Aries Cerat Helene vs MSB Premiere DAC vs Lampizator Pacific 2

The biggest mistake you could make is to buy either one based on someone else’s opinion. You might as well do mini mani moo and pick one. Good luck. 

I think you'd be hard pressed to find someone who has experienced all three of these DACs. Then throw in the synergy with your equipment and you have a real crap shoot.

All I can say is that I have a Helene and I have no desire to search for another DAC. Just keep in mind the Helene is a beast to move around. Also,the Helene works with PCM only, not DSD

@onlysomany 

I have the Helene, which I love. Sounds like live music without a hint of digital. A plus is that you can alter the sound by changing the bias, a unique feature of this DAC. I can only imagine what the Kassandra II sounds like!

Ok, so......

I ended up going with the Aries Cerat Helene. Had an amazing dealer experience with Eric Connors at Unlimited Audio. Took me forever to decide, but ultimately I pulled the trigger on it.

Switched out the Dave/Blu combo and WOW. Big difference in presentation. I don't see how they can sell this dac so "cheap". Not only due to its size and weight, but the quality of components and sound.

Completely happy with this choice. This compared with the Viva is a dream. I don't how it could sound better than this.

If anyone else is looking for an endgame dac, message me and I'll hook you up with the dealer. It was an A+ experience start to finish.

I have a Helene on its way here and I am curious about where you Helene owners source your E280F input tubes in the USA?  Also, do you have a favorite GZ34/5AR4 rectifier tube?  I have read that the rectifier tube is important to how the Helene sounds.  Is it possible to achieve most of what the Helene is capable of sonically when using current production rectifier tubes, such as the Mullard or Genalex at around $60 or the Matsushita at around $80, or do I need to spend $3-400 on a NOS rectifier tube?  Finally, what length of warm-up does the Helene require before it mostly reaches its potential, is it in the 1-2 hour range or longer?  Thanks for any responses.