@lanx0003 I was using the sabre model of the RME ADI-2 FS. I have no experience of a modern R2R dac. I have used a SMSL in the past & thought it was great..the SU-10. Comparable to the RME, probably a little more expansive soundstage. I ended up going with the RME because of it's PEQ function. I went with the 15th for the main reasons of trying to find a deeper soundstage & lessen the slight digital glare/hardness from some female vocal tracks.
The Pontus does improve upon those 2 things. I chatted with a gentleman last night about the 15th. He said he received his about 2 weeks before I did. He seems quite certain that because we were waiting awhile for our units that they were shipped without the normal 200 hours break in. He said he had not had any reason to believe electrical components needed that type of break in from past experience but that his unit improved dramatically over the 3 weeks of using it & not turning it off for a couple weeks. Told me to be patient..he was not impressed right out of the box & shared some subjective thoughts about it that aligned with mine..though I had not gone into detail about my impressions other than I wasn't impressed with it & that it lacked some focus.
I will report that using the RCA input on the 15th last weekend I felt it was on par with the USB input. We fiddled with the RCA outputs & were able to get any RCA cable firmly pushed all the way in. That was a relief.
That Harmony mini dac could be the good value unit. Alvin seems to be standing behind it. I'm at least convinced that R2R can expand the stage in a different way & reduce that digital hardness/glare. If the mini can accomplish that & keep the clarity & detail it's probably a solid winner for the price. I'd like to try one to at least get a better idea of what these R2R's are about. I'd like to have some experience with a few different models to get a good feel for them & if they really differ from good chip dacs.