I figured in order to have something to say about how this DAC sounds, I'd need a reference to compare it to. So I ordered up some DACs from Taobao which had popular DAC chips inside them and gave them a spin. I reckon the most popular entry-level DAC chips nowadays are the ES9023 and the PCM5102, so I acquired an example of each. As these DACs from Taobao aren't exactly engineered to give any kind of audiophile sound (they're cheap, under 100rmb for PCB only) I played around with the implementations, mostly with power supplies (as these make a large difference, subjectively). I wanted each chip to give of its best - my key weapons in the fight against power supply noise (both input noise and self-noise) are Nichicon HZ capacitors (for lowest ESR) and TDK 7mm inductors (highest Q for the buck).

Upgrading the analog supplies to both ES9023 and PCM5102 makes an improvement but does not bring either of these two DACs into the same league subjectively as lingDAC. The differences are primarily noticeable in dynamics - in comparison to lingDAC both these single chip DACs add noise to the sound, the ES9023 being the worse offender of the two . Now the noise I'm hearing isn't the noise in the absence of signal, these DACs have excellent SNRs so subjectively are dead quiet with no music playing. Rather its noise modulated by the signal that I'm hearing, and this is only really noticeable in comparison with a DAC which doesn't have it. Otherwise my attention isn't drawn to it - I've listened to digitally recorded music for decades and only recently realized what I'd been missing all that time.

When I talk of 'dynamics' I mean the audio equivalent of contrast ratio for displays - a DAC with great dynamics delivers blacker blacks and more startling 'whites'. Blacker blacks is subjectively perceived as 'interest factor' - the DAC encourages me to 'listen in' somehow, I find I'm curious about what I'm listening to even if its something familiar. Whiter whites is perceived as 'jump factor' - the ability to trigger my startle reflex. Of course these aspects depend on the recording to some degree, not all recordings are equal in perceived dynamics. Older analog recordings often do a better job with preserving the contrast ratio of the original performance. As I'm a fan of classical, Decca analog recordings are real stand-outs and in my experience hard to beat for dynamics. Their newer digital originated (DDD) stuff somehow doesn't quite measure up, 

Here's an example of some of the best of Decca's analog - https://www.amazon.com/Romantic-Russia-Borodin-Mussorgsky-Tchaikovsky/dp/B000V9CJFE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1512014543&sr=8-2

You'll note more than one reviewer here remarks on the drive and energy of the later recordings (not the Tchaik) - if some of this doesn't make your spine tingle, you've not yet gotten the right DAC for the job.

Here's another example with superb dynamics - even though compression artifacts are obvious on the 30s samples at such low bit rates this is still stirring stuff - https://www.amazon.com/Falla-Three-Cornered-Hat-Ansermet-Berganza/dp/B00004TEUY/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1512093335&sr=1-1