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Orchid vs TUBADOUR III - Help me choose

Links to the products https://6moons.com/audioreview_articles/mhdtlab/ and https://www.audiomirror.com/product-page/tubadour-iii-non-oversampling-tube-dac.

The Orchid is 1100$ and the TUBADOUR III (T3) 1500$.
The are both R-2R tube DAC with tube buffered output. The inside of the Orchid looks very organised and clean. the T3 is a little messy. Which one should I choose?

I am in Denmark so there is no way to try before buy.
martin-andersen
jimfinn2112
25 posts
 
I'm in the same boat as you lol! There's so many choices! I was leaning towards the Metrum Adagio which is more money, but they have other less expensive dacs as well. My problem is I've seen the Bricasti M3 and I can't get it out of my brain lol!
riaa_award_collectors_on_facebook's avatar
riaa_award_collectors_on_facebook
979 posts
 
If you go for the Tubadour get ALL the upgrades. Will run you about $2200. My friend LOVES his and he has about $100,000 worth of equipment so money isnt an issue.
big_greg
6,565 posts
 
I don't know anything about the Tubadour, but I have the Orchid and have the following to compare it to - Wyred 4 Sound DAC 1, Auralic Vega, Mytek Liberty, the DAC in my Sony TA-ZH1ES headphone amp, and the DAC in the Oppo HA-1 headphone amp (which I no longer own). 

The Vega and the Sony are a little better, but not by much.  I would describe them as being just a tad "smoother".

I use the Orchid in my computer system, which is where I listen to digital music more than anywhere else.  The Orchid is a fantastic DAC.  I don't have the audiophile vocabulary to describe it, but it is very detailed, "musical", dynamic, and easy to listen to.  I'm listening to Shine on You Crazy Diamond from Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd on my Audeze LCD-4 headphones through it as I type this and it sounds wonderful.  It lets you "see into" the music, individual instruments are well defined, and it really "boogies".
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