AKM all day ! I picked up a Gustard dac A18 when released which uses the 4499 and will be hanging on to it. feel in love with AKM through my last two Marantz pre/pro's which the latest 8805 caused me to drop plans to get an Oppo 205 but 203 and sold the 105, been happy with the sound for for a few years but have a few upgrades coming to see if that stands.
AKM makes the best DACs
OK, before you flame a reply to my heading please read this section.
It is a terrible idea to judge a DAC based on the chip. I don't think consumer's should ever do that. I think there is a lot that goes into a good external DAC unit and the converter chip is just one of many factors that go into the final sound.
Having said that, it turns out I tend to like the sound of DACs with AKM chips over most others. A long time ago I would have said the same about Burr Brown.
For converters which use an all in one chip what is the brand you find yourfself more likely to like the sound of vs. not?