I’m mostly intrigued by some of the online reviews for small company DACs like Border Patrol and Mhdt Labs where it’s said they can compete with much more expensive DACs.
My musical tastes are all over the board but maybe 50% rock (not hard) – folk - reggae etc. amplified music, the other made up mostly of acoustic folk, vocals, jazz and whatever else is in my library. I’d hate to move to R2R and find that female vocals are greatly improved, but at the expense of electric guitars, etc.
I've had the MHDT Lab Pagoda in my system for about a year now and I've found it to be quite extraordinary with all types of music. It sounds very natural compared to my Chord Qute EX, which sounds much more forward (and not in a good way). Everyone's taste is different, of course, and my preference leans heavily toward R2R NOS. I'd say give one a try. If you don't like what you hear you should be able to sell it without incurring too much loss considering R2R DAC's are all the rage. Speaking of MHDT Lab, the Orchid has had some interest here as of late. Lots of fans of those old TDA1541 chips. Good luck with your search.