Benefit of a Newer (Used) DAC - "Bang for the Buck?"

@rareace I think it's going to come down to personal preference (and system/ears) as both dacs are outstanding in their own way.  

I kept the Audio Mirror T3-SE because it provides the most real, natural, 3-dimensional sounding image I've heard in my system.  

The May, however, produces the most accurate and extended frequency response I've heard in the system.  It's really striking how it seems to perfectly reproduce every single piece of the spectrum.  It also produced the largest soundstage, both in width and height.  It was super clean and detailed, without sounding digital or harsh.  There was a touch of brightness, but I do believe that would have gone away if I'd been able to put more than 200 hours on it before being forced to pack up my stereo to prepare for a move. If I were more concerned about accuracy and/or details, the May definitely would be the winner.  It's a great dac.  Wish I'd been able to fully complete the break in process.

@cal3713 Sounds like you kept the more emotionally engaging DAC. I recently tried the Mojo Mystique EVO and it was phenomenal. As you put it technically the better DAC. But I feel that my Border Patrol was slightly more "musical". Just made me stop analyzing and just listen...
-Alex

@rareace  Interesting. I have the Mojo on my radar. Could you tell me more about the comparison? (and the models you have/had on hand)

op

bang for buck - get an mhdt nos r2r tubed unit (all current units are, but some of their past units are not) - that plus an upgraded tube will be the most natural dimensional lovely un-digital sound for $ spent

i went through almost 30 dacs in the past year to learn what the well reputed suspects have to offer, and that is my conclusion - not the best dac, but the best sounding ones for the $ to my ears, in my system (under a grand)

and good job managing the s.o. :)

@cal3713 Well at 5x the price difference between the two DAC's I just wasn't blown away. I purchased the EVO B4B with a slew of upgrades to the analog sections. The Mojo had better micro details, cleaner dynamics, and slightly larger soundstage. But the BP was just so much more organic sounding for the type of music I like. No doubt the Mojo is better in many ways but not enough to justify the huge price difference. Honestly I just like the way the BP presents music. An analogy is like driving an old, manual sports car vs new sports cars. The new stuff is very impressive at first but I'll take the vintage stuff all day any day. Just so satisfying. I guess at the end of the day the law of diminishing returns was just constantly on my mind so I sent it back. Don't miss it one bit.
-Alex