Well it seems this little MHDT Orchid has more tricks up it’s tiny sleeve! This is not a dac you just plug and play and expect to get the most out of it. One of my customers and a good audio buddy purchased the Orchid with my upgrades and just loves it. He is also a big tweaker and decided to try the tube rolling idea which goes beyond the WE tube LTA sells with the Orchid.
Well he purchased a tube socket adaptor from this vendor....
http://www.garage1217.com/garage1217_diy_tube_headphone_amplifiers_012.htmHe purchased the one at the bottom of the page so he could use his
Siemen & Halske E88CC Gold pin tube. His unit has my upgrades, the SR Orange fuse and now the tube socket to roll E88CC tubes. He was so excited with the outcome that he could hardly contain himself. The soundstage grew well beyond the sides of the speakers and also became taller. He commented it was like opening the flood gates. The new tube can play at louder volumes with a greater ease and smoothness. He felt the overall improvement was on the order of 20%. Now this is in his system and your mileage may vary.
He also purchased a 6sn7 socket adaptor and will roll some very nice 6sn7 tubes this weekend. This will be most interesting!
What a fun little dac that can with some diligence and attention to the details be made to sound far better than stock.....and the stock unit is no slouch!
The Orchid is the little dac that could!
