Neutral or warm? Which do you prefer?

I like warm sound better as long as bass isn't soft.

For what my opinion is worth, I'd say that there's no "supposed to be better." I'd go with whatever has you closing your eyes and listening to the music rather than the equipment.

Very good answer, Tonyangel.

Neutral or warm? Neither, I prefer natural and lifelike, as if the actual instrument was playing in the room.

I believe in balance, usually I can make just about any gear work. Take the neutral speakers and run some nice organic electronics. Then take the warm speakers and run some revealing electronics. The outcome will sound similar.

I like my sound totally balanced, revealing, but not edgy, musical yet not dark. It's like walking a tightrope getting the sound just right. If pressed, I would say that I prefer a system that errs slightly on the side of musicality rather than a system that errs on the side of transparency.

I think I would say that I prefer neutrality, but the sonics of my room can be somewhat cooler, so I prefer warmer components. However, warmer components in a more neutral sounding room might leave me wanting. It's all about synergy between the components and the room.

Technical director of Benchmark Media Systems Inc. said this about DAC1:

"We designed the DAC1 for maximum transparency. If you want to add warmth, you can't add it with a DAC1. Personally, I do not like what warm sounding equipment does to the sound of a piano. Warmth is wonderful on vocals, guitars and certain instruments, but it beats against the stretched overtones of a piano. The overtones in a piano occur at slightly higher than harmonic ratios, and these create beat notes with the exact integer ratios produced by electronic equipment (and speakers). Too much harmonic distortion will make a piano sound out of tune."

I like slightly warm sound to compensate for overly bright recordings, that can be very unpleasant on neutral system.