Which is better, Muse 2 or EAD 7000III?

I have the Muse 2 with Bessell Filter and all I can say it sounds amazing. The bass is extremely solid and tight and the highs are very liquid. Overall, the Muse 2 with Bessell filter is a great DAC for the money. You can get a used unit at around $400-$500. Good luck on your search.

I thought about the Muse. I never heard one though, and I had some experience with the 7000 III. I went the safe route. Let me state up-front that I'm going to be selling my 7000 III very soon (as soon as I can get a digital cameral to show how perfect it is). I have always thought it was a pretty darn good sounding DAC. The Digital Flywheel is very effective at reducing jitter (makes a pricey transport much less important). The analog section is discrete and pure Class A (mode of operation). I was very, very happy with it.

The Muse may be worse, as good, or better. I simply don't know, but you could do a lot worse than the 7000 III. I'm selling it because I bought a processor at over 3 times the price, and, yes, it's better. I held onto the EAD until I was sure about the whole situation though.

Best of luck.

The Muse with the Bessel filter is a very good piece. They also used the Cardas AES/EBU cable from the XLR digital input to the board. With a good Transport, Theta Basic or Basic II, Muse 5, etc., it is hard to beat. I have compared to the Theta Gen V and they were very close with subtle differences;Theta a bit wider in the stage, the Muse fuller and a bit more bass weight. Both could "slam" in the bottom end however. The EAD's I have heard are good sounding pieces. The match with your Transport is probably the most important factor. jeff