ACK dac or Muse 2 / older dac to replace Sa8260


i am looking to replace my marantz sa-8260.

how is the !ack dac ?

is it musical and analog sounding ? or would i be better off with a muse II and cec transport ( ie would i be better off with a older more $$ dac).

please advise.

thank you !!!

jeff
lasvegasjeff
I've owned both the Ack! and Muse2. I finally sold the Muse2 after many years of faithful service and bought a MF A324. I sold the MF A324 after hearing the Ack! I use a Theta transport. The Ack! beats both the the Muse and MF in my all tube system. The Ack! makes serious music. It's the lowest cost component in my system, by far. If you listen to alot of vinyl, the Ack! will fit nicely in your system.
Please advise Ack! users. I've been very interested in Ack! dac for quite some time and wondered if my system would benefit. The highs at times are too much, probably because of the revealing nature of Magnepans, and I'd rather hear a lusher, non- fatiguing, blacker background, fuller lows, and smoother well rounded mids. Would I accomplish this with a Ack! dac used with a Cary 303/100cdp or would I benefit more by using a different cdp, such as a Audio Aero Prima cdp or similar cdp?
I would not say that the dAck! has soft highs, but sweet and extened. The mid is not half so rounded as the tube DAC by Scott Nixon or the cj DACs--the dAck! having a more transistory mid. The bass is deep and impacting, but not midbass bumped like a tube DAC, a la Scott Nixon. The Cary is tube DAC, is it not?