Hi Alan,
That's interesting, as I've always been on the lookout for a modern DAC that could compete with or outperform the Sony, not that I'd ever sell the latter as it has a unique sound of its own, but I'd value owning a modern high-end DAC in my system, simply to get a different 'take' on the music, as well as using it in conjunction with the RPi.
In that respect, I'd love to hear the Chord in question, but as ever in audio, I suspect that both the Sony and it
would have their strengths and weaknesses, with neither outperforming the other overall in every area, as that rarely happens with two very capable pieces of kit
The thing for me with the Sony, as indeed Macca loves about his Technics, is the sheer weight and authority it has in the bass, which 'underpins' music with such palpable gravitas, thus making anything that benefits from a 'chunky' bass line, sound so lifelike and real.
So far, as there's always a trade off with any kit, I've never heard that effect, to the same degree, from any modern DAC, as they tend to major in 'rez', a little at the expense of 'fullness'. Note, however, I don't mean bass bloat, but rather the weight and authority I referred to earlier.
That really adds to the fun factor of the listening experience, and much of that effect, I now know from experience, is down to the sonic signature of the TDA 1541 chips, employed in the Sony DAC. It's a sound that, although other vintage players have in abundance, the way it manifests itself on the music, for me is unique to those DAC chips, when properly implemented, and indeed to multi-bit DACs in general.
Marco.