One of my friends bought this DAC two months ago after he did a shoot-out with his PS Audio DAC. The PS Audio lost flat-out. Just recently he auditioned the Weiss Minerva DAC and did an A/B comparison with the Ayre. Now he is contemplating of getting rid of the Ayre. Moral of the story- don't compare a DAC you like with another superior unit. The Ayre is good on its own.