Hi Guys, I guess I should chime in here. I'm the "Mark" Brian and Steve are talking about, and I currently have a loan of the the LM 502.CA for a week to see what I think of it. When Steve called, I had heard it in one session,.....at night, midnight onwards,..... well off center,.... as my guests were in centre stage, and while quite sleepy.
So, yes, when asked by Steve what it sounded like my system, (which at it's new home, is sounding better than it ever has), I replied "it's pretty good".
Because of all the negative elements in the first impression listen, I was very reserved because I wanted to get a better grip on what it was doing to the sound while more awake, in the center, and with a good cross section of music I know well. It is so very different to the KDac's sound. This is neither good or bad yet, just very different, so let me live with it for a week, and I'll give you guys a more balanced view of what I'm hearing, but first impression is actually very high.
I should mention that the Sabre DAC when implemented well, does sound excellent, and I've heard this first hand on my own system for extended periods. It was a "from the ground up" custom build, but demonstrated the potential of the Sabre Dac. I should also comment on the 502's build. It's near fanatical, and does not reflect a mass produced product in this price bracket. Power supply is segregated from signal boards and shielded, Toriod for digital, EI Tranny for Analogue. Beautiful, logical layout. Chassis is high end "entry level" only, neat and clean, but not milled from solid etc. which is why the price is not double that asked. Quality of components is very good for the price asked.
Oh, and FWIWorth, Brian's panel were not thin in the midband when I returned his CEC TL-1 after modding it to see what it sounded like in his system. Seriously real dynamics, sizzling speed, and yes, fully fleshed out midband, rich and sweet. Perhaps the system was sulking when heard as "thin" previously. Brians always tweaking, so anythings possible.
Cheers, Mark.