The must haves for me were a linear power supply, ultra low noise JFET at the input stage, Balanced & SE outputs and it needed to function as a reference quality preamp with precise volume attenuation (ladder) and a remote. Most good stand alone DACs get this right now. Life is easier when we have multiple digital and analogue inputs on our DAC. The Oppo measures at the top of the class regarding signal distortion but I do not know anything about it's topology regarding noise/jitter reduction at input. Having the flexibility of multiple inputs, a couple of gain choices for outputs as well as type of output gives me a lot of future options. Lastly the sound of my DAC10 is sublime. Good Luck!
