How not to buy a DAC -- an audiofool journey

I bought a GG1 and upgraded to 11P, now it's a matter of when not if I send it back for 12X2.  The sound is to me glorious now, and the reviews of 12X2 are that it brings the GG3 to a new level.

I heard the Aphrodite and will shamefully admit I prefer the GG3, there is something about the DHT sound that connects with me vs the fast articulate Aphrodite.  I know the Aphrodite is a far superior DAC but it doesn't speak to me.

I think the Horizon (or Aphrodite) will sound more like your Swiss Nagra Tube unless you are looking for a more lush sound.

Good luck, I can't wait to hear about the next stop in your journey.

Well written and interesting. would ask you to try a MSB DAC. Even if it’s the Analog or Discrete DAC with power supply upgrade 

@ghasley @jrareform Thank you so much for your kind words. Working on the part-two as we speak, will post soon.

@alexopth1512 Thanks for justifying my craziness. You are lucky, I had that option twenty years ago, Computer Science or Electronics. Now I wish I had taken electronics instead of CS. Sigh! I would be doing what you are doing now, perhaps.

@rikkipuu That is a brilliant insight on the GG3. Thank you for (courageously, LOL) putting it out there. I think I would be on the same boat as you --  preferring GG3 to Aphrodite, although haven't heard either. I love the Pacific DHT, heard at a friend's house.

@alfa100 Thank you for your suggestion, I respect MSB a lot, but these days, they have lost my respect with their over-the-top pricing and their luxury-audio PR  and seem to have lost their the sheen of their salt-of-the-earth audio engineering values that they were known for.