Allow me to chime in if I may. I either presently own or have in the very recent past (this year) owned the following dacs: Chord Dave, Nagra Classic Dac, Lampizator Golden Atlantic, Lampizator Amber 3, Border Patrol Dac SE, MHDT Orchid, TotalDac D1-Tube-Mk2, Aqua La Scala Optologic, Audio Mirror Tubadour Mk3 with all the upgrades. In the distant past some of the better dacs I’ve had range from Cary 306 pro, Wadia 861se, McIntosh MDA1000 and I began experimenting with streaming in 2004 with a Macbook feeding the optical input of a Cary 306-200 cd player.
Yes, things have progressed mightily over the past 15 years and today I stream from an Innuos Zenith Mk3 using a FTA Callisto usb cable. We really are fortunate that there are so many wonderful choices available to the audio community for they are virtually all vastly superior to what could even be conceived of just a mere decade ago. I tend to appreciate the tubier side of the sound spectrum, I have 3 systems and have just this year owned (not borrowed) Nagra Classic and Pass Labs XA25 solid state amps and Audio Research Ref75se, Shindo, VTL , LTA and Leben amps on the tube side of the scale. Cabling is presently Tellurium Q and Auditorium 23 with Kubala and Cardas bounced in an out on occasion. With all of this in context, I would like to comment on this topic.
With all due respect to @teajay (and I do deeply respect teajay for his fearless advocacy of products he believes set a new bar) as well as the others here who have commented and in recognition that we all hear differently and every ancillary difference affects everything else, I offer the following observations. The MHDT Orchid and the Lampizator Amber 3 are both terrific dacs but in no way is the Orchid the equal to the Amber 3. Now, this is in my system, my room and my ears. My experience with these two dacs, side by side for an extended period leave me confident in this appraisal for the following reasons. The Amber 3 is so much more refined, dynamic and fully fleshed out that my belief is that this offering must be a loss leader for Lampizator. The bass performance is exceptional, a liquid, almost illuminated mid range is complimented with a delicate yet robust top end. Its really mind boggling, to me anyway, that they can sell this dac for less than $3,000!
The Orchid is an exceptional dac as well and if you are shopping at its pricepoint you can feel confident that you will enjoy your music and not be missing the party. Make no mistake though, the Orchid is not the equal of the Lampizator Amber 3. So, where would I place the Orchid among the dacs I have spent considerable time with? I would place the Orchid slightly ahead of the Border Patrol DAC SE (I have yet to experience the new SEI version). I prefer the Audio Mirror Tubadour to the Orchid and I prefer the Amber 3 to the upgraded Tubadour I have. I believe the Amber 3 is on par with the Lampizator Golden Atlantic and the Aqua La Scala Optologic, so close in fact that the minor differences are quite subjective in the smallest degree.
So, what should you do and which dac is right for you? You should arrange a listen to each and decide for yourself which you prefer. The Orchid is referred to by many as a giant killer and I guess it just depends on the giant it is facing. Without monetary constraints of any kind, I would consider the Orchid a superb dac unless I heard it back to back compared to the Audio Mirror Tubadour. The Tubadour is a better dac in every way to my ears than the Orchid. The Amber 3 is better still than the Tubadour, again to my ears, and you have to spend a whole lot more money to materially better its performance.
To be quite frank, if I compare the Chord Dave to the Amber 3 I prefer the Amber 3. The Dave has more features, it probably “measures better” to the crowd that decides before hearing for themselves which dac is better but it just isn’t as musically satisfying to me.
Buy what YOU like, there are alot of choices out there and they are all terrific in their own way. Good luck and peace to all.
