Hawk28, the Havana has a very natural, unfatiguing presentation. Part of this I would guess is the simplicity of NOS and use of a tube output stage, it is not a buffer as in the Paradesea which is tubier sounding and somewhat less resolving. The plus with the Havana is a deep well placed soundstage and very nice tonal textures, a bit rich but non-fatiguing and throughly enjoyable. What I noticed early on was a lack of detail which was confirmed when I purchased several other DACs over the past 18 months. I still have the Havana which I doubt I will sell and float it in the system now and again but the missing detail is always readily apparent. I can say it really isn't that big a deal on much music, primarily small ensemble, vocals, jazz and even some classical but the soundstage is somewhat smaller and air around instruments is not quite as apparent, subtle but quite noticable over extended listening. The top end is somewhat softer and not as etched but I often find this a welcome thing, not a negative at all as some closely miked recordings can at times sound piercing. It is all about balance with this DAC and the MHDT folks have done a very good job with this design. I feel it is well worth checking out, especially if you can find one used and maybe a few different tubes thrown in as is often the case when purchasing used. You can research all you want and that is a very good thing but nothing substitutes listening. I will say this, most of the audiophiles I know that have heard the Havana in my system and theirs REALLY like its presentation and overall musical involvement. It is hard to go wrong with this DAC at the price point.
