Cirrus has hit it out of the park with this new dac, the SR15 is detailed, airy, controlled, dynamic. I would not call it smooth other than nothing sticks out further than it should, no annoying treble glare but plenty of detail, heavy note weight without sacrificing speed, nice amount of depth and width without losing intimacy, dynamic yet controlled, clear separation, its really a very well done and cohesive sound signature, a masterful balancing act. I have had players with ESS9018K2M, AK4490EQ, AK4495SEQ, CS4398, WM8740, WM8741, PCM1792, PCM1795 and this CS43198 in the SR15 is my favorite so far, credit to Astell&Kern's R&D of course.