MHDT Orchid or Lampizator Amber 3?

FWIW, I owned and sold that Yggy dac, the slightly modded Orchid sounds way less bright and digital to my ears and in my system.

Since the Amber 3 has come into mention by grannyring (who modded my Orchid)
Bill and myself would say it’s pretty darn unanimous the Amber 3 along with Orchid sound way more musical and natural to our ears.

I have had the directstream in my system and I feel that the other options are superior in every way. I used it daily for a month, so it was well burned in. I’ve had difficulty reconciling my experience with other reports (e.g., the stereophile class a rating). It just didn't work in my system.

Is LessLoss in this conversation at all?

@jzzmusician and I were talking and he asked me to post the following on this thread because it could easily have been overlooked on the MHDT Orchid tube rolling thread elsewhere on this Forum.
I read with interest 213cobra’s idea of using a 5670 to 6DJ8 socket adapter to allow substitution of a 6DJ8 in place of the GE 5670 tube or Western Electric alternative, so I purchased one of those adapters on the ’net and swapped in an Amperex made-in-Holland 6DJ8 for the GE tube. I think it is a very worthwhile upgrade. I’d describe it as on the scale of moving from the sound of a Baldwin piano to a big Steinway or Bosendorfer. Tonally the music is more fully fleshed out with a gorgeous midrange. Soundstage is larger, note trails and decays are clearer and more interesting. The music is warm, beautiful, illuminated, nuanced, emotionally rich.

If you’re interested in reading more on this please seek out the thread here on Audiogon titled something like MHDT Orchid tube rolling. There’s also a nice long thread on this topic on Head-fi.

@yoyodyne 


I have heard the PSAudio dacs a long time ago and I once owned the Schiit Yiggy. The Schiit is a fine dac (not my cup of tea) and while I really like Paul and his no nonsense but considerate demeanor, I don’t believe either of these dacs belong in the same conversation with the Amber 3. Again, my system, my ears, YMMV.

Back to the original topic: the Orchid and the Tubadour are both terrific dacs at their respective pricepoints, the Amber 3 is at another level entirely. Peace.