MHDT Labs R-2R NOS Tube DACs

The Canary is very natural and organic. Smooth, euphonic, romantic, effortless.

It's not as detailed as the Atlantis, nor is it as dry.

My preferred tube is the 6N26P with it, but those who prefer even more liquid would like the GE 5670 Triple Mica.

 

Thanks, maybe i should consider it for my hd800 as well, erff...problems with not having much money eheh.

Was a great read.

 

http://www.basshead.club/mhdt-labs-pagoda-stockholm-atlantis-and-canary/

 

Thanks i know what i want. January i will buy

 

very good review thanks very much...

 

MHDT Labs Orchid in the house! TDA1541A. It still has the stock R1 chip in it, though I have a late production N2 chip that I'm going to order soon.

Tube I popped in first is the 6n26p, which is my favorite in the Atlantis by a fair margin.

First impression is that this has the most stage depth of any MHDT DAC to date.

Ah, to have a proper DAC again.

 

Please do a complete review on the orchid once it is fully broken in. Also, are you letting go of the canary? If you are, I will pick it up from you. I am in your area, Orange County

 

Howdy! Already let the Canary go when I had to sell off all of my gear. At the moment, I have the Orchid and an Atlantis with a bunch of mods. I'll have to let one of those two go and I'm having a lot of trouble deciding which. The Atlantis+ is lovingly modified with various upgrades. The Orchid now has a super nice TDA1541A from 1998 (regarded as being often nearly as good as an S2). Both are pretty incredible. Only one will remain in my setup... and gad, I don't know which to pick.

 

Hi,

If you let's go of the Orchid please let me know since you haven't invested a lot of money into modifying it. And it also has better Chip vs Canary, which I was looking for.

Please let me know.

Phong

 

Just put the final touches on the (new) Atlantis+ by installing a pair of K40Y-9 paper-in-oil output capacitors.

Pic before I straightened the caps out and reassembled the chassis:



On the docket for this week--maybe even tonight if I'm feeling up to it--is to replace the PCM1704 chips on the Pagoda with PCM1704-K. The right PCM1704 chip is faulty, so I have to replace it anyway. Might as well spend $150 on K grade chips from a reputable source.

 

Nice thread! I enjoy'd the read. It's a shame Marvey doesn't like to tube roll, but I'm excited to hear your thoughts on the Ember II when you get it in and pair it with the Upgraded Atlantis you have

What's the price of the Atlantis? I'm always on the look out for upgrades to my NFB10ES2, and seeing as I use my Ember II pretty much 80% of the time I'd be great to have something else to tube roll with tube rolling is really quite fun, well tube collecting ^^

 

The Atlantis is $816 direct from MHDT. I'm using it with the Project Horizon III.

I settled on tubes after trying dozens of different tubes for both the DAC and Amp.

6N26P in the DAC, 6N6P in the Amp.

I have some strange affinity for Russian military spec tubes. Dunno why, but they tend to be really authoritative while dynamic and fairly detailed.

With the ampsandsound Mogwai, I also ended up loving Russian tubes. 6H9C input tube and 6P3S-E power tubes.

 

I agree, I too liked the 6n6p in the Starlight and the Vali 2 actually. Though I never pursued them as the prices got out of hand for the really nice ones, vs the some what lower prices on a single Sylvania 6sn7, but I had a nice Vokshod rocket [which is actually a 6n23p] before I sold my Starlight... I ought to try a really nice 6n6p again and see how it compares to my 6sn7

What is the cost of the MHDT after upgrades, not counting the time/labor

 

I actually like NOS 6N6P just fine. Never found things resolving enough to matter between those and the super expensive ones.

With the upgrades, it's hard to say. You have to hunt around if you want any NOS parts. Most pieces are actually fairly easy to source and probably cost less than $100.

You only really get hard with labor costs.

 

Basshead.Club review updated to include the Orchid:

MHDT Labs Orchid Addendum



In mid 2017, MHDT Labs introduced a new DAC to the lineup. This one uses a chip many of us have been asking for: The Philips TDA1541A. This chip is one of the most famous from the glory days of R-2R, mentioned in the same reverent breath as the Burr-Brown PCM63, Analog Devices AD1862, and Ultra Analog D20400A.

It uses an R1 version of the chip, which is not one of the famous late production ~1998 chips or a “crown” chip (S1/S2). While the R1 is not a famed variant of the TDA1541A, it is socketed in the DAC and is extremely easy to replace if you want to buy a better version of the chip.

My impressions of the Orchid can be summarized rather succinctly as: jack of all trades, master of all trades.

It is, quite simply, the best overall DAC that MHDT Labs has ever produced. Even with the R1 chip, it has the most stage depth of any of their offerings, width at a similar level to the Pagoda, and a wonderfully vivid, dynamic presentation.

If you want a non-oversampling, R-2R tube DAC that can do it all very well, the Orchid is the best I have ever had the pleasure to listen to. The bass digs deep without ever getting flabby or encroaching on the mids. The mids are luscious and elegant. The highs have detail and air without being fatiguing.

To sidetrack a little bit, I’ll briefly talk about a famous DAC that uses the TDA1541A chip: The Audial Model S. Audial’s Pedja Rogic is a pioneer of building modern digital-to-analog converters with the TDA1541A chip.

I mention this for two reasons: First, the Orchid utilizes a zero-feedback output stage scheme very similar to Audial by utilizing the OPA861 as an I/V transistor. In the DIY community, this is often believed to be the best way to implement an output stage using the TDA1541A, and MHDT Labs appears to agree.

Secondly, Pedja did some very in-depth research to find the best examples of the TDA1541A apart from the rare and expensive S2 chips, and he discovered chips made in 1998 in Taiwan to be exemplary. I hunted around and found one to use as a replacement for the R1 that came stock.

Was it worth it? Undoubtedly, yes. To replace the chip, I basically took two screwdrivers and slowly removed the R1 chip from the sockets to prevent any bending of the pins. Then a quick installation of the 1998 Taiwan chip (lining up the pins and pushing it down) and I was ready to go.

Were the changes audible? I believe so, yes. Everything sounded effectively as described earlier, but slightly better in every way. If you can source a genuine TDA1541A chip, I do recommend replacing the stock R1. If you can’t find one, no big deal. You’re missing out on placebo and less change than a solid tube will get you.

Briefly touching on tubes, I’ve found that different tubes complement the various MHDT Labs DACs. I wouldn’t use the same tube in the Pagoda and Stockholm because the DACs themselves have different characteristics. That said, I find the Orchid to respond to tube changes nearly as dramatically as the Atlantis. While the Pagoda and Stockholm are sonically influenced by the chosen tube, the Atlantis changes quite significantly, and the Orchid nearly as much.

This means you have a potential chameleon on your hands and you will be able to find a tube that pairs well with your ears and the Orchid. The Pagoda, Stockholm, and Canary are all set well enough in their ways that a simple tube change isn’t going to push things far in any direction, while the Orchid and Atlantis can be tuned to taste.

So I’ve been gushing about the Orchid for paragraphs. Is it my favorite DAC from MHDT? It may very well be. Previously, my favorite of the bunch was a heavily modified Atlantis (dubbed the “Atlantis+”), but the Orchid has so many beautiful qualities it might take the cake.

Musical, dynamic, vivid, airy, and gorgeous, the MHDT Labs Orchid is sure to gain a cult following among fans of this style of DAC.

 

How hard was it for you to source the alternative DAC chip? Thanks

 

Not too bad. Found it at the DIY Audio forums. You can also find some "N2" chips at places like Dutch Audio Classics that are supposed to be super good (have to email them but they had a few left last time I checked).

 

ooooooh that sounds AMAZING, I loved rolling out the opAmps in my iBasso PB2, and now they've got a dac with the option to ROLL other chips in AND to roll in other tubes!!!! That's pretty phenomenal!

Now I want to see a collab between Garage 1217 and MHDT Labs... can you imagine what that would be like! Jeremy also allows for both Tube and OpAmp rolling in the Starlight, having a dac and amp built with what seems to be a similar principle would be pretty phenomenal!

 

I don't think you can really roll opamps in the Orchid. The opamp is being used as a zero feedback transistor, not a traditional opamp.

I'd contact MHDT before attempting to roll an opamp in the Orchid so you don't blow the DAC.

They do have opamps that can be rolled in some of the older DACs if you want to do so.

 

No I'm not suggesting you roll the opAmp. But the possibility of rolling different Dac Modules into the Orchid, is equally as exciting as rolling different opAmps into the PB2, they share a similar design concept, and frankly I like that. The PB2 thread on HF looks like it ought to be here, those guys are bonkers. A number of them have heavily modified and upgraded their PB2 with things that really have no business being rolled into that Amp, but they have and most are happy with the improvements

Like wise, as you've done with the MHDT Lab dacs in your possession,