Arafiq,
I just want to say that the Border Patrol & RME are both very good DACs.
I enjoyed both.
There are just so many from which to choose, and I don't think you can go "wrong" with any of the above suggestions.
The issue is finding a DAC that coincides with your idea of how music should sound.
Of the BP and RME; the RME ADI 2 was a better fit for me.
I really found nothing "wrong" with that DAC & enjoyed it.
It has a ton of options in tailoring sound & allows a deep look into each track.
It can be sort of "clinical" sounding but not overly so.
Again, it is very clean & detailed. If you want to hear exactly how the track was engineered that should be a DAC you consider. It is entertaining to listen like that.
But ultimately that is not what music sounds like to me.
I appreciate a sweet, emotional sound, a connection with the music, as someone said above.
Yes, that "musical" quality is very important to me, but not at the cost of detail.
I also value spatial qualities; depth, air surrounding each voice or instrument, and solid imaging within the recorded space.
Sounds like a tall order, and it is.
But that's what the search is about; finding the equipment that fulfills our musical predilections.
Enter the Audio Mirror Tubadour III.
To me it hits all of those qualities that I find important in listening to recorded music.
Read Terry English's review in Stereo Times.
His review can probably make it a bit clearer relative to the sound, build quality, etc. of the AM.
So, you asked about the SE version for an extra 1000.00.
When I spoke to Vlad I asked about the upgraded caps and resistors.
Vlad very frankly told me that unless your system is extremely revealing you probably will not get the full impact of the upgrades.
My system is entirely headphone-centric:
Linear Tube Audio microZotl amp with upgraded power supply and ZMF Auteur, Beyerdynamic T1, and Sennheiser HD800 phones, depending on my mood.
So, how revealing, I don't know.
Contact Vlad. He will communicate very honestly with you.
Anyway, I chose to try out the base model (also budgetary considerations..LOL),
And, obviously, I'm extremely happy with the Tubadour III base right now.
In the future there is always the availability to send it back to Vlad for the upgrades.
Sorry for the long scribe.
I hope I answered some of your question.
Kind Regards;
P.B.
