LTA Aero verses Holo May KTE

FWIW, I have heard the LTA in a friend’s system, it was nice, but did not wow me. OTOH, there are a lot of people who have been wow’ed over the years by the May.

I didn’t do an exhaustive search based on actual listing, but chose the LTA Aero because it left me wanting nothing more after audition. Over the many years that I’ve been involved in Audio, I’ve come to give more and more weight to both before, and especially after, sale service. I have found LTA customer service to be laudable. 

May KTE is a phenomenal DAC. I never had a delay using USB. But now I’m running a 60’ AES cable from my server in the basement to the May. It does take a second to lock when switching bitrates. Not a big issue for me. 
 

I actually prefer the May to Tambaqui and Grimm MU2 DAC. It has more weight and body. Lampizator could be on your list if you don’t mind messing with tubes. 

I use the Aero for months.  It is a plug and play dac that  always works flawless and sound good. I let mine 'on' all the time.   Upgrading the stock tube to Ray 6SN7 brings more detail, bass and bigger soundstage.  Feed it with high quality streamer Innuos/Aurender and PCM files through its USB input and you are in business for a long run.

I have may kte. I use i2s connection with PLL off. No delay. Sounds awesome. But, There's a trick to May that LTA nor other dacs in this price range cannot match. Use May NOS mode and feed up-sampled DSD 128 or higher (I use Hqplayer), it sounds as good as any high end DAC. That's where May excels and not sure if others are taking full advantage of that. 

NEVER had any delays or problems using USB on my Holo Audio May KTE. Using it with an Aurender N200.

I bought my May L2 DAC before the LTA Aero was developed, but it probably would have been on my short list too, so I understand your conundrum. You’d probably be happy with either, but I can tell you that I stopped thinking about DAC upgrades after I put the May in my system. The LTA does allow for tube swaps if you’re into tweaking.

My May’s USB input takes a few seconds to lock onto the signal when it’s first turned on, but once it does, there are no hiccups or pauses.

@katzenjammer27 I have the following Yggi's, LIM | MIB | OG. I recently converted the LIM to the MIB. The best one by far for me is the OG. You cannot buy this DAC anymore. The MIB is pretty good but has a bit of the LIM sound for me to really like it.

Jason Stoddard of Schitt was doing his sales pitch on Head-fi for the new Yggi+ coming put in Aug timeframe. It is called the Biggy and he says it is the most expensive and best DAC they have made. I have paid a deposit to be in the queue for the $1500 conversion from my MIB to the Byggi. If it is sonically like the Yggi+ OG, then I am set with DACs forever. I need 2 DACs.

The Byggi will also have a volume control, which is not something I want I will hold judgement until I hear it.

I have a May KTE DAC connected via USB and I2S and have never heard a delay on either input. 

Mine is connected to a Holo Audio Bliss KTE HP amp and the combo needs about an hour of playing time (I’m not listening during this time) before it sounds it’s best. Makes more sense for it to be the amp that needs this time but I’ve noticed the May gets warmer than the Bliss. Not the PS chassis, it stays cool, but the DAC chassis itself. So it could very well be the DAC that needs the time. Not a big deal, just kind of surprising to me. My previous tube amp only needed about half that time, though it was used with another DAC. 

It is an outstanding DAC, though. Endgame for me. I’ve had a PS Audio DirectStream Mk1 and a Yggdrasil LiM and the May is the cream of the crop, and I really liked both of those previous DACs. In fact, the Yggy is probably the best value as it’s performance exceeds it’s price. No I2S input though if that’s something you want (I did). The ability to switch from over-sampling to non on the May is a very cool feature to have. I leave it in NOS most of the time but there are recordings that benefit from over-sampling.

heard the Aero at Capital Audiofest. Very nice sounding, it was surrounded by top end equipment in several show rooms. Did not hear the Holo. One to consider is Geshelli Labs Dayzee. Also heard at CAF this year, Would say on the same level, maybe not as warm, but you can swap op amps to customize the sound. Still trying to find somewhere to hear the Yggdrasil.

@dwest1023 + 1 - I run my TV through my May KTE as well, and yes, there is a short delay while it locks in, but no gaps in tracks and I use a USB cable. 

I own the Holo May Kte. Connected to my Aurender N20 there is no delay. However switching inputs to my cd player,there is a short delay until the dac locks. After it locks,there is no more delay. For me,it’s a non issue. Sound wise there is nothing to complain about. I’m my system it’s virtually invisible.

Never heard either one of these but the reviews on May state there’s a brief silence in the beginning of a track if used with USB cable. May be I misunderstood it but worth looking into if you are considering this dac.