I have been considering trying another DAC in the $5-$7K range and both the Wavelight and Bricasti M3 are on my list, along with Denafrips and Holo May KTE. Not being able to hear these different DACs makes the decision a bit of a crapshoot and has resulted in my reading the reviews closely and somewhat critically.
I currently have the Metrum Adagio, which I feed from an Antipodes DX L3 into a Metrum Ambre (Roon endpoint) then I2S into the DAC. I use the internal volume control in the Adagio and then output that through an SMc buffer (very similar to the VRE-1 preamp but without a VC) but I can reengage the VC in the preamp/buffer if needed so I having a VC in my DAC is not a necessity.
I was very close to pulling the trigger on the Bricasti but am a little worried about getting a delta-sigma converter since, like Terry, I have come to be very fond of R2R DACs running in NOS mode. The Bricasti seems to be a little better reviewed than the Wavelight, which some say is great in the bass and pretty good overall but maybe a little less special through the midrange and up. The May is also well reviewed and measures very well but the reviewers seem to stop a little short of an all our rave. Hearing the comments about the Sonnet Morpheus on this thread and that it may be on par or close to the Bricasti makes me wonder whether the DACs I am looking at are mostly a sideways move, since I suspect the Adagio is every bit as good as the Morpheus (based on several conversations I have had with people who have owned both). Terry, you are lucky to be a reviewer - I wish I could spend a week with all four of these DACs!
I currently have the Metrum Adagio, which I feed from an Antipodes DX L3 into a Metrum Ambre (Roon endpoint) then I2S into the DAC. I use the internal volume control in the Adagio and then output that through an SMc buffer (very similar to the VRE-1 preamp but without a VC) but I can reengage the VC in the preamp/buffer if needed so I having a VC in my DAC is not a necessity.
I was very close to pulling the trigger on the Bricasti but am a little worried about getting a delta-sigma converter since, like Terry, I have come to be very fond of R2R DACs running in NOS mode. The Bricasti seems to be a little better reviewed than the Wavelight, which some say is great in the bass and pretty good overall but maybe a little less special through the midrange and up. The May is also well reviewed and measures very well but the reviewers seem to stop a little short of an all our rave. Hearing the comments about the Sonnet Morpheus on this thread and that it may be on par or close to the Bricasti makes me wonder whether the DACs I am looking at are mostly a sideways move, since I suspect the Adagio is every bit as good as the Morpheus (based on several conversations I have had with people who have owned both). Terry, you are lucky to be a reviewer - I wish I could spend a week with all four of these DACs!