T+A DAC 200 or WEISS 501

I have both the T+A 200 and Mola Mola Tambaqui.

I'm still early in my evaluation of the T+A 200, but I can say without question it's bass presentation is quite substantial. I had to dial down my sub's by about 10% to quell the overwhelming boomy sound. I'll be honest I feel the MMT handles low frequency better then the 200, but I might possibly give the 200 the edge as far as far lateral left to right sound field width. When I say this I do mean very isolated far left to far right sounds appear to be coming from Beyond the speaker more so with the 200 then my MMT. However it's not even a question as far as holographics and center image generation the MMT is much more enjoyable in that regard than the 200.

The MMT is 3-5k more expensive then the 200 and to that I say the 200 is a great DAC, and it can handle DSD which is a draw especially with my SACD's.

I was interested in the 501, because of the DSP capability, but I was also very interested in the Meitner DAC MA3.

Now the MA3 and 501 being the roughly the same price I would definitely want to see these DAC's side by side to A/B them, but as interested as I am in these two DAC's, I am not interested in spending another $2,500 above what the 200 has to offer.

@markmuse The PS Audio DS 2 did get better with burn in.  It just never came close to the combo of the T+A 200 with the MP 200.  Nor did it rival the combo of the new Innuos Pulsar with the DAC 200, which was also very good.

The real magic is the combo of T+A DAC 200 plus the MP 200.  A staggering bargain IMO.

BTW, the T+A gear sounded much better in my listening room than at the dealer.  I'm running it into a 9W 300B tube integrated amp and through silver Gryphon speaker cables to GR-Research open baffle NX-Oticas.

BTW, @ja_kub_sz made a great point.  The T+A has so much tight bass I had to turn my GR_Research sub down a couple of notches!

@dougthebiker Ok, here are some key differences: A 300b amp would have a more gentle presentation than mine (BTW, what speakers?). I have a pair of AGD Tempo stereo amps bi-amping my Fyne F1-8s. The Tempos are very detailed and smooth, but not in the least bit shy... a bit forward compared to Pass, and I would bet a good bit more forward than your 300B amp. And the Fynes are similarly detailed. I want to replace my M3 because it is a bit too forward in my system, and at least so far the T+A has a very similar presentation. All summed in my system, just a bit too much of a good thing. I readily admit to being very sensitive to brightness. At one point I replaced the slightly aggressive tubes in my preamp with others for a more gentle presentation.

Regarding bass, yes, the T+A has plenty. But in my estimation it is like monitor speakers where there is an emphasis in the mid-bass. That is not so with the DS 2, and I think that is why my perception is better definition in the bass region with the DS 2. The very low frequencies are not masked by a hump an octave or two above.  My sub, BTW, is a KEF 9 something, and it really does reach the limits of hearing with authority. 

Anyway, I think the differences in our systems explains some of the differences in our perceptions of these DACs.

I should add that I think the T+A is an excellent DAC, but so far it is not the right one for my system.