I turned it on with the 627's installed and heard an immediate and obvious improvement. The image is quite a bit wider and more three dimensional. Instruments are more precisely placed. The digital harshness is gone. Now when little miss Norah whispers "Come away with me" I know she's talking to me and she means it. But I doubt she would buy me all this kewl audio gear like my wife does. This DAC will not cause any of the rich guys I know to sell their DCS Delius, Verdi, Purcell separates, but it's definitely one of those products whose performance exceeds what I would expect at its price point. Highly recommended as an upgrade from a mass market player!