Abruce, I would like to help you. I had a chance to A/B a Luxman DU-80 (the big brother to the DU-50) to my Esoteric X-01LE. The DU-80 was more tube-like with a deeper soundstage and very pleasant. The Esoteric was faster, more dynamic and brought out more detail. I would think by this description if you are looking for the type of sound the DU-80 has, the DU-50 would be similar. They are both awesome players, just depends what you want to hear. Hope this helps.
