MSB select II vs all dacs ?

Thank you., Mike. Very helpful.
Al

@mikelavigne  Have you heard the rockna wavedream?

@smodtactical--
i was at Axpona in April, and RMAF in October, but don't recall hearing the Rockna Wavedream dac specifically; sorry. but i sometimes go in rooms and i don't immediately connect, and move on. i take pictures of most rooms i enter, and sometimes that jogs my memory. i will review those pics again when i have time.

if i've heard it, it did not grab my attention, and that is not necessarily any commentary on the Rockna. i will likely go to RMAF again in September and if it's there i will listen to it. 

@mikelavigne  What DACs that were much cheaper than the Select 2 have ever grabbed your attention? Say something under $20k.

What DACs that were much cheaper than the Select 2 have even grabbed your attention? Say something under $20k?

i’m not sure i’m the right guy to answer that question, as it’s been a couple of years since i was really paying attention in that dac market segment. i certainly liked the Lampi GG, the GG1.5 and the Pacific (just a bit over $20k) plus certainly the Aqua Formula too.

there are a number of competent dacs in that $10k to $25k range and i can’t say any stand out......but i’ve not deep dived into them since i went with the MSB Select II.

right now other than the 7-box CH Precision and the NADAC i mention above the other dacs i’ve liked alot are the MSB Reference ($40k+) and the Trinity Dac ($50k+) which i owned in 2016. i’ve heard and liked the Aries Cerat Kassandra II at RMAF, which i think is around $40k, and there are 2 steps up above that version for up to $84k i’ve not heard.

i hope that helps. i’m sort of caught up in optimizing my Select II with my new Extreme server and listening to lots of music.