I've had the Sonica running continuously in my system for a little less than a week now. It's still breaking-in, but I think I'm getting a handle on the sound. Some initial comments:
1. Great features/functionality for price. The unit replaces a dedicated PC and USB dac. The Sonica is truly an all-in-one wireless media player. I using it to play files stored on a NAS and attached USB drive directly...no PC/Mac needed. Have the ability to find music by artist/album/file folder and create playlists thru the app. Also have the ability to stream Tidal thru the unit directly (albeit w/o MQA decoding).
2. Soundwise it's comparable to a budget, entry-level dac. For comparison I've recently used Wadia 121, Cambridge Audio 851C and a 20 year-old Wadia 830. The Sonica appears to have a very low noise-floor...hearing new details on well-worn tracks. Hi-rez files sound really good...red-book files are a mixed bag (poorly recorded tracks from the 80's sound like ass).
3. If you're looking for a euphonic or forgiving dac...look elsewhere. The Sonica is similar to 1st generation Benchmark dac (neutral to some, bright/unforgiving to others).
Ultimately, the value in the Sonica is it's ability to act as a media-streamer + dac. If you want a simple USB dac (i.e., a separate PC/Mac/Media streamer + DAC), there are likely better sounding options (e.g., multi-bit Bifrost).