Yes you did, but your apology is accepted
The Six Moons.com review on the Mhdt Labs Orchid DAC just went up
This morning the review on the superlative Mhdt Labs Orchid DAC was just posted on Six Moons.com. It gives all the details why I have made it my reference DAC. I also share my position, with flexibility, that all all the hype regarding high resolution formats as being superior sounding to 16/44.1 kHz or 16/48 kHz R-2R ladder DACs is just that "hype".
Hope you enjoy the review.
Hope you enjoy the review.
Showing 6 responses by janehamble
This DAC seems like an unbelievable bargain - top-level performance for about a grand sounds like a wonderful idea. I'll take two. What holds me back is skepticism about the author of this review. As he mentions himself, his review of the "New" Lab 12 Dac was largely responsible for the wave of hype about that 6-year old, re-heated, re-discovered device that has since been discontinued, once the truth eventually leaked out. I'm not saying the Orchid is bad and everything he writes is bollocks - I'd just recommend a pinch of salt. |
@ghasley you may or may not realize it, but these audio forums are pretty much inundated with manufacturers and associated influencers with business objectives. That's all good - especially when they declare their bias and help enthusiasts understand their products. No problem per se, with that. Where I draw the line is deliberate misinformation. Sadly, it happens all the time. In the case of the Lab 12, the 'reviewer' proclaimed the product as a new model. Innocent mistake? Oh please....takes about 30 seconds of Googling to discover the history. It may well be a lovely sounding DAC that somehow wasn't discovered when it was launched in 2013, but to call it new in 2018 is just a goofy attempt at deception. And we - the audio enthusiasts - should call out BS when we step on it. |
@ ghasley I'll find to hard to be clearer than the simple statements I've already made about this subject - but just for you, I'll try. My goal was originally to flag up a significant error when Terry London wrote a review about the Lab 12 DAC for HomeTheatre Magazine https://hometheaterreview.com/lab-12-dac1-special-edition-reviewed It's obviously a euphoric review. TJ is highly impressed...which is fine. But it's more than a little shocking he apparently has no clue that this same product has been available for 5 years. He's chosen to present the Lab 12 as an incredible new model. Having completed the product test, he then turns full-on brand disciple, spreading the word with his popular Audiogon post "A DAC that crushes price vs performance ratio". On and on he goes, post after post, about the fabulous Lab 12, using his @teajay name, of course. A few 'Goners call him out for his apparent conflict of interest, but he bats them back quite confidently. When I asked him about the Lab 12's history, he replied " The Lab12 DAC that we are discussing on this thread is the newer version called the SE. I do believe that the DAC chips and basic overall design is the same, with better/different internal parts in the circuit in critical places that improve the sound." This is complete bullshit, of course. The original SE is exactly the same as the model he tested, and he knows it - preferring to maintain the misrepresentation. So now, here we are 6 months later. And TJ's got a new favorite DAC. Even better than the last one, except it's half the cost. What's not to love? I have no problem with Six Moons, Home Theatre or any other magazine hiring 'influencers' to write reports. That's the name of the game these days - and as I've been in marketing 35 years, I know quite well how it works. In this particular case, I'm noting that TJ's affections can be somewhat transitory. |
@teajay When you opened your post of 9-7-18 - you know, the one about the DAC that crushes price v performance ratio - with "I felt strongly that I wanted to inform the Gon members about a new DAC that ranks with the very best on the market" I stupidly assumed that you were implying that the LAB 12 was a new product, at the time of this comment. Your famous report for HomeTheatreReview starts with "In the last six months, the internet has been abuzz with a handful of rave European reviews for a new DAC (digital to analog converter) from a Greek company called LAB 12". I should have realized you meant "new, in the past", or something. Joking aside....are you seriously trying to tell us that you weren’t saying (then) that the Lab 12 is new? Sorry, I’m too tired to address the rest of your email. You’re absurd drivel has worn me out. Good luck in your future product reviewing / blogging career. |