jbm

Hi Forehaven, I can only comment about the LIO-8, that being the only one of these DACs I've heard in my system, and noting that I'm no doubt biased in any case being an owner. For the reasons discussed in the thread above, I suspect any thoughts I can provide about the sound of the LIO-8 in my system (which is to me, frankly, unimpeachable - the LIO-8, not my system) are going to be of little aid in your assessment of the relative merits of how any of these DACs would sound in your system. I would, however, propose that if the LIO-8 doesn't suit you, it will more likely be a matter of taste and system synergy than any error of commission/omission on the part of the LIO-8. I suspect that's true of each of these DACs, and I guess that's rather the point, unfortunately. I hope I can address your concerns about complexity. Yes, the LIO-8 can do a lot of things - I now have two turntables, a tuner, an old CD player, and of course the mac running into it, and it has now replaced a valve preamp, a valve phono stage, and an external crossover. Initially, however, I used it simply as a replacment for my Monarchy Audio NM24 DAC. I'm no guru when it comes to these things and I managed to get it up and running as a 'simple' DAC pretty quickly. More importantly, the support I've had from Steve Devino at GraniteRocks has been exemplary. Steve offered to look at the config files I had set up, and edited (actually I'm sure "replaced" is a more accurate word) them to make some significant improvements. I am confident Steve or any other MH dealer would be willing to offer the same help to you should you need it. I really can't say enough about how comforting it is to have someone knowledgeable about your equipment who is willing to provide this level of support. In my experience of its operation, the LIO-8 is no more or less complex than needed. Lastly, as labjr mentions above (and I hope this isn't crossing a line, but having no affiliation other than that of a very happy customer I trust not) GraniteRocks is having some sort of group buy thing on MH gear. I think it's currently at 20% off list price, but this may go up to 25% depending on number of subscribers. Recognising that cost and value propositions are so individual and so subjective, in my view the prospect of a LIO-8 for $3K is, well, very tempting. Please take these comments in the spirit in which they are given - I'm certainly not proposing the LIO-8 is better than any of the other DACs here, nor that it's the best DAC etc etc. I would suggest that you try not to let its complexity put you off. And I echo the comments above - if you can find a demo, I'd recommend one (I'd offer if you're planning on a visit to the Southern hemisphere...). Cheers, John