Loaded question, but I'll stick my neck out here. A useful analogy here is to refer to Yin/Yang balance. Yang being incisive, detailed, fast and borderline aggressive dacs. Think ones like Chord DAVE, EMM, MSB Ref and Yin like Lampizator GA2, Pacific, etc. They all fall on that scale somewhere and the higher end Lampis are less yin than GG2, GA2. The MU2 is the first DAC I'd say is different and difficult to pinpoint, as it stands alone in its sonic signature in its perfect balance between yin and yang. I'd say definitively that MU2 will not give you aggressive high end digital glaze, but will give you natural organic high end details and air like real instruments. Much of this is predicated on cabling. You use an IC like the Analysis Plus Golden Oval, or Front Row Audience which brings it out of that perfect balance and firmly into the yang sparkly camp and the TelluriumQ Black Diamond, which I've settled on, and which gives it a rich, warm, slightly dark yin flavoring just right. For reference, I think the sound is quite like vinyl in that way with current setup. Bottom line is that if you like analog all day sound you can listen into rather than being pushed at you, you'll love this DAC. If you like hard, digital aggressive then it may not be the one for you.