Never heard the bifrost but very satisfied with my Orchid, very sweet sound that feels natural to my ears. The only small flaw I ear is it has a bit less sparkles with electronic type sounds. I'd love to compare it to a good R2R DAC one day because these seem like a modern evolution of the NOS sweet sound we get from the Orchid.
i have the xspdif2 and haven't noticed a change when powering it with hdplex's 9v dc. however, i also have the matrix H usb card and it does benefit from external psu. tho, as i understand it, these two devices are not actually powered by external psu.
when i had the orchid, i didn't use a ddc. i am really kicking myself for it as i really like these older r2r chip based dacs when fed by a ddc. my favorite right now is a rod rain pcm1796 based dac fed by a singxer su-6.
I don't have the Orchid but I do have the MHDT Pagoda and Steeplechase and the Bifrost. Both the Pagoda and Steeplechase are a very large improvement over the Bifrost. Don't get me wrong I love the Bifrost especially for it's price point but the MHDT DACs are noticeably better in nearly every category.
i have the xspdif2 and haven't noticed a change when powering it with hdplex's 9v dc. however, i also have the matrix H usb card and it does benefit from external psu. tho, as i understand it, these two devices are not actually powered by external psu.
when i had the orchid, i didn't use a ddc. i am really kicking myself for it as i really like these older r2r chip based dacs when fed by a ddc. my favorite right now is a rod rain pcm1796 based dac fed by a singxer su-6.
I use that very same DDC with my Orchid. I was already getting a nice sound from the Orchid using a SPDIF converter + the best coax cable I know of. Then I swapped in the Matrix DDC everything got a little bit better, especially focus, channel separation, and space around notes.
I have no reason to lust after other DACs. This one totally works for me.
I don't have the Orchid but I do have the MHDT Pagoda and Steeplechase and the Bifrost. Both the Pagoda and Steeplechase are a very large improvement over the Bifrost. Don't get me wrong I love the Bifrost especially for it's price point but the MHDT DACs are noticeably better in nearly every category.
Lol! Happy to report no. It's one of their previous generation of DACs. I've also owned MHDT Paradesia + and Havana DACs from previous generations. They are all very musical and very analogue sounding. Coming from a vinyl background this is exactly the sound I was looking for.
Exactly right. I had a huge love affair w/vinyl all through the '80s, big TT,big system, 1000s of LPs. Started having CD players, then DACs,~1986. It wasn't until ~25 years later, when I got my first NOS DAC, that digital started sounding like music. 2 NOS and one multibit DAC later, I'm right where I need to be.
Is there any sonic comparison between Orchid and Orchid69SE? As I see the tube families used are different.
Also, when I check the price of the product, there is 69SE, 69SE S1 and 69SE S2, each 100 usd more expensive than the previous
I wonder what is the difference in components inbetween those Orchids, and is there any increase in sonic quality or maybe more feature
EDIT: One more question, After going through the thread, I saw that the preference is to use DDC to Orchid.
If my streamer can output to SPDIF/Coax would a DDC still be necessary?
I want to keep things simple and not to add more box to the chain.
Is there any sonic comparison between Orchid and Orchid69SE? As I see the tube families used are different.
Also, when I check the price of the product, there is 69SE, 69SE S1 and 69SE S2, each 100 usd more expensive than the previous
I wonder what is the difference in components inbetween those Orchids, and is there any increase in sonic quality or maybe more feature
EDIT: One more question, After going through the thread, I saw that the preference is to use DDC to Orchid.
If my streamer can output to SPDIF/Coax would a DDC still be necessary?
I want to keep things simple and not to add more box to the chain.
I have the original Orchid and love it. I've been tempted by the 69SE but never been able to justify spending for it and just like all MHDT products, it's difficult to find much info.
The DDC subject has also tempted me a bit lately since I often use an Apple Macbook and an iPhone as source and from what I read it seems to make a positive difference feeding many DACs that don't have a great parts in their USB input.
Very likely, yes. The reason is that a DDC reclocks the digital signal, as well as converts the USB input to a SPDIF input to the DAC (coax or optical). Depending on the DAC used, the DDC's reclocking may well produce sonic benefits.
In addition, some DDCs, such as my Matrix Audio X-SPDIF2, also outputs the digital signal via I2S. My Orchid does not have an I2S input, but if I ever use a DAC that has one, I2S is often described as the very best sonic alternative to USB.
I don't have the Orchid but I do have the MHDT Pagoda and Steeplechase and the Bifrost. Both the Pagoda and Steeplechase are a very large improvement over the Bifrost. Don't get me wrong I love the Bifrost especially for it's price point but the MHDT DACs are noticeably better in nearly every category.
I’m in the same boat David, loving the Orchid for years now but haven’t found a decent replacement without having to morgage my house! Which DAC did you finally go for? I would love to find a battery driven « transportable » DAC to replace my Orchid because I like to listen to music in different spots, I use a Woo WA8 amp for that purpose but the internal ESS based DAC does not give me the same satisfaction as when I sit down at my desk and connect it to the Orchid. Thanks.
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
