MHDT Orchid or Lampizator Amber 3?

Very cool. @grannyring now that you’ve heard the Golden Atlantic, isn’t it uncanny how different the recent Lampizators sound versus just a few years ago. Weren’t you surprised when you thought back to when you first formed your unfavorable impression of the Lampizator sound?

Whether or not you find the Amber 3 the right dac for you, whether you find that it improves those musical areas you value, its fun to experience something new. Kudos to the OP for posing a valid question that provoked a civil conversation and challenged a respected member here to experience it for himself and kudos to @grannyring for making the effort to go listen. No matter the outcome, this is an example to us all. @grannyring  was admittedly predisposed that the Lampizator sound wasn’t to his tastes and he came away with the initial bias, a bias we all have from time to time, overcome.

The moral to the story: search out and listen for yourself.

For those of you that have heard the Amber 3, can you comment on the Lampizator volume control?  I don't currently have a preamp and I'm weighing the difference between buying a low cost passive pre like the Schiit Freya or ordering the Amber with volume.

The volume on my Golden Atlantic was excellent. When you opt to add the volume you also get a set of analog inputs and the small screen so that your selected input shows, be they your digital inputs or the analog in. Its a trade off between no extra interconnects vs the flexibility of separates.

Thanks ghasley, that's information I did not know.

ghasley,
you said, " With all due deference to the OP, he/she started this thread to question a binary comparo between the Orchid and the Amber 3. I apologize if my posts introduced the idea for others to begin recommending their dacs. The OP may or may not want those recommendations. I was just trying to communicate reference points and a baseline for context."
Your posts along with those from grannyring and others are some of the best I've ever read here in a long time. 

It's true I am most interest in the two dacs in the original posts and made it limited so the thread didn't get into a "he said, she said," kind of a deal.
This thread is a delight to read and I've read every post at least three time.  At the moment, the Amber 3 is at the top of my list followed by the Orchid.  I'm sure I'd be happy with the Orchid, or Pagoda, and sometimes wonder if my 67 old ears with mild tinnitus would be able to tell the difference. 

Thanks again to all of you for your thoughts!
- Bob