moon unit

I am aware of this dac, almost always gets stellar reviews and most reviewers say it makes even 128k MP3 files sound great. My only problem with it is the tube buffer - not the fact that it uses a tube buffer but because the unit will be left on 24/7. My integrated amp does not have a switched outlet and I don't want to have to get up and turn it on (I don't listen to music while browsing the web) every time I want to hear a 30 second news clip. Someone correct me if i'm wrong but wouldn't I end up having to replace the tube on a yearly basis if it is left on? Also , if anybody has this dac (original, + or 3) I would really like to know how hot the unit runs and your general impressions of the sound. Thanks again

I recently purchased a "highly touted" upsampling dac (on sale) and ended up returning it, didn't like the sound it produced (too harsh) and ended up going back to my headphone out which sounded better. I have found myself listening to online radio stations (192k+) 95% of the time and I'm fairly sure the upsampling dac exposed the mp3 sources to the point where I didn't enjoy listening anymore, my system is fairly transparent. I have a reference system at home so if I want to do any serious listening I can go to that, my computer audio system will be used mostly with (relatively) higher quality streaming mp3 sources. I would still like it to sound as good as possible though and I think an NOS DAC might be the answer. Looking for "musicality" with a Vista OS. I would prefer to use my spdif out (if possible) and I can spend more if I would end up with a substantially better dac, but definitely no more than $1000. Thanks in advance for any help/suggestions.

BEEMB, Thank you for the reply. I normally set Vista volume at 100% and forget it, out of curiosity I lowered it to 80% and adjusted the volume up with my amp to see what it sounded like and was surprised at the difference in sound. So, anything less than max volume would affect the sound in a negative way, K-mixer or not. Is this true on Macs as well? Is there any way to adjust volume digitally where it would not degrade the sound, or is software not at that point yet? I'm actually very pleased with the onboard sound playing through WMP - I really wasn't expecting to be. Most of that is probably down to the speakers and amp that I am using plus all enhancements are switched off and I set the output to 16bit 44.1kHz. Unlike most, there is no static at all in my system, it's an all-in-one Sony desktop that is basically a stand-up laptop with a desktop processor and a small, quiet power supply - going green does have it's benefits! My next step is to try out a dac but all the different choices out there are making it tough to decide. I have a S/PIDF out and am not sure whether to get a dac which utilizes that or go with a USB unit. Thanks again

I have a question in regards to the basic Windows Vista volume output. Until I decide on which dac to purchase I am currently using the analog output from my soundcard to an integrated amp. It was my understanding that the Vista OS did away with the kmixer (which would degrade sound quality if not set at 100% - correct me if I am wrong) and that sound quality would be the same at any output level. Now if I set it at 50%, 75% or 95% and adjust the volume to the same level with my amp those outputs sound identical. When I set it at 100%, there is quite a large difference in sound with noticeably more detail than the 95% or any lesser output. I'm kind of stumped as to why this is so. Can anyone help shed some light on this? Thanks

Chris, I assume you've reviewed the v. 2 unit by now, any opinion on it vs. the original?