Audio Note 4.1X vs. 4.1X Signature

audio nirvana,
Several people whose ears I trust have heard the AN 3.1 and 4.1 balanced. The feeling is that past 3.1 you start on the path of diminishing returns in terms of monetary value. Is the 4.1 sig better than the 4.1? Yes. Is it worth the extra money? IMHO, only each individual can make that assessment. The improvement in sound from the 3.1 to the 4.1 will be greater than 4.1 to 4.1 sig. for alot more money. I like the 4.1 bal alot but don't feel the added expense of the sig would be worth it for me(cost is an issue tho not a big one). BTW, I haven't heard the 4.1 bal sig so I haven't been able to compare the two. I thought I would share with you the thought process I went thru regarding the 4.1 and 4.1 sig DACs. Enjoy listening.

Very interesting. I'll e-mail Peter Q for his comments.
I've heard the new 4.1X approaches the performance of the DAC 5. I assume people are referring to the 4.1X Signature model in this comparison.

I have the Dac 4 balanced and previously the dac 3 balanced and it is quite a stepup. The new dac 4 has different technology then the other 4's. Probably the best value.

I had the AN DAC4.1X Not balanced and later the AN DAC4.1X Signature Not balanced. The latter was substantially better. Why don't you email Peter and ask what differences you would hear? Or check out the web site for what the differences are.