The D50s does sound much, much different when compared with the LS-600 v1.2..
How would you describe the difference? I have the version 1.1 now which I preferred over a Topping E30. I did prefer a Loxjie E30 for being smoother (less glare/sibilance) but it couldn't hold an optical cord securely.
While I've become accustomed to it, I like the sound of my Marantz CD6006 better for some music, the dac for other, but I use the dac for everything as it can play HDCDs and SACDs. I am trying to decide if moving up the chain would be worth it such as Topping D30 pro, a Topping D70s (which I did have in my system and was the best, a bit thicker, richer with less glare, but $$$) or just blow the budget and go for a Gustard X26 pro. Amps, speakers and source players can last many years, even decades, but dacs?.
A dac is likely going to be the most replaceable unit in a system so my hesitancy for spending too much, but a D30 pro or D70s if it were to go on sale seem more reasonable. If a dac does break, how likely would anyone spend $$$ to fix it? Probably not very. They could last but they come out with new and improved every 1 to 2 years, so at some point you would probably upgrade especially when new operating systems come to market.
Then there's system matching. I have a good mid tier system that I'm thinking of selling the expensive gear. Given my listening tastes, my amp is overkill and I want smaller speakers. So, how many of us fit this camp?
BTW, While switching between the DS600 and the D70s, while one could argue differences were subtle, with sibilance still coming thru on the D70s, it just "felt" right, felt better, smoother, more natural by a bit if that makes any sense. No fatigue, no noticing any brightness whatsoever. So while these dacs can sound similar to many people, there's another quality that comes across as smoother, easy to listen to while still sounding very musical and with detail. Maybe just a slight difference makes a large difference in how people listen to their music? Can't explain it any other way.
With a d30pro, which is all I need (don't use BT/MQA), while not as dynamic as the D70s, it may be close enough for my mid tier (or budget, depending on one's view) Keces E40 ($600 retail) and Triangle Zetas ($500 retail) given I listen at low to moderate volumes. So...maybe I answered my own question.
The other amp retailed for over 3K and the larger speakers nearly 2K so...being happy with the Keces on any speaker I tried so far says alot. It beats many an amp under a grand btw...and it's small.
Anyone who can compare the D600/d50s to a D30 Pro as well as to a D70s would be welcome for their thoughts. Probably the reviews are fairly accurate but the equipment they use may show even more discrepancies than my limited system