DAC Help : Please Weight In - Down to 5

Terminator plus is incredible. 

"The Mola Mola Tambaqui all the way.  Nothing touches it at anywhere near its price." 

No DAC is preferred in every system. Dealers should be required to identify who they are when they post.

Good point. Not credible when you are the distributor 

Have you heard any/all of them or tried any in your own system? Do you own the YGA Carmel 2 speakers you discussed in another post. Those have low’ish efficiency and probably need some power to push. These choices are so subjective and also can be dependent on your system and the types of music you listen to.

Ideally you will hear from someone who has heard several or all of your choices. I have not, but I did own the Tambaqui a couple of months ago. IMO, it basically sounded "perfect" but maybe too perfect and too precise, for me at least. I did not use the I2S input, but I did play with the output voltage. It has enormous flexibility so may have the ability to be "dialed in" more so than some others. It did absolutely nothing wrong, but didn’t quite engage me as much as others. However, that opinion easily could have been on me related to not having an optimal set-up.

I owned a LaScala some time ago, but not the optologic version and it was ok but nothing that overly excited me. I have not owned one of the more expensive Lampizators but the lower level model I owned displayed a really nice tone and an expansive soundstage (maybe too much). The Terminator and Plus have been reviewed multiple times at Six Moons and elsewhere so their sound is pretty well documented. I have not owned one, but I did own the Hermes DDC (step down from Gaia) and I appreciated what it did. I currently use a Singxer SU-6 DDC which, like the Hermes, provides some subtle benefits in addition to providing additional connection choices.

Unfortunately, reading about things and opinions are never the same as hearing for yourself. Good luck.

I have tried many DACs in my system in the last few years.  For me the Lampizators brought it all together.  I currently have a used Big 7 mk2 that came directly upgraded from Lampi that has almost no miles on it as I got a great deal on a Golden Gate.  Both are killer Dacs.  It still has some warranty left on it.  If interested message me.  I'll make the best deal I can as I have way too much equipment laying around that needs new homes.