Stereophile, one of the most prestigious printed magazines for audiophiles has published the 2014 Fall Edition Recommended Components List. The exaSound e28 DAC is listed as an A+ product:
(other than speakers and disc players)
exaSound e28 multichannel DAC: $3299 Like exaSound's e18, the e28 uses a Sabre32 D/A chip capable of handling almost any PCM format with resolutions up to 32-bit/384kHz; but, while the earlier model could play DSD files only in stereo and at the base sampling rate of 2.82MHz, the e28 handles DSD sampling rates of 2.82, 3.072, 5.64, 6.14, 11.28, and 12.28MHz without converting the signal to PCM. In addition, the e28 includes an enhanced headphone output, and is specified as having lower distortion and noise than its predecessor in every measured mode. The sound was smooth and balanced overall, with sweet highs, a decidedly pure midrange, and an exceptional sense of space, said Kalman Rubinson. "The exaSound e28 is a real-world, second-generation, cutting-edge, multichannel DAC. I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for something better to come along any time soon," he concluded. (Stereophile, Vol.36 No.11 WWW)