DAC Choices - $5,000 to $7,000

Purchase a Lyngdorf DAC. They throw in my favorite amplifier with it for FREE! https://lyngdorf.steinwaylyngdorf.com/lyngdorf-tdai-3400/Seriously, I am also digitally inclined as apparently you are. I went through an number of Tube/Class A/Class AB/ amps with a number of DAC combinations. I found nothing as good as the Lyngdorf. And the Lyngdorf also met or exceed all competition with analog inputs too. Which was a total surprise. But, to each their own. Just a different path to suggest.

@cal3713 , yeah the Totaldac measurements are a bit confusing but there are so many folks who like how they sound.  I will look into whether any of the Mojo DACs have been critically measured as I would be curious to see how they measure.  The Holo May has been measured by two publications and seems to have done well.  It is certainly nice when measurements and sonics align, but it does not occur in every case and for me it is not absolutely necessary as long as I like the sonics.

@grannyring , everybody says their gear is "upgradable" but the reality is that in this hobby I have heard that more than seen it.  In many cases the new technologies force changes that are not retrofittable.  In other cases, it simply doesn't make economic sense.  One thing for sure, Ben's 45 day trial period is generous and if I decide to take advantage of that I will be committed to purchase except in the event the sonics simply don't match my preferences.  I would be interested in what your friend thinks of his Morpheus.  I am still not convinced it is a better sounding DAC than the two upper end Metrum DACs, based on reports from people who have owned both and also considering the less robust power supply and reduced level of isolation compared to the Pavane L3 and Adagio.  I am in a good position of having a pretty good sounding set-up currently so can afford to be patient as I search for something better and a bit different.

@jgoldrick , thank you for the additional information on Totaldac. 

@mitch2 He really did not like the Sonnet. Lacked body and weight. Not enough bass and again too electronic sounding vs his time with the Mojo. He thought the Sonnet sounded weak and “fragile” vs the solidity, ease, control and foundation sonically of the Mojo.

@grannyring I may have purchased his v3, as the seller was from MN :)

We've discussed the DAC recently and he was telling me how it has been tough for him to find a replacement for it...   I'm certainly very happy with it!

@grannyring , I heard those same comments about the Morpheus relative to the Pavane and Adagio, although the reviewers did not seem to think so.  I sometimes wonder about reviews but have previously found Srajan at 6moons to be reliable and mostly aligned with what I hear.
I plan to reach out to Ben and see where that leads me.