well initially it was *Very* rich & concentrated-sounding to my ears, almost (but not quite) painful, however when my new main amp (A1000) came back from the Musical Fidelity repair shop i began to appreciate it a lot more . Initially i didnt think i could live with it. I switched from a pair of basic studio XLR-phono leads to XLR-phono adaptors (bought from a pro hifi shop) combined with good quality phono interconnects, which made a big difference. Ideally, would use all-XLR interconnects, but my (oldish) amp doesnt have balanced inputs. Pity the Apogee (like the superDAC) doesnt have phono outputs, but it is primarily a studio DAC. Other main outputs '1/8th inch'.
I think that i was also used to the usual sparse sound coming from sub £1000 CD players, & not used to full-bodied playback. However, the Apogee DAC is quite forward & intense-sounding & takes a few days' (sips) listening to get used to. Like tasting diluted white table wine then moving to a rich claret is the best analogy i can think of.
Was torn between buying this & the Benchmark - slightly put off by the hype surrounding the Benchmark & the number of newish DAC1's for sale on audiogon (although they all go quickly). Some European hifi mags have (apparently) done A-B tests & preferred the Apogee as more musical, less sterile, but found the Benchmark slightly more detailed & bassy. I still find myself on the edge of my seat listening to the Apogee, it is intense & not a sound you would choose to relax to, counterpoint is it's very involving ! A friend heard it thought it sounded superb. Boils down (as most things) to personal taste. Should add that i use a 13 yr old Krell MD 1 transport which is also forward & rich, Apogee would work better with a more 'average' transport / CDP, but i still preferred the sound with the Krell to other CDP's used as transports, even though they were less intense & a better 'fit'.
