Transport for MHDT Havana

To answer your question Mr. Tennis it is not fully extended in the bass which may conincide with your listening impressions of NOS dacs in general. It is a wonderful little DAC though. I don't currently use it but can't bring myself to part with it. A bit lacking in detail but conveying the musical message in a most natural and convincing matter, better than most of the more resolving digital devices I've personally owned. It is just wonderful in the midrange, particularly with voice and has a fullness and flow that many DACs I've listened to don't capture. I think, based on your posted preferences, would really like it. I purchased mine directly from MHDT in Taiwan. Ordered it late Thursday afternoon and received it the following Monday. I don't believe there is a dealer network in the US for this product. It has been superceded by the Stockholm I believe.

Well if you need more bass I certainly wouldn't recommend the Havana, it would not be the best choice. Actually heard it in a separate system that was using a 300B based SET and it did not work at all. In my system, with my amp it wasn't as big an issue but certainly notable. To be honest I can only compare to the EE minimax Plus which doesn't have any tube signature. I easily preferred the Havana across the board even though the EE had better bass, more extended high frequency performance and more detail, it just had an edge and I could never relax listening to it. I wouldn't know where to direct you for a budget tube based DAC. You would probably have to spend considerably more to get what you're looking for.