After years of owning different DACs and amps, this is a final destination product, which is saying something coming from an upgrade junkie. The Black EX makes good speakers great, and there is no other way to achieve this sound.
The Black EX has a phono pre-amp and Tilt Control. The Tilt Control is amazing, especially with recordings that are hot, i.e., intentionally recorded with an emphasis on the high-end, like Adele 21. Listening to any song on that album on a car stereo may be ok, but you need to tweak it on a high-end system. Tilt also can be used if you room is too bright or too dead.
It has equalizer features – high pass and low pass filters. Subwoofer integration, in my opinion, is very difficult and rarely successful. The Black EX integrates subwoofers. It takes a bit of time, like an hour or two, to adjust the high pass and low pass filters for your room and subwoofer, but the end result is integration. By integration, I mean you cannot tell if the music is from the main speakers or the subwoofer. I am using 50 Hz on both settings but they do not have to be the same.
The Black EX has an Ethernet input. This is often overlooked, but it means you are not using a computer in your system (unless you want to use Roon; the Black EX is Roon ready). We mostly use the Bel Canto SEEK app. Ethernet is a superior connection over USB.
Finally, Black EX is MQA compatible. Playing an MQA recording using an Ethernet connection is a step up. It squeezes out that last five percent.