840C and MHDT Havana

I use a Cambridge 840c as a dac for apple lossless files ran through a primaluna dialogue 2 integrated tube amp. I do not experience any sheen and am very happy with the combo. Hope that helps some. I have rolled mullards into my system but ultimatly settled on tung sols 12ax7, Radiotechniques 12au7, and genelex goldline reissues Kt88. because the mullards were ultimatly to soft for my taste. Good luck

Regarding "sheen", I would expect a SS DAC to mesh better with tube amplification like in Beerad's case.

If SS amplification is used with a SS DAC, the results might be more "sheeny", but to me this is not necessarily a bad thing....its a matter of taste and preference more so than absolutes regarding one sound being better than the other. It comes back to the typical SS/tube debate scanario, I suppose. Some will prefer all tubes, some a mix of tube and SS and some SS all the way.

Timnaim,

What is it specifically that the Reimyo does much better than the Havana?

Hey all and thanks for the responses thus far!

In regard to mixing and matching, of course synergy between components is key. What I prefer in my system is something smooth and easy to listen to. I am actually very sensitive in the upper frequencies and can easy get fatigued. I thus try shy away from anything which is sibilant, etched or too bright.

For example, I could not stand the Benchmark DAC-1 even feeding tube amplification. I much preferred the Apogee Mini-DAC I used to own, which I found to be warmer and more musical. I would gladly sacrifice extreme detail extraction for musicality and smoothness. I would, however, be wary of anything too euphonic, rolled off or soft in the bass region.

Timnaim - do you find the bass to be sloppy at all? From what I have read, the tube used would make a great difference - the likes of the WE396A may be too slow or "tubey" whilst something like a Bendix 2C51 better at being crisp, clear, and with better bass control.

One other question I have - I'd be using the Macbook outputing digital optical to the DAC. I have it set at 24/96 generally....is there any negative effect or loss in sound quality feeding 24/96 data to a 16-bit DAC (like the Havana)?

"is there any negative effect or loss in sound quality feeding 24/96 data to a 16-bit DAC (like the Havana)"

It depends on the resolution of the source files being served.

If they come from CDs, then I would expect not assuming everything is working properly because these are only 16 bit to start.

If they truly come from other higher (than 16 bit) resolution sources, then maybe assuming that the true resolution is in fact greater than 16 bits. If it is a 16 bit source that has been oversampled to a higher sampling frequency, for example, then probably not.