Thinking about getting a R2R DAC

Yep. Non-fatiguing. No oversampled or over processed fake echo sound.

MHDT, 16-bit, Audio Note, 18 bit. Proven chipsets. Good transformers. "no over sampling, no jitter reduction, no noise shaping and no re-clocking. Digital filtering removed". Less in the signal path. Paired with single or double triode valves, and wallah!  Less is more.  Engaging music.

@adam8179 "I was looking at the MHDT Orchid or the Border Patrol."

It’s worth reading more on BP’s tube rectified power supply approach vs. MHDT Labs tube implementation for the Orchid DAC. The first time I heard my own R2R Ladder tube DAC, it quickly pulled me in to want to just sit and listen to music again.

@adam8179
6moons review, page-2, MHDT Orchid, ...how it sounds :) 

https://6moons.com/audioreview_articles/mhdtlab/2/

@adam8179 OP: Quote - "Thinking about getting a R2R DAC...I was looking at the MHDT Orchid or the Border Patrol".

Adam, as the original poster you had a question. Some answered to it, others not so much - going in an entirely different direction making extra noise. Funny, kinda like poorly designed converters with added parts and oversampling. As to your original question, either of these R2R NOS DACs will be nice. Good Luck on the decision.

 

@bjesien I did a blind shootout between the Mojo V2x and the Orchid and my updated Ayre QB-9 Twenty. I kept the Mojo- my wife and kids liked it best too.     

What it's all about, right here. Sounds good to your ears on your system. Better yet, family validation to boot!  Nice DAC btw.  

@bjesien

"...One other thing that the op might want to pay attention to is power supplies. I added a quality external power supply to my Roon Nucleus and that really calmed things down while adding greater focus, space and a more vivid realism..."

Yep. Helps. Some try different PS units on the MHDT DACs too with success. A good friend just ordered a custom fully loaded Allo version Raspberry Pi with the SHANTI Dual Linear Ultra Low Noise Power Supply Unit (PSU) option. Hope to hear more soon, runs Roon too.

@jjss49
I don’t myself, not yet. However, following up with a friend this morning who’s messing with two different psu units for both his streamer and his dac, the psu is not going to work as hoped for the dac itself. Also validated a few others in the group loop had not gotten it to work on theirs either, not without tearing the whole dac apart. Stopped there...  So I was partly mistaken on this part. Apologize for the premature mis-info. Seemed like a good idea at first. If the psu works in other areas I might order the same and at least try it on my own streamer, and then proceed with possibly piecing together a new streamer myself and use the same psu if it makes a difference. My tube preamp uses a similar large outboard power supply unit, would like to do the same for the DAC.  Nothing confirmed on my end yet on my own system though. Maybe this winter, after the streamer stuff...

Will never forget the first time I heard an old version high $ Mark Levinson CD player and the old first version Audio Note DAC.

Call it warmer or smoother or whatever, just sounded very "natural" to my ears years back. No grain or etch. Non-fatiguing. You’ll hear this from many R2R Ladder DAC owners. Simply musical, no oversampling, no overtones, no echo or reverberation sound, simply musical. IF you like it, it can become a must-have acquisition.
Was off to see the wizard for and tried other DACS in between, kept eyes open for a reasonable R2R Ladder DAC.

A decade later tried again to evolve and compared to a new Benchmark DAC3B, used in various applications professionally and home use. Sure, super nice quality, open, transparent, detailed, overly huge soundstage, yet something was just missing. Too perfect, maybe? Not as musical to my ears - even compared to my own MHDT Orchid with upgraded Mundorf caps and nice vintage Telsa tube. Sounded great in stock form, too upgraded caps just for grins, and the stock caps and stock GE 5670 Triple Mica tube supplied in the MHDT Orchid were just fine too. Plug it in, burn it in, and let it go for 90 days and keep listening for the tube/caps to settle in. Same with the Pagoda, a buddy has one in a pro studio for mastering and actually uses it there too, tubes and all!  

It’s all preference, whatever you like and what gels best with your system and speakers, for your ears.

@adam8179


Congrats. Pagoda’s with the Burr Brown dual chipset is nice, XLRs if you need them, and same tube compliment.

Save this link for later, may not need it but just in case for "burn in and tubes"...http://www.mhdtlab.com/tube.htm

The stock tube works well, if you find it a tad bright (not always, some do), the Tesla is midway smooth, and the WE396 is even smoother yet was a tad too rolled off for my speakers but others love it in some cases with more forward speakers. A good cable from your player and XLR or SE cables back to the inputs on your helps too. Be sure to give it 40-80hrs burn-in for the tube, caps, to settle in and it opens up even more. Thumbs up!

@hilde45 The Pagoda has a tube. Is there much debate about tubes needing break in? Mine definitely changed over first 40 hrs.  

To add on to your point - 
It's not just the stock supplied tubes that take time settle in, the new caps inside need to settle in as well. My MHDT Orchid is very 3-dimensional, and deep soundstage. Upgraded it again after the first year, even better now once I upgraded the coupling capacitors inside to high $ silver-gold-oil Mundorf caps with Cardas silver soldering, and went with an ever better NOS Tesla tube to replace the decent stock tube. It now challenges DACs at 2-3x the price. Same can be done to the Pagoda.  My buddy uses a Pagoda in a mastering studio.