Had some time to listen it via coax today, this is great fun!
I have this album - From an artist named Suara - At times she can sound pretty coarse. This would be the first time I've heard her to be so.... "naturally" coarse, from my setup.

Right out the CD6004 it sounds like someone's rubbing a sink scrub at my face.

Swapping the tube is an easy way to change the sound / presentation also. I have a LM Ericsson 2C51 in my Havana courtesy of Donunus that tightened everything up.

Hey M3NTAL!

With the Stockholm V2 the stock tube seems to be a GE 5670. What are your thoughts about this tube, M3NTAL?
I'm not too sure if I would like to invest on tubes at this point of time, since this is technically a demo unit from MHDT, though honestly I am having second thoughts returning the Stockholm V2 at the moment (and just buy it off MHDT Labs).

You'll have to ask someone more knowledgeable on tubes. The MHDT site has a good tube list.

http://dhost.info/mhdtlab/tube.htm

My demo unit reached me earlier this week. Just only have some time to listen to it seriously now (it's 4AM here - Jetlag....)
Currently running it off USB, need to drop by a friend's place to get myself a coaxial later this weekend.

VS my Marantz CD6004 - I do like how natural the Stockholm sounds, bass has good body and I don't think many can argue the HE-560 has "lean" bass with this DAC.
Catch is everything sounds more "Grado" like. The CD6004 does have better sense of space and immersion. The Stockholm throws everything at you. Might just be the USB, coaxial will tell me more....


More to come soon. Pictures also! Just need some time to settle down first. Oh and I have to update my rig listing.


ADDENDUM: Oh and Marv... They still haven't replied me yet. *scratches head* I think I will drop them a call.....

The low and middle-end CS based Marantz's were never highly detailed or precise, but they all were very spacious sounding. Stockholm having good body and throwing everything at you... that's a good sign. I'd probably just buy it if I didn't already have my SFD-1.

Hi! Would you say the Stockholm V2 is a very forgiving DAC?
How good is it at smoothing over sibilance and making harsh recording less fatiguing?
Thanks

Personally I do not think the Stockholm V2 falls under the "forgiving" category. I just find it to not "sound wrong", if that makes sense.
Back to the example with the album I have - It still sounds coarse, but it does not sound like a sink scrub; it just sounds like the singer had some issues with her throat that very day.

IMHO - Sibilance or the lack of it, is usually a result of a not-so-ideal equipment pairing. A few forgiving equipments I've came across with usually rely on some form of tonal colour to make it sound acceptable. Likewise, a system which sounds harsh all the time... Most likely have issues with equipment matching.

E.g. O2 + HD800.
Now that I'd be VERY interested to listen to.

The low and middle-end CS based Marantz's were never highly detailed or precise, but they all were very spacious sounding. Stockholm having good body and throwing everything at you... that's a good sign. I'd probably just buy it if I didn't already have my SFD-1.

The Stockholm V2 is indeed very, very natural sounding. With my Marantz some instruments still can sound off, as with vocals. But the the Stockholm V2, voices, instrument timbre sounds pretty spot on (e.g., raindrops sound like raindrops).

It's tonally pretty fine, maybe just a very hint fatter and slower on the bottom end - But just a very slight bit so it does not bother me that much at all.

I'm still a little bugged with the staging/imaging though. It seems harder to see through the recording into the background. Is this what you'd call a "dirtier" presentation, like what you had experienced with the SFD-1? With the Marantz CD6004, especially with soundtrack music, instruments at the background can gradually appear and disappear from a distance, but this is much harder to notice with the Stockholm.

Hoping to hear more comparisons against maybe some other DACs!

Sorry, firev1. I do not have any other DACs with me at the moment. Was trying to audition the Gungnir but we do not have it here. Our local retailers do not have a return policy too, which makes it really hard for me.

Let's see what I can do with this. I would love to send the current MHDT I have to Marv, but I think I should give MHDT a reply whether I'd buy the Stockholm first before that takes place.