MHDT Havana and Eastern Electric Minimax

Mapman you make a point that I would like to expand on concerning large scale works and the Havana. When I reference small scale I am referring to small scale acoustic music. The Havana which apparently got its name from the love that the designer has for Cuban music is right on point. I too love this music and have an eclectic mix of Carribean, Brazilian and Cuban including Pasquito D'rivera, Poncho Sanchez, Ruben Gonzalez, Buena Vista Social Club and Arturo Fuerte on the Cuban side of things. The Havana really gets the pace of the music and has a fullness that is just so enjoyable to listen to on this DAC. Greater resolution, detail, can be a double edged sword. The problem I keep hearing with these budget DACs using the Sabre is that lack of continuousness that I hear with analog which can bring attention to itself and the system at large. If the balance isn't right and there is an issue at any of the frequencies, DACs with greater resolution can highlight problems and bring greater attention to attendant issues. This is what is so engaging about the Havana, it doesn't do this. It seems most folks that have it like its organic presentation BUT move on because it doesn't HAVE the detail.

As far as large scale work goes, and I am specifically referring to acoustic music, symphonic and vocals. The Havana is enjoyable on this music as well because tonally it is right but the stage is smaller and air and space around instruments is just not as apparent. So depending on musical taste the Havana could work well.

I own or have owned 3 budget DACs that use the Sabre ESS 9018 32 bit chip. It makes a difference in presenting detail BUT this chip will not compensate for a compromised power supply or output stage designed to a price point, of this I am certain because you really hear the differences in better designed DACs that consequently cost more. The fact that is most apparent in all of them isn't the lack of detail but either too lean, lacking in continuousness or more to point a chopped off presentation compared to analog or an inherent brightness that reveals itself in comparison to better more expensive DACs. The Wyred 4 Sound has in my experience the best balance at its price point with terrific bass and a really airy well separated midrange. I have the W4S DAC 1 with the cap upgrade and in my system it works best of them all but I still like and rotate the Havana into the system because it too is enjoyable.

TubeG,

Which mhdt and other DACs of relevance in this thread use the SAbre ESS 9018 32 bit chip you mention?

Here is a quite excellent and detailed review of both mhdt Paradisea and Constantine DACs that covers those two quite well and lead me to try both specifically. Lots of similar musical note ratings for both, and in fact lots of similarities in sound (with a relatively inexpensive tube upgrade as mentioned).

It indicates these two mhdt DACS use a 16 bit Philips chip that may be more relevant to their similar inherent sound than coming from the same maker alone. I think Havana and other newer mhdt DACs use different chips, but not certain, so I would not necessarily expect those to sound the same, but maybe they do to a good extent.

Thanks.

Havana

The mhdt Havana is built around the Burr Brown PCM56P 16bit chip. In the Havana circuit, the net output is organic, spacious, musically convincing if you are not judging it by how performed music would sound if you were 8 inches from the instruments, as so much is recorded and mixed today. It's also dynamically energetic and bursty. As others have noted, even though the tube is just an output buffer, there are about a dozen compatible tubes and they allow a range of fine tunings to the Havana's sound.

For those who have noted that Havana is less detailed than DACs built around the ESS 9018, the Havana Balanced is, via its balanced outputs, a significant upgrade in resolution while also delivering more shove and tone density. Yup, it's more expensive, but worth it. Running a Havana Balanced via its single-ended outputs is the same as using a straight Havana, as the Balanced version is comprised electrically of two full Havanas.

These DACs are very receptive to DIY upgrades to caps and power supply, but it's not necessary to get very fine sound. The stock GE 5670 tube is pleasant enough and has no sins of commission, but several of omission, comparatively. It's vanilla, cheap, ubiquitous so I understand why mhdt DACs ship with it. A Tung-Sol or Bendix 2c51 reveals more definition, space, tone and shove. The Bendix 1964-production 6385 yields the most perceived resolution along with a bit of leanness in the midrange. The CBS-Hytron 5670 is a very good compromise of traits. The Western Electric JAN 396A matches well in many systems. And then there are another ten or so tubes you can try.

I got some worthwhile but not dramatic further improvement from upgrades to five capacitors. By far the greatest positive change to the sound of both my Havana Balanced DACs was resting them on Aurios Media Bearings. Those seem hard to find suddenly, but by all means I encourage you to try some sort of bearings solution under mhdt DACs. The effect is almost hard to believe.

Among delta-sigma DACs, I put the Havana Balanced against a Yulong D18, which uses the ESS9018 in a well-thought-out power supply and audio implementation, at an Asian-sourced price like mhdt. The Yulong is a voiced DAC, that also has choice of balanced and SE outputs. Unlike Havana Balanced, where the designer simply gives you Havana sound in balanced circuitry, Yulong actively chose to voice the SE and XLR outputs differently, and that difference is very apparent. He refers to the SE outputs as the "hifi" outs and it's what you expect: ultra-resolving, clean, extended, lean ..... and unforgiving. The XLR outputs are voiced for music lovers and their sound is harmonically richer, warmer, more dimensioned; still extended and clean but with considerably more tonal body up and down the aural range. It's still not nearly as organic as the Havana Balanced nor the Havana SE, but it's a tenable sound for someone looking for that sense of ultimate detail in sigma-delta with a little more tone. More expensive 9018 DACs like Mytek, Benchmark 2 and Resonessence have more finesse than the Yulong of course, and are smoother. But I haven't yet heard a delta-sigma based DAC sound as organic and engaging as a nicely-tubed mhdt Havana Balanced, for 16/44 material.

mhdt no longer makes the Havana, though the Havana Balanced is still available. The Stockholm V2 is the essence of the Havana DAC with a 24/192 receiver chip, though the D-to-A conversion is still done by the 16bit PCM56P. For a true 24/192-capable DAC, mhdt now also has the Steeplechase, which uses the Asahi Kasei AK4396, sometimes referred to as the "miracle dac." mhdt's designer is on record saying buyers should not expect its sound to be as organic and satisfying as Havana and Stockholm, but for anyone needing full 24 bit processing for high-res material, Steeplechase will sound pretty good -- the AK4396 being, in his view, the least objectionable delta-sigma DAC chip available. You still have that output buffer tube socket to fine tune your sound.

Phil

I use a set of 4 older adjustable turn table feet under my constantine, which sits on my arc preamp. Dont know if feet affects the sound, but the sound is rock solid, detailed but no fatugue... Fabulous. Original ge tube in paradisea produces minor fatigue in my second system at higher volume, nad pre to tad monoblocks to triangle titus xs. Nos tung sol tube cleans that right up and is a high performer as described.