Luxman DA-06 Dac...anyone?

At that price, assuming I can get a bit of discount it does not make sense for me to risk getting a Japanese spec unit.

Amen.

I can confirm that the list price is $6K not $5K.

If you search online, you will find US dealers advertising the DA-06 at the original list price of $6000 price and others at the reduced list price of $5000. I was told about the price reduction by an official Luxman dealer.

Tboooe,it seems like you are trying very hard to convince yourself that adding a step down transformer won't affect the sound. Is it worth taking the risk?

Price apparently has been reduced to $5,000. Given the importance of the power supply in high end equipment, in general, and in DACs, in particular, I would definitely expect a step down transformer to degrade sound quality.

Very positive reviews have been published in AudioStream and The Computer Audiophile.

The relay "noise" you refer to is merely an audible "click" that can be heard when the DAC changes formats. There is no click between tracks of the same album or between albums of the same format, at least with playback via J River Media Center. One reviewer, in response to a question, commented that he heard it but it didn't bother him.

Some US dealers continue to list the DA-06 at $6,000, e.g. Music Direct, while others list it at $5,000, e.g. TTVJ. I was told about the price reduction by a Luxman dealer in Canada.

Tboooe, it seems like you are trying really hard to convince yourself that a step down transformer is not going to affect the sound, judging from the fact that you are asking for agreement rather than opinions.

The US distributor, On A Higher Note, has confirmed that the US list price for the DA-06 is now $4,999.