A lot of people here (and through other forums) mention things like warmth and color and clinical/analytical with these two DACs. It's a rabbit hole. DACs are meant to convert the digital signal back to analog... that should absolutely be the most accurate representation of the original content. If Burr Brown chips add color and its pleasing, that's great....but often times, if you listen to various styles of music, you may not be able to dial in your sound. For example, the warm/colorful DAC might work great with rock or heavy metal, as it takes some of the bite off the high-end...but that warmth/color is not suitable when playing classical or jazz, where clarity and "airiness" seems to shine. But even considering that, your speakers and equipment will add more sonic signature than any DAC will. So if you already have warm /colored speakers perhaps the sabre would compliment them better. More clinical speakers (Klipsch come to mind) may benefit from the added warmth of the BB chip. I actually think there is a placebo effect with Burr Brown. The color brown is synonymous with warmth...a great example is the "Brown" sound, popularized by Eddie Van Halen's early guitar gear. It's also a color associated with vintage gear with wooden cabs, etc....again, associated with that warm/vintage vibe, which is important to some people. Again, it's a rabbit hole. My friends would have no clue if I invited them over and changed the DAC after 30 minutes without them knowing. I do think they would be able to tell if I flipped the A/B on my speakers or even put a different stylus on my turntable...although even that, if I had them leave the room and readjust their ears, they probably wouldn't notice when they returned. For me, I'd go with the Sabre that way you can be assured that any musical artifacts or color will not be on your front end in the analog conversion stage. Exceptions noted above, of course.
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