MDHT Havana DAC . . . ARRIVED!

SolidSqual
SolidSqual Posts: 5,218
edited October 2008 in Electronics
As I was packing my Raysonic CD128 up for shipping, I was lamenting the fact that I sold such a beautiful piece of gear and that I was once again going to go days or weeks without any music.

So, coming back up to my apartment after dropping the Raysonic off at the UPS store, I see a guy standing at my apartment door . . . box in hand! What is it? My new Havana DAC from MDHT! . . . But, I ordered it a few days ago . . . from TAIWAN???? Yeah that's right! It made it from Taiwan in 4 days. MHDT was already scoring points in my book even before I opened the box.

With the box opened, my first impressions were . . . Looks like I sold one beautiful piece of gear and bought another! Its solid metal construction screams high quality. Each piece fits evenly and tightly together. The transpatent acryllic faceplate is a nice touch to see what's going on inside. The tube protruding from the topplate and the actual flip switch to turn the DAC on/off offer a classic look to balance an otherwise modern appearance.

Once I give this thing a chance to break in and get the right cables, I'll report more on the sound. Right now, my only option to hook eveything up is through USB. I haven't ordered digital cables from Signal yet and my SB Duet is still MIA.

All-in-all, I am very pumped about the potential of this DAC!
Post edited by SolidSqual on
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Comments

  • Fireman32
    Fireman32 Posts: 4,845
    edited September 2008
    Awsome lets see some pics!
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  • pearsall001
    pearsall001 Posts: 5,117
    edited September 2008
    I hope it meets your expectations. You just let two fantastic players go...the CA 840C & Raysonic 128. Can't wait to hear the review.
    "2 Channel & 11.2 HT "Two Channel:Magnepan LRSSchiit Audio Freya S - SS preConsonance Ref 50 - Tube preParasound HALO A21+ 2 channel ampBluesound NODE 2i streameriFi NEO iDSD DAC Oppo BDP-93KEF KC62 sub Home Theater:Full blown 11.2 set up.
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  • nikolas812
    nikolas812 Posts: 2,915
    edited September 2008
    Congrats on the new toy.


    Now lets see some pics...



    Nick
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  • SolidSqual
    SolidSqual Posts: 5,218
    edited September 2008
    pearsall001 wrote: »
    I hope it meets your expectations. You just let two fantastic players go...the CA 840C & Raysonic 128. Can't wait to hear the review.

    My camera is MIA until my girlfriend gets back. As far as the CDPs go, they both sounded great, but musical habits trumped this decision. The ease of use associated with a music server is undeniable. Even better is the fact that I listen to many more different CDs and kinds of music when my whole library is on a harddrive. I will spend the next couple months trying to figure out how to approach and hopefully surpass the sound quality I was getting out of the Raysonic.

    I'll have some pics in due course.
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  • steveinaz
    steveinaz Posts: 19,537
    edited September 2008
    pics man, pics. We don't believe it until we see it mister. The 'ol "my girlfriend ate my camera" excuse is played out homie. PICS.
    Source: Bluesound Node 2i - Preamp/DAC: Benchmark DAC2 DX - Amp: Parasound Halo A21 - Speakers: MartinLogan Motion 60XTi - Shop Rig: Yamaha A-S501 Integrated - Shop Spkrs: Elac Debut 2.0 B5.2
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  • SolidSqual
    SolidSqual Posts: 5,218
    edited September 2008
    Oh man! My Duet just arrived! It's Christmas!
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  • pearsall001
    pearsall001 Posts: 5,117
    edited September 2008
    Dang, talk about being excited!!!! Pics, pics & review. Now get to work.
    "2 Channel & 11.2 HT "Two Channel:Magnepan LRSSchiit Audio Freya S - SS preConsonance Ref 50 - Tube preParasound HALO A21+ 2 channel ampBluesound NODE 2i streameriFi NEO iDSD DAC Oppo BDP-93KEF KC62 sub Home Theater:Full blown 11.2 set up.
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  • SolidSqual
    SolidSqual Posts: 5,218
    edited September 2008
    What do you guys think . . . should I get the duet modded now while its still in the box or set it up play with it and see if the stock needs to be modded? Would it be worth comparing to the digital mod later?
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  • pearsall001
    pearsall001 Posts: 5,117
    edited September 2008
    SolidSqual wrote: »
    What do you guys think . . . should I get the duet modded now while its still in the box or set it up play with it and see if the stock needs to be modded? Would it be worth comparing to the digital mod later?

    Play it right out of the box. If you like what you hear, you saved some coin. Then again, if you do decide to go for the mod, you'll have something to compare it to. Then you'll be able to hear if the mod was worth the extra coin.

    Don't be in such a hurry, enjoy what you have now. Then down the road if you get the itch, scratch it with the mod.
    "2 Channel & 11.2 HT "Two Channel:Magnepan LRSSchiit Audio Freya S - SS preConsonance Ref 50 - Tube preParasound HALO A21+ 2 channel ampBluesound NODE 2i streameriFi NEO iDSD DAC Oppo BDP-93KEF KC62 sub Home Theater:Full blown 11.2 set up.
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  • dorokusai
    dorokusai Posts: 25,576
    edited September 2008
    You guys heard of a search engine?

    http://www.geocities.com/mhdtlab/havana.htm

    You don't have to install the language packs.
    CTC BBQ Amplifier, Sonic Frontiers Line3 Pre-Amplifier and Wadia 581 SACD player. Speakers? Always changing but for now, Mission Argonauts I picked up for $50 bucks, mint.
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  • SolidSqual
    SolidSqual Posts: 5,218
    edited September 2008
    pearsall001 wrote: »
    Play it right out of the box. If you like what you hear, you saved some coin. Then again, if you do decide to go for the mod, you'll have something to compare it to. Then you'll be able to hear if the mod was worth the extra coin.

    Don't be in such a hurry, enjoy what you have now. Then down the road if you get the itch, scratch it with the mod.

    Sounds good to me. This is especially true right now since I can't even use my DAC. I'm gonna connect the Duet right to my Dodd and let it rip.
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  • SolidSqual
    SolidSqual Posts: 5,218
    edited September 2008
    The Duet is a riot!!!! I got it hooked up in 2 minutes. I loaded the software on the computer click a few buttons on the remote and the music started playing. The Duet is definitely not as good as my Raysonic, but I'm impressed it sounds as good as it does. This is the most respectable sound I have ever hear from a computer peripheral. I can't wait to hook my DAC up to it . . .
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  • SolidSqual
    SolidSqual Posts: 5,218
    edited October 2008
    Well, I finally got my signal digital coax and Toslink. After burning the MHDT Havana in for 25 hours, I've done some pretty heavy listening for the last 3 hours. All I can say is wow! My unmodified squeezebox coupled with the stock MHDT sounds better than my Raysonic CD128.

    Everything I was told about NOS DACs rings true. The music feels and sounds more real. The instuments are gently placed on the soundstage but clearly defined. Nothing feels etched or artificial. It's actually pretty amazing. The oversampling of the CD128 by comparison defintiely sounded more forward. In those famous words, the MHDT really does allow me to forget about my equipment and just be consumed by the music.

    This was definitely a surprising and worthwhile upgrade. I have a second squeezebox and Consonance DAC16 coming in the mail from Canada. When those arrive, it will be pretty interesting to do some comparisons. The second squeezebox will have a Boulder Digital Mod.

    Later,

    Mike
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  • nikolas812
    nikolas812 Posts: 2,915
    edited October 2008
    Glad to hear your liking the Havana.:D




    Nick
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  • doctorcilantro
    doctorcilantro Posts: 2,028
    edited October 2008
    The Chinese stuff keeps getting better. I want to hear how the Consonance DAC sounds (there's one one Audiogon now). I just picked up some Cyber 211 amps and using my American DAC (Lavry DA-10) ; ) it seems like a match made in heaven. I'm not much of a cable "freak" but I did just order two Van Den Hul Optocoupler MkIIs from the UK "for the hell of it". Was about 65$ shipped for each.

    DC
    For Sale 2019:
    Tortuga Audio LDR passive preamp
    Decware EL34 amp
    Allnic H-1201 phono
    Zu Union Cubes
    iFi iDSD DAC, .5m UBS, iFI Gemini cable, Oyaide Tunami XLR 1.3M, Oyaide Tunami Speaker wire 1.5M, Beyerdynamic DT1990 headphones, PS Audio P3 power center

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  • Icarium
    Icarium Posts: 17
    edited October 2008
    Interesting take on the Havana. I have not heard one of their DACs, but based on my experience with some of the other sources you speak of I would have thought the Duet or Cambridge 840C would give a superior sonic experience, but that NOS allure seems to have you in its grasp :)
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  • SolidSqual
    SolidSqual Posts: 5,218
    edited October 2008
    Icarium wrote: »
    Interesting take on the Havana. I have not heard one of their DACs, but based on my experience with some of the other sources you speak of I would have thought the Duet or Cambridge 840C would give a superior sonic experience, but that NOS allure seems to have you in its grasp :)


    The Duet? Are you serious? The DAC in that thing is crap. The 840C is a great piece, but, like all equipment, can sound like crap in a system. My system before the 840C was incredibly neutral. The addition of the 840C just made everything too dry.
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