MHDT Havana owners.....question


Just received my Havana today. I have it running in but was curious what owners have heard once this think breaks in? I think it sounds pretty good out of the box, but my TRL modified Sony is pacing it neck and neck. Thoughts?

Shakey
shakeydeal
Hey Shakey,
I posted here yesterday but it didn't show up.

I agree with Eugene81, the tube makes a big difference in the sound. I personally like the WE396a, to me it brings out a realistic lush tone to the vocals and instruments.

enjoy!
Greg
I just replaced the PCM56P chips with the K grade versions for a solid improvement.

$13.56 each + shipping here:
http://components.arrow.com/part/detail/84608S9189437N7713

No soldering required, just pop and plug!

Recent thread on this here:
http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?ddgtl&1270885459&openfrom&1&4#1

This is also discussed in the huge Havana thread on Head-Fi along with a host of other, more advanced, mods, the most common being upgrading output caps.
Mine came with the GE JAN 5670W tube. I found it quite nice and relaxed. I then tried a Tung Sol 2C51 and it is much more precise and accurate. Not "tubey" at all. I recently bought some Russian 6N3PE (6H3NE) tubes for very cheap ($1.25 each) and they are my new fave. Wonderful detail, 3d sound, realistic. Really good.

What the Havana is sitting on is important to the sound. Try some different supports like firm and light vs cushion or inner tube. They all have different sounds.

Lastly, I also swapped out the dac chips for a better spec pair. Not expensive, but very worthwhile. This is a seriously good dac that competes well with my vinyl rig. Totally enjoyable to listen to for hours without fatigue.