Mike .. I haven't heard any of the DACs, but I have heard the Audiolab 8000 ... and I think one of its great strengths is that it reclocks the input and removes jitter. Of course this is only relevant if using it with a cheaper transport (I was using a Marantz CD67).
If you have a great transport you can ignore my message, but if you don't have a great transport then either buy a DAC with equally good reclocking to the Audiolab, or budget for a jitter box like the Monarchy DIP (which I don't think is as good as the Audiolab's own reclocking).
I'm no expert, but I thought the Audiolab was a very fine DAC ... very natural and not overemphasized in any respect. Tread carefully when replacing it. You might get more treble or more bass with a new DAC, but not necessarily a more natural tone, better imaging etc etc. IMO Audiolab has been overlooked and underpraised in the US.
If you have a great transport you can ignore my message, but if you don't have a great transport then either buy a DAC with equally good reclocking to the Audiolab, or budget for a jitter box like the Monarchy DIP (which I don't think is as good as the Audiolab's own reclocking).
I'm no expert, but I thought the Audiolab was a very fine DAC ... very natural and not overemphasized in any respect. Tread carefully when replacing it. You might get more treble or more bass with a new DAC, but not necessarily a more natural tone, better imaging etc etc. IMO Audiolab has been overlooked and underpraised in the US.