for this tube but it was fun and it gives a different flavour then the WE396A.I may give the Orchid another try but definitely I will stick to the standard version. Sound is a very subjective thing and when you dislike the feeling of a product it can cause bias...I didn't like the SE model at all...the build quality and aesthetics are poor in my opinion. Maybe not fait to say this since the layout of the board looks very good but the case was very disappointing. Here a photo of my actual unit.
I'm still in love with mine, sorry. Look on ebay as well, I've occasionally seen them there. Good luck
Apology accepted.
I won't part with mine, but I have some advice: set up a password & username + email on Hifishark.com; search for "Orchid DAC"; then save the search.
I've tried a few from that first-class list of tubes in my Orchid but I ended up going to the 6922 family with an adapter. Been using a Phillips SQ E88CC/6922 for several months. It sticks out quite a bit from the casing but the sound to me is the best I've had from my Orchid. Unfortunately did not try the JJ you are looking at. Good luck.
