Wanted: Audio note dac (2, 3, 2.1, 3.1)

[quefacilid]

Hello everyone!

I´m looking for an Audio Note DAC, with original packaging. If you want to sell yours, just let me know.

Cheers!

Ivan.

[The Chronicals]

Get an MHDT and spend the rest on a holiday :)

[hifinutt]

MHDT ?

[tapid]

Search me as well ! Must be something wrong with us Phil ?

[WESTLOWER]

MHDT ?

MHDT Labs Dacs...
Had a demo on their MHDT Havana Dac for a few weeks, it was pretty good.
I ended up spending the money on the SW1Xa Dac 1, IMHO far better.

[montesquieu]

Hello everyone!

I´m looking for an Audio Note DAC, with original packaging. If you want to sell yours, just let me know.

Cheers!

Ivan.

Peter Qvortrop has a steady supply of trade ins and ex dem stuff that’s often just as well priced as second hand on forums and ebay. Give him a call and see what he has.

Go for the later ones that are designated .1x those are the Non over-sampling ones that have the AD1865 chipset that is a cut above any other vintage chipset In my view.

[The Chronicals]

The MHDT Havana is pretty old now. I had a great MHDT Orchid, I compared them with a few Audionotes around the same price tag, and the MHDT was much nicer to me. I dont think the couple of grand separating them was noticeable.

[montesquieu]

The MHDT Havana is pretty old now. I had a great MHDT Orchid, I compared them with a few Audionotes around the same price tag, and the MHDT was much nicer to me. I dont think the couple of grand separating them was noticeable.

I had a Havana, 10+ years ago now, it was my first non-oversampling DAC and ultimately set me off on the Audio Note path (certainly beat the much more expensive Chord DAC64 I had before it), but I can't say I'd put it in the same bracket as any of the Audio Note gear. Haven't heard the Orchid.

There is a big difference between the power supplies and in particular the output stage of the MHDT dacs and the Audio Note kit from 2.1x and above, which use output transformers and are, in effect, switchless versions of the output stage of the AN range of preamps. Considerably more sophisticated than the MHDT.

It's always been my view that it's the PSU and output stage that matters in a DAC. But it does depend how much you want to spend for what depending on the rest of your kit might well be experienced as a relatively modest performance gain.

[The Chronicals]

I had a Havana, 10+ years ago now, it was my first non-oversampling DAC and ultimately set me off on the Audio Note path (certainly beat the much more expensive Chord DAC64 I had before it), but I can't say I'd put it in the same bracket as any of the Audio Note gear. Haven't heard the Orchid.

There is a big difference between the power supplies and in particular the output stage of the MHDT dacs and the Audio Note kit from 2.1x and above, which use output transformers and are, in effect, switchless versions of the output stage of the AN range of preamps. Considerably more sophisticated than the MHDT.

It's always been my view that it's the PSU and output stage that matters in a DAC. But it does depend how much you want to spend for what depending on the rest of your kit might well be experienced as a relatively modest performance gain.

I agree, but you are talking almost a £2000+ price difference between say the Orchid and a Dac 2.1...you could actually buy a decent car with the difference :) ..I do like AudioNote stuff, but I think its massively overpriced for what it is, and the whole 'upgrade ladder' system they have created just stinks of out of control capitalism..but thats for another thread!

[montesquieu]

I agree, but you are talking almost a £2000+ price difference between say the Orchid and a Dac 2.1...you could actually buy a decent car with the difference :) ..I do like AudioNote stuff, but I think its massively overpriced for what it is, and the whole 'upgrade ladder' system they have created just stinks of out of control capitalism..but thats for another thread!

Only if you buy a new one ... no-one in their right mind pays anywhere near retail for Audio Note stuff. (Speaking as a big fan generally, at least of their digital stuff and their cartridges/SUTs. Despite a lot of auditioning of ever more expensive pairings, their speaker/amp combinations never floated my boat ... but that's a different thread too!).

[ovlov854]

MHDT Labs Dacs...
Had a demo on their MHDT Havana Dac for a few weeks, it was pretty good.
I ended up spending the money on the SW1Xa Dac 1, IMHO far better.

From a VFM view the SW1X gets a thumbs up from me too
I had an AN DAC but it's crazy high output created overload problems with my pre-amp

[montesquieu]

From a VFM view the SW1X gets a thumbs up from me too
I had an AN DAC but it's crazy high output created overload problems with my pre-amp

That's unusual as the output transformers in the 2.1x upwards are a 3:1 ratio attenuating the signal, I have the opposite problem in some ways, just enough output but could easily use a little more.

Wasn't overly impressed by SW1X the entry level DAC1 is good vfm but the upper models are nowhere near Audio Note performance and the build quality leaves a lot to be desired at those higher price points. I had the DAC3 on dem and was sorely disappointed.

[The Chronicals]

How much is this SW1XA Dac?

[WESTLOWER]

SW1Xa Dac starts at about £1000
Signature Dac1 with black gates etc is a bit more
Prices are on Slawa’s site.

[Barry]

I think the OP is looking for an Audio Note DAC only.