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Thinking about getting a R2R DAC

Dear community,

I currently have a chord qutest DAC. I like it a lot, very full sound, accurate detailed and exciting.  However, whenever I go back to vinyl (with a well-recorded nice pressing) I find the sound so much more satisfying.  There is a warmth, yes, but there is a presence, a 'there-ness' that I just don't get with the digital.  I'm wondering if an R2R DAC would get me closer to that?  my budget would be around the same as the qutest.  I was looking at the MHDT Orchid or the Border Patrol.  Don't get me wrong, I really like the Qutest.  I am thinking of putting it in the upstairs system to pair with the Node2i I have up there.  Any thoughts?  Will analog always just be a different animal than digital?

Currently in the main system I have a Sonore uRendu feeding the Qutest which is going to a LTA MZ2 going to a Pass XA 30.5

thanks!
adam8179
jjss49's avatar
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jjss49
6,612 posts
 
@adam8179

excellent choice... enjoy!

juin and cohorts @ mhdt in taipei really know what the heck they are doing, and they have great ears... all their dacs have a luscious substantial yet lively sound -- plus if the tonal balance top to bottom doesn’t quite suit your system exactly they can be altered by rolling the tube - if you are buying it new from them be sure to let the tube and whole dac run in for a good month, it will keep improving in that time

less zippy less hifi, but more listenable over long stretches than the qutest
decooney
2,103 posts
 
@adam8179


Congrats. Pagoda’s with the Burr Brown dual chipset is nice, XLRs if you need them, and same tube compliment.

Save this link for later, may not need it but just in case for "burn in and tubes"...http://www.mhdtlab.com/tube.htm

The stock tube works well, if you find it a tad bright (not always, some do), the Tesla is midway smooth, and the WE396 is even smoother yet was a tad too rolled off for my speakers but others love it in some cases with more forward speakers. A good cable from your player and XLR or SE cables back to the inputs on your helps too. Be sure to give it 40-80hrs burn-in for the tube, caps, to settle in and it opens up even more. Thumbs up!
arafiq's avatar
arafiq
1,682 posts
 
@adam8179 -- awesome choice! I ended up buying the Audio Mirror Tubadour III, but Pagoda was a very close second. As others have mentioned, be sure to let it burn in for at least 50 hours before critical listening.
melvinjames
416 posts
 
@adam8179  .. congrats! 

As others have mentioned, give it some time to settle in. I ran mine with the stock tube for quite some time before changing it out with a WE396A (D getter, JW military version). To be honest, I was somewhat skeptical and hoped the tube change wasn't a waste of money. I wasn't disappointed in the least. In fact, I'll soon be ordering another for backup. Best of luck. I hope the Pagoda brings some of that "there-ness" you're seeking. 
deetch's avatar
deetch
12 posts
 
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