I recently received my upgraded APL NWO 3.0 SE back from Alex and it has a modded Squeezebox Duet installed inside. It is not really a fair comparison at 2x the price of the MP (the one with the DAC), but I would venture to guess it could handily beat it.
I have the convenience of being able to play redbook, sacd, or dvd-a any time or to stream my music collection from a silent pc. The Duet remote is awesome, very easy to use.
IMO, one of the best DACs made with access to all my digital music in one box. Yes, Alex was MIA for awhile but he certainly came through in the end.