I am a current owner of the EE DAC. I have also owned the Peachtree Nova Amp./DAC. This is the primary reason that I bought the EE DAC, The NOVA is a piece of Chinese shit as an amplifier (and build quality for that matter), but the NOVA DAC is fantastic.
As a point of reference, I have also owned the following DAC's: Benchmark DAC1, Audio Note 1.1, Audio Note Kit 2.0, modified Scott Nixon Tube DAC, Beresford 7520, modified Lite DAC AH, and the Birdland Odeon-Ag.
Of these DAC's, the Nova and Birdland Odeon-Ag are both similar sonically to the EE DAC. I'm not sure I could note a difference at all between the Nova and EE, and between the Birdland and the EE, I wouldn't say one was better than the other, just a very slightly different presentation.
I had the opportunity to directly A/B the Benchmark to the EE in my home. This was interesting. As soon as I switched to the EE after just listening to several tracks with the warmed up Benchmark, it was like taking a breath of air and relaxing! The detail of the Benchmark is maintained, but there is a very subtle linkage between notes that is VERY appealing to the ear. It is a very dark, full, liquid sound, which is definitely what I like (the rest of my system consists of an Audio Note Oto amp. and Audio Note AN-J speakers).
The tube / SS switch is interesting, I prefer the tube output, it sounds a bit more alive to my ears, but at the expense of a bit of noise compared to SS. I have rolled a few $50 or so NOS tubes in it and frankly the stock tube is about as good as any of the others. I currently have a nice NOS Mullard in it, but it doesn't really sound any different to me compared to the stock tube.
On build quality, I will say that the unit is far heavier than I expected. Ergonomically, there are things that scream "Chinese aesthetics": The lightweight knobs (very cheap feeling), the on/off switch that does not always turn fully engage for me the first time, and the dizzying array of different colored LED's on the front panel, it is a bit tuner-car looking if truth be told. Oh, and one more thing, the tube socket is impossibly tight, and it is in a little cutout that is near impossible to jam two fingers into to remove the tube, so tube rolling is not so easy as with most units.
At any rate, these mechanical things aside, I have had the unit for a month or so now, and I love the sound of it, and it's a keeper.
I don't think EE has re-invented the wheel here, they basically just stuffed the current best DAC chip on the planet into a standalone DAC and priced it competitively, but all of that being said, the Sabre 9018 DAC chip is CLEARLY, to my ears, the current champion.
P.S. - Bill at Morningstar is a first class guy to deal with, friendly, very good communications and quick shipping.
