Just today I passed my Gaia to a friend who wanted to try it out on his setup. He's using a souped up SU-1. Initial impressions were that the Gaia is more coherent, cleaner, quieter, better focus and improved dynamics.
Of course there are tons of gear out there to be recommended, all in good faith. I'm just sharing my findings here and that's what this thread is about isn't it? Every setup is unique and every ear with different taste. As always YMMV. If there is someone out there with another DDC and can compare it with the Gaia please do share your impressions here so that we can share and learn from each others' experience. Thank you.