Having owned the Audionote DAC 4.1X balanced for 18 months, IMHO Audionote gear is grossly overpiced here in the U.S. IMHO most of Audionote gear is euphonically colored. Here are some other issues I have with Audionote:
1. Dealer/distribution network is very poor and seems to be constantly changing. I think they have had 3-4 U.S. distributors in the last 5-6 years.
2. Audionote does not have many U.S. dealers. The dealers that they do have do not have much of the Audionote line to demo and nothing in stock to purchase.
3. If you do wish to purchase an Audionote piece, you more than likely going to have to wait to 6-12 months to get it.
4. Build quality of Audionote gear is medicore. The fit and finish of my Audionote CDT2 transport (made in Korea) looked like it was put together by a 10 year old.
Audionote is a subculture within a cottage industry that certainly has it's loyal following. I agree with Oxia, you can achieve better overall performance at far less cost. By the way, I have heard the DAC 5 on at least a half dozen occasions and I wouldn't drop $50K on it.
