You may want to speak with Ric Schultz at EVS directly, as he is nothing if not a straight shooter with information and you'll likely learn a lot about DAC design/implementation. All I know is I've had a Millennium DAC 1 in my system for a year and it is truly an open window on the performance. With the DAC II Ric has done a roto rooter thing and cleared out everything that could detract from the signal--he's even found a way to avoid using any op-amps in the unit. It may take a while to get one, but with a 30-day money-back guarantee you have nothing to lose and everything to gain by trying one. I haven't heard the Assemblage unit so I can't comment on it, but I'm sure it's a quality piece. I just wouldn't bet the farm on anything until I at least heard the DAC II, which by the way will be upgradeable to 2-channel sacd/dvd-a formats. Best of luck.
Tim
Tim