Luxman d-08u vs berkeley reference 2 dac

Thanks for everyone's advice. I do like the berkeley alpha 2 dac. I have the alpha 2 dac and NOT the reference dac. I am very happy with it. But i have to admit, I have always wanted to try the berk ref2 dac but never got the chance  to try in my own system to see if its alot better than the BADA2.  But i have also heard great things about the luxman d08u sacd player. Mike at suncoast audio says it blows the berkeley ref2 dac away.  and whitecamaross has raved about the luxman previously. This has made me wonder about the luxman d08u.  But both pieces are quite expensive and I dont have the means to buy both and audition them, hence the posting on this forum. Thanks for all the responses!

 
photon46:

Have you ever tried the berkeley ref2 or alpha 2 dac? If so, i would love your opinion regarding how it compares to the luxman d08u? what other sacd players did you try before settling on the luxman?

I have read Luxman is releasing two new transport DAC models using a different DAC chip than what has been current models.  I have yet to see notification of availability in the U.S. yet, but had been shown in Japan in later 2019.

I tried several DAC's in the 3-5000 range and settled for the Luxman DA06.  It is not syrupy by any means but does have a warm silky sound  the top end is extended but doesn't stick out and I don't think I am missing an detail.  I expect to have it for quite a while.  To me the signature is similar to how a classA amp sounds compared to an AB

@Aerielacoustics, no I haven’t heard the Berkeley dacs. My references for digital sound includes several audio shows and having been a member of central Florida’s Suncoast Audio Society and having heard quite a few very fine member systems. (Yes I know Mike at @ Suncoast, he’s a great guy.) I had conversed with the sales manager @ Luxman USA when I was debating which model to buy and he told me (around Christmas time) that the new models should be available around now. I imagine the worldwide virus pandemic has put those plans in slower motion. I did get to hear the new $15k Luxman SACD player at the Florida Audio Expo in an all Luxman and Magico system and I thought it was the best sound of the show. Couldn’t really compare what I thought of the new player to the D-08u of course, different room, system, etc. Shannere makes a great comparison point, the Luxman signature is like the difference between a Class A amp vs typical class AB. Prior to buying the Luxman d-05 10 years ago, I had been using a Marantz SA-11s1. After just two years it developed a transport problem that Marantz couldn’t fix and I had to junk it. At that point, after having had four different brands of CD or SACD players (Denon, Cambridge, Musical Fidelity) develop drive problems, I did as much research as I could on cd transport reliability and decided Luxman or Esoteric were my best bets because they were the only ones in my price range that were making their own transports. So, for the last 10 years, Luxman has served me well. As you can tell from my system description, I’m not much of a gear churner and most things I buy tend to stay with me a while.