I've had the Northstar 192 for a number of months. I bought it based only on my reading--I did not listen to any other DACs--so I can't give you an informed opinion. I just decided to live with it for an extended period and see what I thought.
I do like it. As sources, I've used: iTunes/Airport Express (optical connection), Linn Karik, Quad 99 CDP (optical connection), Tascam CD-RW 700 (CD recorder). It beats all of them (not that this was a exactly a revelation in some cases). I like the old Karik (no Numerik) better as a player in my system than the newer Quad, and using the Northstar provided better resolution and deeper bass than the Karik. What surprised me as much as anything was that it didn't matter which machine I used as a transport. The Karik feels much more substantial in use than the others, and I always assumed it would be a superior transport, but I couldn't reliably tell a difference in sound when I used it. FWIW.
Is using your Ikemi an option?
I do like it. As sources, I've used: iTunes/Airport Express (optical connection), Linn Karik, Quad 99 CDP (optical connection), Tascam CD-RW 700 (CD recorder). It beats all of them (not that this was a exactly a revelation in some cases). I like the old Karik (no Numerik) better as a player in my system than the newer Quad, and using the Northstar provided better resolution and deeper bass than the Karik. What surprised me as much as anything was that it didn't matter which machine I used as a transport. The Karik feels much more substantial in use than the others, and I always assumed it would be a superior transport, but I couldn't reliably tell a difference in sound when I used it. FWIW.
Is using your Ikemi an option?