how good are the non os dacs?

ok,so i have spent some time listening to a buddy's higher end system and liked his digital sound. came back to mine with a known cd and noticed that mine does many things well. however, i was able to pinpoint what annoys me about the sound. distortion in dynamic passages, especially in the upper treble. mine sounds good until there is strong burst of dynamic energy. so is this the fault of the power supply, op amps or what. in addition what dac/player do you guys recommend under 600.00 that can combine smoothness and handle these dynamic passages. thanks again

I own Audio Note DAC2.1 Signature.Non OS DAC.I am more than pleased with the sound.It is more body,more natural, and also a bit warmer than other digital gear i have heard.BUT...this does not come at the expense of dynamics.Dynamics is still great.I think my DAC is very natural sounding and efortless.I rolled over 12 different kinds of E88CC tubes in it or 6N1P.Every time speed and dynamics are not a problem.I expected problems there, if anywhere.
Bass is extremely good.Midrange is clear,open and natural.Treble is brilliant.To my ears - no objections.
Just my opinion.

well, i thought i would update this thread that i started. i borrowed a well regarded non os dac that had obviously better bass and dynamics than mine but i never heard anything that really wooed me into enjoying it. then i got back on the internet and researched until i had headaches, dizziness, and a pissed off wife. so, i finally decided to just try something on a whim, i won an adcom gda600 dac off of ebay with a well regarded chipset and dual power supplies. it sounds great, very natural and unforced. piano sounds phenomenal and it has a magic to it that i have not heard in my home in years. so i am pleased. the digital fatigue that was subtle but driving me nuts is gone, hooray. thanks for the input.

Djwilbourn
Always a design out there that can do better no doubt! Glad you found a good match to your taste, because thats all it comes down too :-)

Non OS Philips 1543 or 1545 based dacs really show their age. I find they sound a bit congested when playing symphonic music but they can sound smooth. Not very resolving but can sound nice sometimes matched with the right components.