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MHDT or Border Patrol

I've been switching between a DACmagic Pus with an LPS, and a Schiit Modi Multibit DACs and while the sound is decent/acceptable I would like to "upgrade" to a non-OS tube DAC just to see if it adds more body and texture to the music without losing detail. Has anyone had a chance to compare the MHDT and Border Patrol DACs and can comment on their sound quality?  I have Bluesound Node2 feeding the DAC, into an upgraded Aric Audio tube preamp, McIntosh MC2200, and Vandersteen 2Ci speakers. I'm actually looking for more texture in the low/high treble and mid/low bass. Aric's preamp gives plenty of body/texture in the midrange spectrum.
Thanks in advance.  
128x128kalali
teajay
1,687 posts
 
I have in-house right now the MHDT Orchid for review.  I chose this MHDT model because it uses a TDA 1541 A chip.  

I found the Border Patrol to be a good sounding DAC.  However, for my tastes the MHDT offers a much higher level of performance in the very areas you are looking for.  If you roll the tube to a NOS WE396A D getter from the NOS tube that MHDT ships with you get even richer timbres/colors and more precise imaging and spatial qualities.  I believe the Orchid's build quality is better then the Border Patrol and it's a bargain at being about half the price of the other piece.
kalali's avatar
kalali OP
1,977 posts
 
teajay, thanks. Do you use the Orchid for Redbook CD playback or for streaming higher resolution content, or both in your review? If both, do you feel the DAC responds to one better than the other? I'm just wondering how the 16-bit chip-based DACs like Orchid handle higher resolution content like 20/96 or higher. 
teajay
1,687 posts
 
Hi kalali,

I only drive the Orchid with Jay's Audio redbook transport.
mzkmxcv
777 posts
 
Simplest way is to get a transparent DAC and boost the bass to your liking, so something like a MiniDSP 2x4HD or SHD/Studio.

But the Border Pateol one is not bad.
wtf's avatar
wtf
307 posts
 
The only DAC in their line to both accept and output 24 bit signals up to and including 192 is the Pagoda. Here’s a quote from Head Fi member s1rrah who did a nice comprehensive review of the Pagoda a couple of years ago.

Secondly, the Pagoda DAC is a true 192khz/24 bit design, both receiving a signal in 192khz/24bit while also outputting in 24bit format. All previous PCM56P DACs released by MHDT Labs have been limited to 16bit output, with some (like the Havana 2 and Stockholm 2) being capable of at least receiving 192khz/24bit signals. But even though some might be able to accept this high resolution signal, all have been limited to 16bit output; this is simply an inherent limitation of the PCM56P DAC. -- s1rrah

I believe their other DACs output to either 16/44.1 or 16/48 depending on input (i.e., 24/44.1, 88.2, 176.4 = 16/44.1 out and 24/48, 96, 192 = 16/48 out). This is how my Tranquility works with high-res material. Not sure about their 20 bit Atlantis however, which uses an Analog Devices chip.
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