Audio Logic v. Audio Note v. Audio Aero v. Audiome


I have been reading the great comments about the Audio Logic DAC. Have any of you have compared it to any of the DACs or one-box units from the above manufacturers?

My system consists of:
Cary 308-T CDP
First Sound Pres. Deluxe MKII Preamp
VTL MB -450 Sig. amps
Merlin Milennium speakers
the Bobby P. recommended Cardas Golden Ref. interconnects and speake wire
Various power cords

I find that complex, dynamic music gets congested. Bass is a bit muddy. And, on faster music, it seems that my combo. of equipment has trouble keeping up.

My hope is that an improved source will address some of these issues.

Any thoughts are greatly appreciated. Thanks.
brooksl
I have heard the Audio Logic heads up against the Audio Aero. The Aero is a one box player, and the Audio Logic is just a DAC, so we used the Audio Aero as a transport for the AL DAC ... the AL had more air, more holographic imaging, better harmonic accuracy, and better dynamics. It suffered no congestion on busy passages.
The Audio Aero is probably the best 'one box' DAC of the bunch. I don't know if it would fit into your system. It could easily also take the place of your pre and you would get an improvement. If you were to reach for this unit, try to get the latest version as it has an analog passthru to go with any analog output, including tuner. I have never heard the AA with your VTL MB amp. It usually, although not always matches best with a tube amp.