"The closest, believe it or not, was the MHDT Havana using the Pacecar."
The mhdt Constantine is SS and would be an interesting one to compare if the mhdt tube DAC was the closest otherwise.
I have both Constantine and Paradisea. Each cost under $500 second hand.
Constantine sounds more like a good SS DAC. Paradisea with stock tube sounds like a tube device, particularly in the mids. OTher tubes can change the sound. The NOS Tung Sol equivalent makes it sound more SS like the COnstantine.
The mhdt Constantine is SS and would be an interesting one to compare if the mhdt tube DAC was the closest otherwise.
I have both Constantine and Paradisea. Each cost under $500 second hand.
Constantine sounds more like a good SS DAC. Paradisea with stock tube sounds like a tube device, particularly in the mids. OTher tubes can change the sound. The NOS Tung Sol equivalent makes it sound more SS like the COnstantine.