Another new DAC: Audio Mirror

@vassils

 thanks for the comparisons. I had a Schiit gungnir MB and recently had a short list of Orchid, AM, and Audio Note Kits.

I found a great deal on a used ANK 4.1LE built years ago with a lot of ANUK parts and filled with Black Gates. It beat my Gungnir as it’s more musical and enjoyable.

But now you have me wanting to try a AM SE now :D

Hey Vassils,

Don't lose sleep, and you sound very sane-so you won't, regarding your mix-up between the the two Lampi models.  I have had four DACs that cost between 10K to around 30K in for audition, only care about redbook- I spin CD's, and did not buy any of them because the DACs that I was using were just as good if not better.  And these DACs were bettered by the AM SE.  Remember, besides personal taste and synergy, EGO ownership and the price tag comes rapidly into play. My experience as a professional reviewer is that owners of much more expensive pieces and other companies that charge out of your mind prices quickly become defensive, if you dare to state that much less expensive gear competes with theirs. Also, the differences in performance between their much more expensive piece and something like the AM SE are magnified totally out of proportion.  There is no "BEST" in high-end audio, lots of great gear.  However, the Audio Mirror SE is not just great for the $, but offers a level of performance that competes with so much more expensive DACs I understand why this could lead to some disgruntled  owners of other DACs. 

  

Again, just wondering what DACs $10K to $30K this was compared to.  That helps me understand how things sound different by the design and parts quality.  All parts have sound and I get more understanding when I know what things are compared to.  Like when I speak to Mike Fremer, he tells me the differences he hears and on what recordings so that I can understand what he is hearing and then I can go and see if I hear the same differences for myself.  Also especially when I go visit him and hear exactly what he hears in his system.

Personally I do not own any DAC, preamp or amp that any of you own.  I have been down that road and I now build my own components to the sound that I prefer.  I spend more on parts than what most components have inside them.

I enjoy reading most threads here especially when knowledge is shared in a way that is communicated in detail.

Anyone in the NYC area, I am always interested in meeting and sharing experiences.

Happy Listening.

@teajay is very excited about this DAC and rightfully so.  He invited me over to heard it and it was sounding excellent!  I agree that it sounds better in his setup than than the stock MHDT Orchid and it wasn't even fully broken in yet!

@grannyring I agree that the true test would be against a modded Orchid.  I modded mine with the V-Cap ODAM (no copper bypass) and it was a huge improvement.  I think the modded Orchid would be much closer to the SE version.  Ultimate comparison might be using the Dueland caps and Z-foil in the Orchid vs the AM SE that has the same.  It's nice that Audio Mirror basically sells a pre-modded DAC for those that are not into modding and want to retain their warranty.

Some interesting comparisons going on, within this thread as well as the thread about the Lampizator Amber 3 dac and Orchid. As mentioned on that thread, I am presently using a modified Orchid dac (by Bill Dion/Grannyring), with Vishay naked Zfoil and Audio Note Tantalum resistors, Vcap Odam and Vcap CuTF caps, as well as a Synergistics Research Orange fuse. I have been very enamored with the sound of this modified dac, although I have not heard the Amber 3 nor the AM SE. Just listened yesterday for several hours. There are moments where time seemed to stand still. Music is presented in a most effortless, natural (to these ears) manner that draws you in rather than being thrust upon you. Sound stage is expansive, depending upon the particular recording. Vocals can be intimate in an almost spooky way. I do wonder, without hearing the comparisons myself, whether the differences between these dacs might come down to personal preferences, what priorities one may have. This modified Orchid ticks off all the boxes for me, but that doesn't mean it would necessarily be everyone's cup of tea. Especially if one preferred a more forward, in your face sort of presentation. Other equipment in my system may also help describe my preferences: Wyred 4 Sound STP-SE/Stage 2 preamp, First Watt SIT 3 amp, Audio Note AN/J LX speakers, Oppo BDP105 used with hard drive attached. 
By the way, from what I have been told I am not sure that Duelund caps will fit in the Orchid dac, at least not without some effort. Might be a moot point for some as before I went ahead with this mod, I did a lot of research about the Vcap Odams, and it appeared that at least some preferred these caps to the Duelunds which again might just be a matter of personal preference.