Thinking about getting a R2R DAC

So I got the MHDT Pagoda today and put it up against the Qutest.  I know I need to let the Pagoda break in so it's not quite a fair comparison yet.  It was very interesting.  I like aspects of both.  

The Pagoda has a fuller richer tone.  More meat on the bones.  The soundstage is broader.  There is an analog character to it that is very appealing.  Mids are rich and broad and colorful without any sense of bloat

The Qutest is more resolving.  It's a leaner presentation.  Going back and forth it feels like the mids got sucked out.  However the highs and high mids are more present and give a much more 3D soundstage.  The Pagoda is big but more 2D in comparison.  The Qutest feels faster and more nimble whereas the Pagoda is like a big steak dinner.


I am quite shocked at how different these 2 DACs sound.  I really like both but I am leaning toward keeping the Qutest in my main system as I miss the 3D soundstage that the Chord provides.  I might have to sacrifice richness for soundstage.  

My girlfriend who is also a musician preferred the Qutest

I'm going to keep breaking in the Pagoda and maybe roll a different tube in there at some point and see what happens.  Thanks again everyone for your help!

Breaking in is bullocks man. Just keep your Qutest allright. Check Andrew Robinson on YouTube, he busts the breaking in myth.

The Pagoda has a tube. Is there much debate about tubes needing break in? Mine definitely changed over first 40 hrs.  

don't know if you call it break in... but tubes definitely take a few hours to settle into a circuit

dacs do have distinctive sounds... they are the 'voice' of the digital front end, making the digital bitstream real analog music again

as much as the cartridge and phono stage is for an analog front end...

I had similar issues with my Audio Mirror Tubadour III and started bitching about it too soon. After about 50 hours or so, the change in sound was so dramatic that it could have won an oscar. Hang in there!