Having owned the Playback Design for just over 4 years, I previously had the Merlot before transitioning to the MPD-8 Dreams Series. I utilized it alongside the MPT 8 SACD Player, connecting both via the Plink Connector. I used to actively discuss on various forums how this DAC handled music sweetly and fatigue-free, preferring it over the various MSB DACs I had owned during my time as an MSB Distributor. The Playback Design DAC rekindled my enjoyment of digital music with its all-encompassing performance.
Despite the excellence of the Playback Design DAC, I eventually upgraded to the Aries Cerat Kassandra, which, in my opinion, sounded even better. I have now placed an order for the Aries Cerat Ithaka DAC, although I acknowledge that this may exceed most people's budgets. Currently, the Kassandra Ref MK2 resides in my room, priced similarly to the Playback Design. I can confidently affirm that this transition led me to use my digital setup more frequently than my vinyl system. While both DACs are exceptional, the Aries Cerat offers a heightened sense of emotional engagement and musicality.
Before transitioning to the PD system a few years ago, I extensively compared MSB to Playback Design DACs. Even now, I can assert with confidence that within the realm of solid-state DACs, Playback Design remains my favourite over MSB or DCS, as I find the latter a bit too digitized for my preferences.