Luxman d-08u vs berkeley reference 2 dac

photon46, I'm considering the D-06u or D-08u as well and I have something of the opposite concern regarding the Luxman, and that is I'm afraid of it sounding too laid back, "rolled off", McIntosh warm? I haven't heard it in my system yet however working towards an in-home audition soon. Thanks   

PS - I'm a huge Luxman fanboy, never heard their DACs so I can't comment.

“I have the Berkeley alpha 2 and it sounds very musical to me but I do like a very sweet and nonfatiguing sound”.
@aerialacoustics,

In reading your response, I believe you may be experiencing fatigue over extended listening sessions. If that’s the case, you could look into dialing down the high frequency detail by trying different cables.

Do you not have an option to audition D-08u before committing to it?

If you prefer, PM me and I can suggest some very high quality but inexpensive cables. Depending on your setup, I may be able to send over couple of cables for you to try it out risk free.

Jayh31, I'd have a hard imagining anyone finding the Luxman's sounding rolled off, syrupy, or too warm but I suppose anything is possible if mated with non simpatico components. I don't think I've ever read a single reviewer who found their disc spinners or dacs to be too laid back. That said, we all have different preferences so I'd try to get an audition before committing to purchase. 

personally i wouldn’t sell the berkeley. i’ve had one in my system and thought it superb. don’t know if you can upgrade to series 3 but even so i’m sure the cost is brutal. you’ve got a really high end machine and it’s paid for. someday i hope to take my own advice.