Coincident Dragon MK I vs MK II

My sub is in the shop getting repaired. I decided to keep the Dragons and I'm trying a different dac to bring more organic warmth. I've now got an MHDT Stockholm that is delivering this in spades, maybe a little too much. I think I can tweak the MHDT to tailor the sound and will likely be selling the Chord QuteHD soon.

Erdog,
Have you determined the problem you were hearing is more the DAC's sonic character than the Dragons?

Charles,
That's right. When I tried the MHDT Stockholm dac, I came closer to hearing what I was missing. So I decided to keep the Dragons. As mentioned already, the Dragons are true to the source.

The MHDT is still not quite where I want it to be yet. I think the ultimate dac for me would sound in the middle of what the QuteHD offers and the Stockholm.

The QuteHD has this amazing liquidity that is smooth & organic, but also ALIVE sounding, with lots of detail that isn't digital sounding.

The stock Stockholm has more warmth and rounded edges. It also has surprisingly great detail. I could hear mico details that I didn't notice with the QuteHD. It doesn't have that Alive sound that the QuteHD has and instead has a pleasing warmth that makes everything sound good. The down side is that it lacks the clarity and dynamics that the QuteHD has. I call it too wooly.

I hope to get this part nailed down soon.

Erndog, I at one time had the more expensive Chord dac. I did not like it as it was too lean in the mids and the bass was loose.

Erdog,
I don't have the Dragon amps but if they're re anything like their siblings the Frankenstein MK II they'll be very uncolored and superbly transparent. You'll definitely hear everything upstream in your system, even the tiny changes. You are right to address the source and get that to your full satisfaction
Charles, .