I've had my original Pagoda since before they sold on their website. I'll not ever sell it. Great DAC for sure. I use a Bendix 6385 myself. Of course, I repurchased mine before they got popular. Sheesh $250 is nuts to me.
I beat you, I have the original Paradisea since MHDT started making DACs! Of course I eventually bought the Orchid but the Paradisea is still in use for a secondary system with background music that sounds great.
I've had my original Pagoda since before they sold on their website. I'll not ever sell it. Great DAC for sure. I use a Bendix 6385 myself. Of course, I repurchased mine before they got popular. Sheesh $250 is nuts to me.
Just listing based on market value. I paid nearly $400 for the pair. Impossible to find now (largely because of MHDT owners buying them up, AFAICT), so they are expensive. Even regular Bendix 2C51's are north of $100/$150 a tube NOS on eBay nowadays, though.
Just listing based on market value. I paid nearly $400 for the pair. Impossible to find now (largely because of MHDT owners buying them up, AFAICT), so they are expensive. Even regular Bendix 2C51's are north of $100/$150 a tube NOS on eBay nowadays, though
Yeah, I get it dude. I wasn't knocking you for selling at that price. I'm just shocked that they go for that much now. All it takes is one person to talk about how sweet some tube sounds on some amp and then the tube shops ramp up the price. I get it.
I've recently reassigned my Canary DAC to my OTL headphone amp (driving a 250 Ohm Beyerdynamic DT990 PRO) - it used to be in my speaker system. Now I have been comparing different tubes in it through the headphones and yesterday it was the soviet made 6N3P-DR's turn in rolling. WOW, this is crazy good. The music jumped a category - the sounds, the notes are rendered perfectly: well-rounded, dynamic. The sheer enjoyment of listening is on another level with this tube. I had noticed the superb quality of this tube in my speaker system as soon as I rolled this tube in the first time but it was not as prominent how much greater it renders my favourite music as through this headphone amp. Perhaps it is the synergy between the tubes...
Two years ago I bought an Mhdt Orchid SE which I like very much. I've upgraded the fuse and installed an Amperex tube that works well. I recently upgraded my headphones to Stax SR007A's and took the big jump to a Mjolnir KGST amplifier. People recommended I upgrade my DAC for some increased detail to match the resolution of the headphones/earspakers and amplifier. After much research and looking to stay ahead of the tariffs I purchased a demo Denafrips Pontus 15. I ordered Supra power cords and USB Cables to compare them accurately. At first there was a possibly of some nuanced improvement but not significant. Upon further research I used my Gustard U16 and an HDMI cable into the Pontus and the gap widened. Then I used my XLO Coaxial digital cable from the same Gustard into the Orchid. I now have a tie. Certainly love my Orchid.
Two years ago I bought an Mhdt Orchid SE which I like very much. I've upgraded the fuse and installed an Amperex tube that works well. I recently upgraded my headphones to Stax SR007A's and took the big jump to a Mjolnir KPST amplifier. People recommended I upgrade my DAC for some increased detail to match the resolution of the headphones/earspakers and amplifier. After much research and looking to stay ahead of the tariffs I purchased a demo Denafrips Pontus 15. I ordered Supra power cords and USB Cables to compare them accurately. At first there was a possibly of some nuanced improvement but not significant. Upon further research I used my Gustard U16 and an HDMI cable into the Pontus and the gap widened. Then I used my XLO Coaxial digital cable from the same Gustard into the Orchid. I now have a tie. Certainly love my Orchid.
If the Orchid had a more "pro" built casing and was from a better known company it would probably sell for 1.5 it's price. I love mine also and the only one that would make me change it is the LTA Aero which is a similar concept (NOS and tube) but most probably quite a good notch above in performance.
If the Orchid had a more "pro" built casing and was from a better known company it would probably sell for 1.5 it's price. I love mine also and the only one that would make me change it is the LTA Aero which is a similar concept (NOS and tube) but most probably quite a good notch above in performance.
.... hmm, a little difference in concept and execution between Orchid and Aero. In Orchid, the tube is used as a "buffer". In Aero, tubes are part of the "output stage" which is ZOTL (zero hysteresis, output transformer-less).
.... hmm, a little difference in concept and execution between Orchid and Aero. In Orchid, the tube is used as a "buffer". In Aero, tubes are part of the "output stage" which is ZOTL (zero hysteresis, output transformer-less).
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