MHDT Orchid or Lampizator Amber 3?

In my experience the synergy “culprit” is often found in the cabling.  Often times a simple cable swap wether USB, IC, digital etc... can bring greater sonic harmony.  

Get a 1.6amp, slow blow, 5x20mm small fuse.  The SR lettering should read from back of the unit to the front for proper direction. 

Need a 1.6a aphile fuse as they tend to blow at lower ratings. Very expensive lesson. Use a 1.6a SR Orange. I only use USB.

Sorry I just saw your post on the Amber 3. I ended up selling the Amber 3. It is a very good dac, but in the end just not for me. The longer I had it the more I found myself dissatisfied with my system. I found myself listening to music less and getting caught up with sound. I focused on its sonic feats of strength, but was unable to relax into the music. Sound over music. 

The Amber checks off all the right audiophile sonic attributes in terms of individual sonic attributes like bass impact, top end extension, resolution, vividness etc... it was all there. However, it never sounded completely right in my rig. Impressive at first, but over time it just did not connect me to my music.

Over time I found it lacked top to bottom cohesiveness with the upper mids being too present and vivid. Too much of a good thing that I started to find distracting.

In the end the upgraded Orchid was more enjoyable for me. I now own the Mojo Audio Mystique and love it. It is a very special dac that connects me to my music and brings full contentment.

Hope this helps.

I have the Orchid and it sounds amazing.  It is an easy best buy for sheer musicality and enjoyment of your music.  I simply love mine and agree with upgrading to the WE tube.

If you upgrade the output caps and key resistors around the tube you will be treated with even greater sonics as this unit really responds to parts like Vishay Zfoil resistors and top grade output caps from companies like Miflex, Jupiter, Vcap and others. 

My unit plays up to 24/192 as is a great match with my Innuos streamer and Qobuzz.  

This is so subjective as we all know. I have not liked the Lampi sound in the past and owned and quickly sold two of their dacs. Are the new ones better for my tastes? Don’t know, but perhaps worth a try. Found them too forced and forward.

In my rig I would own the Orchid over the Aqua LaVoce S2 and Audio Mirror.

The Amber is very interesting. I know they offer a trial at full price.....may try one 😊. I preferred the stock Orchid with an upgraded fuse and good power cord to the Aqua LaVoce S2. The upgrades I performed on the Orchid really do bring it to another level for reasonable cost really.

My comments on the AM dac are based on a friend trying one and comparing to an MHDT and LaVoce. It was an AM with upgrades that cost $1880. We have the same taste and he felt the AM dac was good, but not as full bodied as the others. We both desire a full bodied sound that stays clear of leanness and hyper detail. The AM dac was not far enough along the full bodied spectrum. He ended up with a LaVoce S3 which he says is better than the S2.

Somebody live near Nashville, TN with the Amber? Love to compare my tricked out Orchid which sounds fantastic to this unit. My Orchid cost me $1350 after the upgrades. The Amber is $2800 with no discount if you want a trial. My Orchid sounds so good I have a hard time believing the Amber is anything but a little different sounding. The Orchid really responds in spades with smartly done upgrades. My Orchid after upgrades is much more resolute, open and nuanced.

I want a shootout in my humble rig! 🤓 Any takers?

It is really a hassle to trial the Lampi line based on how far they are shipped and the shipping cost. Shipping back and forth is very, very expensive if one decides to send it back and eat the shipping costs. The shipping cost on top of the $2800 unit is $150 just one way!

This Amber may well be better, but I have some doubts based on owning a slew of other good dacs including the Lampi Level 4 and 5 going back a few years. I am very curious about this Amber due to all the praise is it getting from well respected Agoners.  

Lampi NY charges $150 for shipping direct out of Poland.

We get the Orchid outputs 16/44 and sounds great. I like NOS dacs!

@ghasley. Very kind of you to offer. I will contact the local dealer first, but big thank you!

Colin, very nice of you to offer a demo and will contact you for arrangements.

Hello all. Today I compared the $10,000 Atlantic Golden TRP to my $1400 or so upgraded Orchid. Yes, not a fair comparison due to the vast price difference.

Colin of Gestalt Audio in Nashville had it set up in his killer system. Did I find my Orchid as good as the Golden TRP? Honestly, I did not. The Orchid was not embarrassed however and actually had better weight and fullness or more “meat on the bones”. However, the Atlantic Golden was more resolute and effortless sounding. It also spread a wider stage. I liked it very much. Great dac. I cannot spend $10,000 and am assuming the Amber 3 will share the same strengths compared to the Orchid. This is speculation, but I liked the Lampizator sound coming through the Atlantic Golden. Sometimes that extra 10% in performance is worth the cost as it just brings you closer to the music/performance.

I had fun and really enjoyed the Zellaton, Gershman Acoustic speakers and Lamm gear Colin has on hand.

I am going to proceed on getting the Amber 3 and placing it in my system for further  Colin is great to work with and suspect I will be back to his listening room soon 🙂.

I will let Colin respond as I don’t remember. The Golden Atlantic spread a vivid and lively soundstage that placed the instruments and vocalists in the space with you. It was more vivid sounding than the Orchid. I found myself wanting to turn up the Orchid up to match the vividness and scale of the Golden Atlantic. However, the  increased volume was not enough to match the scale and vividness of the Golden Atlantic.

I also have tinnitus and I will say the Orchid is very easy on the ears and I am able to turn it up without setting off my tinnitus.  While the Orchid is not as extended or vibrant as the Golden Atlantic it has musicality in spades and is easy on the ears over long listening sessions.

I expect to receive my Amber 3 by mid-January.  It will be interesting to see how she plays in my room with my gear.  

No need to change out the chip in the Orchid. Folks who have and then compared to a fully burned in stock chip now say the stock chip is great.
Output caps can be Jupiter copper foil, Miflex 1uf, Audience XO or the new Vcap ODAM

The Western Electric tube is a must do upgrade. A good fuse helps.
The resistors around the tube can be upgraded to the Vishay Zfoil with great results. Contact me for values if interested and serious about doing the upgrade. Need to be skilled at mods and  working on the circuit board.

I find SS rectification provides for more powerful and controlled bass. When I build tube preamps and amps I always compare SS to tube rectification and the bass has always been better with SS. This is one area the Orchid did not take a back seat to the Lampi Golden Atlantic in my comparison.

I will also share upgrading the resistors on my Orchid provided as much if not more improvement than the output cap upgrade.

Miflex output caps are good, but I still find the Jupiter copper foils provide more inner detail and overall dimension. You won’t fit the stock 2uf value in the Orchid with the Miflex. They are just too big. You can fit the 2.2uf Jantzen Superior Z, Audience XO and new Vcap Odam caps in the same position as the original caps.

I used a custom made set of 2.2uf flat stacked Jupiter copper foils in mine that are too costly and time consuming for Jupiter to market.

The cap upgrade is important. The entire signal passes through it right to the RCA output. It really influences the sound. This cap is there for two reasons.

- block DC and Pass AC for signal
- high pass filter blocking frequencies below a certain point

The value in there of 2uf is really somewhat arbitrary as MHDT used 2uf assuring it could be used with all manner of preamps with varying input impedance specs. If the preamp’s input impedance load is small such as 10k ohms a larger cap value is needed to assure no bass rolloff! That is the only reason for the 2 uf value.

Let’s say your preamp as a moderate input impedance of 60k. Running the math shows the ideal sized capacitor is 1.0-1.3 uf. No roll off and the best sound! Larger value caps don’t sound as good as the same brand smaller value in this position. Best to always go with the smallest cap value best suited for your system...preamp. Customized vs universal solution.

Many preamps have an input impedance of 50k and above. Tube preamps usually have 100k plus! So a 1-1.3uf cap is fine or perfect for many preamps.  Anyone considering the cap upgrade should first look up your preamp’s input impedance.

I put 2.2uf Jupiter copper foils in mine that are huge. They are flat stacked and made special. I had to mount these in the back over the digital inputs. Just barely fit!

Many good caps would fit if you decide on the 1-1.3 uf range including Vcap, Jupiter as well as perhaps Miflex. Caps such as the new Vcap Odam, Jantzen Superior Z and Audience XO Will fit with their 2-2.2uf value in the same location as the originals.

Hope this helps.

Bill

That makes sense. Thanks for clearing that up. Now, a notorious modifier like myself has real reasons for a warranty to be voided 🤓. 

No way opening up the case should or will void a warranty. I am not just hooking up a piece of gear that was shipped from Poland without first making sure all tubes are seated properly and nothing is loose.  Standard operating practice. @lampizatorna  please confirm as I just purchased a unit and I am looking inside before giving it 120 volts and risking a short or worse in my rig. Tubes or parts shift or become fully or partially unseated etc... Stuff just happens when shipping and handling from so far away. Seems like a reasonable thing to do. I have had my share of gear show up with broken tubes, tubes loose and only partially in the socket, parts shifted and loose etc....

I would love to bring a hot rodded Orchid over for a comparison to your two box Goliath DHT dac! Your power supply alone is 5 times the weight of the diminutive Orchid.  

The Pagoda is not as good sounding as the Orchid to some ears. It is subjective for sure.  Many think the Orchid is the gem of the MHDT Dac line.  The upgrades I have done on the Orchid certainly increase the sound quality by at least 25-30%.  The key resistors are an important element in getting the most out of the Orchid. Agree on the fuse upgrade! 

I bet your modified Amber 3 sounds amazing! Hope the stock Amber 3 is as good as the upgraded Orchid units I have heard. We will see! I have high expectations and some of this is based on your comments audioman58. 

My Amber 3 will be in the system tomorrow night. Looking forward to comparing it the upgraded MHDT Orchid. It will need some play time to sound its best and I will post updates along the way! 

Thanks @ghasley,
Can you provide me with a link to your tube source? Mine has no volume as I will use The Truth preamp with it. I will use the USB input fed by my Innuos server. Single ended only. 

How many play hours on the Amber by then? SR Orange fuse in it as I think the AM does?  Love the SR Orange fuses and ordered one for the Amber 3.  They sound wonderful in my upgraded Orchid dac! 

Looking forward to your comments! 

Thanks @cal3713.     

AM puts the Orange fuse in for $100 in the SE model. It is an option at purchase. Darn little fuse makes a nice little sonic upgrade. Hard to believe, but it did in the Orchid. Looking forward to your comments.  Have fun!

Hope you get it in the morning rx8man.

I have the Amber 3 up and running. It was nicely packed and in 5 minutes we have music! After 90 minutes of total play time I hear these initial differences compared to the upgraded Orchid dac,

The Amber 3 is more lit up in the upper mids and highs. The Amber is more upfront and immediate. More apparent detail. A little tight and contained sounding 

The Orchid is more muscular and full in the mid bass. The Orchid has deeper and more impactful bass. The Orchid is more relaxed and set back in perspective. More open sounding. 

I sense the Amber needs to settle in and hopefully sound less forward or forced. Only 90 minutes of play time suggests good things are coming. I know this dac needs close to 200 hours to sound its best. I will update after 30 hours of play time. 

I also want to share that my experience with Colin of Gestalt Audio has been a complete joy. Great communication, professional service and just a likable young man. I highly recommend Colin!

Well the Amber 3 now has some 60 hours on it. What a burn in ride. The first 40 hours or so were hard on my ears. I really could not settle in and enjoy music as the dac was too forward and forced sounding. It was tight and constricted a tad also. I decided not to listen again unit tonight. I didn’t want to 😕. Well at 60 hours the sound goes from being too forced and immediate to warm like a hot bath! Right now the stage is much bigger, far more mid bass fullness and the upper mids and highs are no longer forced.

Right now the unit sounds a tad too old school tubey and thick. Talk about a 180 degree turn around! I don’t know how folks can possibly say burn in is not real. It is real in spades with this unit.

Comparing the upgraded Orchid to the Amber now is interesting. I still prefer the Orchid’s overall balance top to bottom. The Orchid has more powerful and articulate bass. The Orchid does not sound as thick.

However, I see hope now for the Amber and sense it may be quite good with more time.

I will report back at 120 hours.

I will once stock is fully burned in and I know she is a keeper! Then many upgrades will come 🤓

Based on my current experience with the Amber 3 at some 80 hours of burn in, I would say your Amber test unit is not burned in fully. Your comments about brighter and lack of depth point to this fact. If the unit only has 100-120 hours, then it needs more time. Mine is still changing and breaking in at 80 hours and other owners tell me it will take 200-300 hours. I believe it based on how this unit is changing day to day. Can you try to compare to the AM unit after the Amber has some 250 hours? I would like to hear your comments at this point. Possible?

My Amber 3 started off bright, forward and forced for the first 30-40 hours. From 40-65 hours it became more full bodied to the point of being old school thick and heavy. Now at 80 plus hours the unit is leaning on the lit up side in the highs and the mid bass is now remaining full. I am told it will go south in sound quality before finally coming into its own at 200-300 hours. What a ride.

By the way you have a nice system! Very nice. Thank you for this report. Please tell us about your cables. Do you use any silver? 

Thanks for the update. I am in the same boat as you on this Amber 3 in that I need to return now if not a keeper. I have 120 hours on it and it is still changing and getting better. I hear enough signs of greatness that I want to run it for 300 hours before giving final judgement. Some of the recent improvements, if they continue, will yield a spectacular dac. I think it is worth the risk. Talking to another owner who heard a fully run in demo unit in his system vs his brand new one suggests one really does not hear what the unit is capable of before 200 hours.

I also understand the stock output tube is a tad harsh or hot sounding compared to the richer and more buttery Mullard long plate or Brimar NOS options.

I will wait and work on extracting the most out of the Amber 3 for now. I have never heard a larger stage and the dynamics are stellar. The organic tone I desire more of is starting to come and teasing me to wait. Ha!

Dali Epicon 6 w/upgraded crossovers
The Truth Preamp heavily upgraded 
Innuos Zen 3
Clayton Audio S40 pure class A amplifier
Ton Of Perfect Path Audio & Mad Scientist tweaks 
My own brand of cabling - Acoustic BBQ  and High Fidelity CT2 ICs 

The Amber 3 now has 170 hours on it and is really starting to come into its own.  I hear better top to bottom cohesiveness and a filling in of the stage between the speakers. The unit is no longer forced or forward sounding. I am hearing a more organic tone and that was really missing for many of the initial burn in hours.  

I am traveling until Thursday night and will report back then. The unit will have some 230 hours on it then and should be almost fully settled in.  I plan to drop in an Orange fuse and nice Mullard tube at this point and describe the impact of these "upgrades". 

I purchased the Mullard 12au7 as I desire a little more of a buttery tone and this tube should be just the ticket. 

Right now the Amber 3 has proven to be a keeper for me.  Is it better than the upgraded Orchid? I would say it is in some ways and not in others. It throws a bigger and better delineated sound stage. One area the Orchid still excels is its easy to listen to "unfussy" approach to most recordings. The Orchid just sounds right on more recordings. The Orchid's bass is amazing and on par or slightly better than the Amber 3. 

The Amber 3 sounds so intimate and real on good recordings. There are moments when this unit is just mesmerizing. I think the fuse and tube upgrade as well as more hours can make this happen more consistently. We will see. 

The Amber 3 along the long burn in time is sounding more full bodied and less "wake up" your system in my opinion. I found the Amber 3 too vivid and "wake up your system" sounding up to some 120 hours. That is now changing and the unit is sounding more and more full bodied and organic. This dac needs time, plus 200 hours, to really hear what she sounds like. This is my belief based on my experience.

If forced to give a final judgement at 120 hours, then I would have said the Amber 3 is just too vivid for me in the presence area for long term listening. Right now, closer to 180 hours, I no longer feel this way based on listening.
So I do not think we are saying different things. Just a matter of timing and burn in realities. I really cannot deal with bright or tipped up midrange and highs.

I also think system synergy is playing a role here. My system has been tweaked and voiced to be full bodied, slightly warm and never forced or forward sounding. The Amber 3 placed in my rig would most likely sound less bright or vivid than in another system that is voiced to be more revealing and detailed.

Please send me your AM SE to compare to my fully broken in Amber 3 with upgraded tube in my rig next week. Pretty please :)

System synergy is always the trump card and deciding factor. Secondly, one's sonic preferences and priorities also play a key role. My preference is for full bodied warmth over detail. 

@ghasley. Please remind me of your main dac? Curious as to how it compares to the Amber 3.  Thanks! 

I have well over 225 hours on the Amber 3. I also installed and SR Orange fuse and very nice Mullard/Amperex Long plate 12au7 tube. Both the tube and fuse have 65 hours on them.  The sound out of the Amber 3 is now so effortless, natural and beautifully intimate.  

My system sounds just as I had hoped. Huge luscious stage with great depth.  I hear further into the recording and space then I have ever experienced before. I love how smooth and easy on my ears and mind the sound is.  Music just floats out and swells bigger and bigger as the volume is turned up. Not a hint of forced or overly forward presentation.  Not a hint! 

Brownsfan, I will report back on complex material and how the Amber 3 handles it. Thus far I find the Amber to be very composed easily sorting out all instruments in their appropriate space. 

The Amber 3 has always excelled in dynamic drive and bass, that has not changed. 

Not sure why one would need to go the adaptor route when the $69 Western Electric tube is so fantastic and miles ahead of the stock GE tube? Just seems unnecessary? However, if you love tube rolling have at it!  

I forgot to share my final thoughts of the Amber 3 vs the upgraded Orchid.  The two are really wonderful and I could live with either and not feel like I miss the other.....if that makes sense. 

The Amber 3 is a little more resolving and throws a bigger stage. The upgraded Orchid is still less fussy of recording quality and just makes you smile. Both are beautiful sounding with great dynamics and bass.  The upgraded Orchid’s bass is just a tad better.  More impact and slam.  

I don’t think either one is an upgrade over the other, simply a slightly different set of relative strengths. The Amber 3 however is twice as expensive after the fuse and tube upgrade.  If you love a very large sound stage with extraordinary detail presented in vivid beauty with a touch of warmth, then the Amber 3 will please you greatly. In addition the Amber 3 remains a bit more composed at high volumes of over 88db or so.  This maybe important to you.  

The upgraded Orchid sounds a touch more full through the lower mids and packs incredible bass slam and weight.  It does a better job of dealing with the digital nasties like glare that can rear it’s ugly head on certain recordings. It just sounds right folks.  That special piece of gear that helps you enjoy your music library easily and fully.

The stock Orchid is outclassed by the Amber 3 after full break in as an FYI. The Amber 3 simply delivers more nuance, scale, drive and resolution. 

Hope this helps. 

Well if the socket enables one to roll tubes that sound better than the WE, then wonderful.  I would check with MHDT as these other tubes will have varying voltage requirements. 

Great news about additional tube rolling! 

Would need to know the parts used in the upgraded Orchid. That makes a big difference. Don’t know if apples to apples. Please let us know the output caps used, SR Orange fuse, Zfoil resistors etc... Other parts don’t work as well in sonic areas you and many others find most important. The Vcap combo of Odam and CuTF is a must on the output. Zfoil resistors are also a must.

The Amber 3 must have at least 300 hours of play to hear what it really sounds like. Anything less, then one does not really hear it. Also, the Amber responds wonderfully to an added SR Orange fuse and nice NOS 12au7 from Amperex or Brimar. If just given a short addition with a new(er) Amber the magic is missed and the Amber’s potential unrealized. She needs time and attention to details to sound her best.

Finally, all these dacs are placed in systems, rooms and ears that have a starting sound personality and real sound preferences. No doubt system synergy and preferences play a substantial role with the particular dac one would enjoy the most. Just the way it is in audio as nothing is ever universally accepted as best for all persons in all systems. Audiophile reality.

One last interesting point.  The Amber 3 I now listen to is a completely different sounding dac than the new one I played for 12 straight days 24/7. One would be reviewing or auditioning two different dacs really. Post break in with upgraded fuse and 12au7 the Amber 3 sings with a much different voice.  One needs substantial time and attention to details to hear what this dac is capable of.  I almost gave up, but am glad I did not. Patience paid off this time.  Hard for me to always be patient. 

Yes my Amber is still changing for the better at over 300 hours. Another thing we need to consider is the input we are using.  I know the Amber 3’s USB input is one of its strong suits and possibly the best input to use depending on your server/transport.  Will the coax sound as good? Maybe, or maybe not.  My system is maxed out and tweaked out for superb USB sound. 

Also, DSD recordings do sound better with the Amber 3 and the other two units can’t go there.  No doubt DSD sounds better than the same recording non-DSD in my system.  The Amber 3 lets me hear those sonic benefits while the others don’t.  I have a lot of DSD recordings. 

Finally, I use a no gain preamp that benefits from the added drive of the Amber over the other two dacs.   This is where system synergy really influences my system and preferences. 

The Orchid can be taken  to new sonic heights with rightly chosen parts in key positions. One needs to know those exact resistor positions and exact values.  The output caps must be Vcap Odam 2.2uf and Vcap CuTF .01 uf bypass.  The combo is magic in the Orchid. All fun! 

My audio buddy owned the La Scala MKIII Opto and sold it as he preferred the LaVoce S3 in his system. Just goes to show how real personal preferences and system synergy is.   No kidding, he loves the S3! The La Scala just could not please him over the long run.  He upgraded tubes, but still liked the S3 more. 

He had the very latest MKIII from the factory which sounded better than an earlier version of the MKIII.  He mention to the manufacturer how both MKIII units sounded very different. The builder said they had used better solder and certain parts were upgraded.  Well my friend heard the difference! Still liked the S3 more than the latest La Scala.

I have heard the S2 and S3 LaVoce.  Great dacs!  I actual like the Brimar tube a little better in my system with the Amber. Thanks for the tip! 

My same friend purchased the AM Tubadour dac ( one step down from the SE) and returned it after the trial period in favor of the S3 LaVoce. He felt it was just a tad flat and plain sounding. He has the Don Sachs 6sn7 preamp, McIntosh M452 amp, Innuos Zenith server, my cables and Legacy Signature SE speakers.

I like the LaVoce S3 dac and the Aqua brand. . I have always wanted to hear the Mojo Audio Mystique dac. Ben of Mojo is vocal about his dislike of any tube dac claiming tubes have no place in dacs. He suggests they are too noisy and limited in performance for use in digital front ends. Ha! Very opinionated guy for sure.

Well it seems this little MHDT Orchid has more tricks up it’s tiny  sleeve! This is not a dac you just plug and play and expect to get the most out of it.  One of my customers and a good audio buddy  purchased the Orchid with my upgrades and just loves it. He is also a big tweaker and decided to try the tube rolling idea which goes beyond the WE tube LTA sells with the Orchid.  

Well he purchased a tube socket adaptor from this vendor....

http://www.garage1217.com/garage1217_diy_tube_headphone_amplifiers_012.htm

He purchased the one at the bottom of the page so he could use his 
Siemen & Halske E88CC Gold pin tube. His unit has my upgrades,  the SR Orange fuse and now the tube socket to roll E88CC tubes.  He was so excited with the outcome that he could hardly contain himself.  The soundstage grew well beyond the sides of the speakers and also became taller. He commented it was like opening the flood gates.  The new tube can play at louder volumes with a greater ease and smoothness. He felt the overall improvement was on the order of 20%. Now this is in his system and your mileage may vary.  

He also purchased a 6sn7 socket adaptor and will roll some very nice 6sn7 tubes this weekend.  This will be most interesting! 

What a fun little dac that can with some diligence and attention to the details be made to sound far better than stock.....and the stock unit is no slouch! 

The Orchid is the little dac that could! 

My experience with 6sn7 tubes in preamps has proven the Psvane T-series black bottle tubes (cv181) sounds as good, and in most cases,  better than the myriad of well touted NOS 6sn7 tubes.

Only problem is these cv181 tubes don’t seem to last as long.

That is great! Let us know the result.  The new tube will need 40-60 hours of play time. I am really interested in the big bottle cv181 6sn7 equivalent and how it will sound. The top plate tube hole will need to be expanded a bit using a simple step up drill bit. I bet this one tube ends up being very special. My audio buddy should be trying one today or tomorrow. 

The Shuguang version is also said to be very good.  Great thread guys. 

I have a customer’s Orchid here with some 30 hours on it post surgery. It also has the SR Orange fuse. I have been comparing it to my Amber 3 with SR Orange fuse and Mullard 12au7. I can easily live with both. Don’t miss the other when one is playing.

The Orchid is warmer. The Amber slightly more open and resolving. The Orchid sounds right on more recordings while the Amber is more fussy with its slightly better resolution sometimes hurting enjoyment of lesser quality recordings.

The Amber = impressive sonic feats of strength with good to great recordings.

The upgraded Orchid = smile and enjoyment of most recordings without Aphile anxiety.

The tube rolling upgrade options would take the Orchid up another level making it an undeniable top contender. The resolution and soundstage gap may be closed with tube socket and tube varieties mentioned above.

The Orchid is still some $1000 less than the Amber with all upgrades.

I am happy with my decision to keep the Amber 3.  I have many DSD recordings and really enjoy the Amber’s sound and nuance. DSD recordings do sound better than non-DSD in my system.