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".
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".