The Six Moons.com review on the Mhdt Labs Orchid DAC just went up


This morning the review on the superlative Mhdt Labs Orchid DAC was just posted on Six Moons.com.  It gives all the details why I have made it my reference DAC.  I also share my position, with flexibility, that all all the hype regarding high resolution formats as being superior sounding to 16/44.1 kHz or 16/48 kHz R-2R ladder DACs is just that "hype".  

Hope you enjoy the review.
teajay
I got mhdt labs pagoda in balance configuration, you gotta give it a listen , some say it not romantic like orchid but to my ear it was so natural and sweet , soundstage is wide and tall , the detail is unbelievable real and lifelike presentation when pair with my Nola boxer s2 , only one thing I dd not like was it is too much gain in the voltage in xlr input I have to switch to -6 dB on my amp but it is perfect sounding if u using rca input , right now I have to find another set of xlr to match my system , the fun part of it is finding the perfect tube for your taste!
Ok, i just read Terry London's 6 moon review on the MHDT Orchid. It's a good thing he doesn't have the same propensity with women as he does with audio equip. What i mean by that is, it wasn't all that long ago he reviewed the Lab 12 and pronounced it one of the best, if not the best (or something to that effect) DAC he has heard in quite some time and proceeded to buy it.  I see now after Terry listened to the "MHDT Orchid" the Lab 12 is now in the upstairs listening room via the curb.. Early on I was pretty well sold on the Lab 12 but had not yet pulled the trigger, and I now see that it is a good thing i didn't.. So, in the end I suppose no harm, no foul. Anyone else have any experience with this unit that might shed some light on its worthiness?   

Hey Mrdon,

How did you know that I was married three times!

I find this somewhat amazing.  About a year ago I review a DAC (Lab12) that was at least the equal or better then DACs that  were in the 10K to 20K price range for around 2K.  I then review a DAC (Mhdt Labs) which is half the price of the first "giant killer" which is even a better performer and you sound upset with me for being honest.

As a reviewer I'm always looking for products that give the greatest ratio of performance/build quality vs cost.  Nothing stays the same, including great new products in high-end audio.

What you refer to as the "curb", were the Lab12 DAC-1 was placed is a terrific reference level SET based system and the Lab12 sounds great in it (take a look at the review again so you can see a picture of the system that we are talking about).  The Lab12 DAC-1 is still a wonderful piece, just because it was bested by another DAC does not make it worthless/inferior.

I never claimed that either DAC is the "BEST" in the world.  Based on performance vs price the Orchid is terrific, and for my tastes offers a higher level of performance then the Lab12 DAC-1 for less money. I would assume this is information that would be helpful to my readers.    
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