Member Terry London did a review a few years ago where he directly compared the clue, and I believe he found the Pagoda to sound quite a bit better than the Orchid if you run it balanced. You can find the review with a search but was probably in Stereo Times or Hometheater.com. Hope this helps.
MHDT Orchid versus MHDT Pagoda..which one is best?...and why?
Interested in feedback as to which one between these two DACs are most preferred and why. They are both stock, except tubes installed are the WE 396A tube and the Orchid has TDA 1541A S2 crown chip upgrade. Although only the Pagoda passes 192kHz, that in itself is not being considered here in this thread...If any of my audio brethren have had the opportunity to experience/compare these two units side by side, please contribute. Speculation, although appreciated, is only a matter of opinion.