Holo may lte vs denafrips terminator 2 vs musetec da005

No doubt you will find that they each have a similar SQ and that will come down to personal taste.

However the Musetec 005 is significantly less expensive which gives you more $$$ to spend on good cables. Plus you won't need a re-clocker because the Musetec has an Amanero USB board.

@manogolf I too strongly considered the Holo Spring 3, which can be bought with a decent pre-amp too. Mainly because I didn't want a 2 box setup, as the Holo May.

The Spring is lower spec than the May that's why I went for the 005. I've always used chip DACs so no issues there. The 005 is NOS and NUS no issues there anyway because I use an Aurender.

The Spring probably is one of the best single box ladder DACs in this price category at present.

@manogolf Yes a side by side comparison of the Spring and 005 both using the Serene pre-amp would be very interesting.

The break in on the 005 is a bummer though but once you get there it's all worthwhile.

It's important to read about the DPLL settings in the online manual though.

Good Luck!