I did not have a $10K pre-amp to compare with, but the M12 is a silent pre-amp, and does not add color, nor shape sound (other than the DAC filters). These are the qualities I want in a pre-amp. The M12 is easily as good a pre-amp as the Wyred4Sound STP-SE (fully upgraded) was in my system.
Functionality wise, the M12 has 2x SPDIF inputs, USB input, built in ethernet streaming, and both a single end, and balanced analog input. This is enough to allow me listen to streaming, both digital, and analog video, and balanced input from my phono pre.
If you want a euphonic pre-amp, or need more analog inputs, you will need to look elsewhere.
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-Michael-
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