The DMS-500 seems to tick all the boxes, but I’ve never heard it in a system. The DirectStream is a great DAC but the limitation of the Bridge II that @dabassgoesboomboom mentioned upthread has bothered me since I first learned about it.
Is it possible for you to A–B the two, preferably in your system? That’s the ideal way to make this kind of decision, IMO.
Unfortunately not possible as I am looking to purchase them used. Unless I buy both then sell the one I prefer less. But too much hassle and will probably lose more money in the process
For various reasons, I have shortlisted these two. I have pretty much explored everything else.
That said, if it’s a tossup, buy the best deal, and the one you can resell for the most if you don’t like it.
Good advice! That’s what I am thinking…
I went ahead and ordered the DMS-500. Should arrive by the end of the week
Didn’t you recently purchase a Lumin DAC/network player??? What happened to that?
I have a total of three systems in my household.
My LUMIN T1 is great! But I am not going all LUMIN
Received the Cary DMS-500. In one of my systems replacing an Oppo UDP-205.
First impressions are unequivocally very positive. Very happy with it. It has a very warm, analog feeling, at the same time being very detailed and high resolution.
Cheap DAC with MQA hardware decoding for use with my headphones: Pro-Ject Pre Box S2 Digital.
Up to 32bit 768kHz PCM and DSD512 (DSD over PCM) on USB input and up to 24bit/192kHz for optical & coax inputs.
Used with a pair of MrSpeakers Ether C Flow’s and a Raspberry Pi 3 powered by RoPiee.
So… A good week in – how would you compare the Pro Box S2 to the Explorer 2?
Inquiring minds… 
I heard someone else do that comparison and he said that stereo imaging and clarity was better on S2. I can also say that I compared the S2 with the DragonFly Red and the difference was bigger than I expected, the DragonFly Red was very dull and flat in comparison.
I like the Explorer (both the AQ and the fuss-free nature of it), but I’ll probably get an S2 to toy around with in my little headphone nook. I’ve got a spare 5V microUSB linear PSU laying around that I could use.
I don’t do much HP listening at all, but the S2 looks like a nice little toybox for squeezing Roon a bit without annoying the rest of my family. Being fun to listen to would be a bonus. 
The Pro Box S2 is more convenient in use with the volume knob and the small display when compared to the Explorer² with the indicator lights.
The Pro Box S2 has more features, with the digital filters, and is capable of high resolution audio up to 32bit/768kHz PCM and DSD512, while the Explorer² is limited to 24-bit/192kHz PCM.
I had not used the Ether C Flow headphones with the Explorer² yet so I did a quick comparison with two albums that I know well:
For the test I had both DACs connected to the same RPi running RoPieee, both using an Audioquest Pearl USB cable. Both endpoints were grouped in Roon so I did not have to change zones.
They both sound very good, with a slight preference for the Pro Box S2, but it would be difficult to tell the difference in a blind test.
On a few occasions while playing MQA, the Pro Box S2 briefly switched between MQA and non-MQA which is annoying as there is a significant difference in volume level. This happened only a few times, and I was unable to reproduce, e.g. by playing the specific section again. The switching did not happen earlier in the week and I have used the headphones on the Pro Box S2 for several hours every day. Maybe this was related to the endpoints being grouped and both DACs being connected simultaneously?
I’m currently running Roon Core on an HP Microserver running Windows 10 running Veeam Backup.
I have ordered a NUC7I7BNH and will move Roon core to ROCK in the course of next week.
Edit: The problem with MQA dropping to non-MQA has been resolved with a firmware upgrade to 2.12. See this thread. My Pre Box was on firmware 2.10
At the very beginning of this thread there is a link to “Roon Ready Devices.” It lists LH Labs as one such partner. What is the LH Labs product that is Roon Ready?
I would ask LH Labs but – as anyone who has been waiting a very long time as I have for one of their products that I have already ponied up plenty of money for – customer service at LH Labs is…not a strength. Questions often go unanswered for long periods of time – or forever.
So I am hoping Roon can explain why LH Labs is listed and answer my question as to which LH Labs products fit in the Roon Ready Devices category.
I am on the waiting list for an LH Labs Source Music Server. It’s paid for. Maybe 2018 is the year my product will show up. If it is a Roon Ready device that would affect the decisions I need to make today, before my Source arrives.
As always many thanks.
We maintain an up-to-date list of Roon Ready, Roon Tested, and other supported devices here.
There are no Roon Ready products from LH Labs yet. They still have a “coming soon” asterisk on the partners page on the website.
On that same page under ‘Raspberry Pi HATs’ @spockfish 's OS is mentioned as ‘roopie’. This of course must be ‘ropieee’.
Can the pro box be plugged into a nuc running rock? I guess the other option would be to use a rpi as an end point to feed it. Would be nice if a version of it down the track incorporates its own RAAT end point hardware.
One word: yes.
