Thanks for the response and transparency on not having a listen to the tube dac models. The d1-unity is within reach with typical upgrades such as live power, the issue is sinking that much into a dac with no reference point for it. It is counter-intuitive to think the d1-tube mk1 is acceptable, however that is half the price of the d1-unity with the same upgrades.
A lot to ponder, such as unloading my Chord TT2/HMS stack in favor of a totaldac.
So I’ll just say from my recent experience with the unity (and triunity), it’s a pretty massive step up from the tt2 and I’d also say it compares and potentially bests the technical ability of the Dave. However, it’s a very different sound from the chord house sound, quite a departure, and if it makes sense as an upgrade path will depend on what your current chain is and what you like and what to get out of it
I am moving away from the Chord house sound, even with the HMS in the chain( I know it is no DAVE, even with HMS added) I am not getting the enjoyment I once did using it only as a DAC with the DNA Stratus. On other amps, the Chord stack does a bit better however 9//10 times I am listening through my SFD-2 mk2 with all my headphone and integrated amps. As a pure headphone amp with my planar headphones, there is nothing I have that currently beats it, not even my Pass HPA-1. There is something which does not translate from the headphone output to the DAC output, I can’t quite place my finger on it.
That is a strong enough indication for me it is time to try something else. I have no doubt the d1-unity is worth its asking price, guess what I am trying to do is dip my toe in the totaldac river without falling into The English Channel 
I think if you like the SFD, I think a totaldac while not a direct upgrade would be a safe bet, same with something like the mojo
I’m personally not the biggest fan of the headphone out on the tt2, although I would agree some planar pairings are surprisingly good
Will be curious on whatever you end up with lol
IMO the Unity is more resolving than the Dave, obviously a different presentation, it would be a pretty easy pick for me to take the Unity over the Dave, and I liked the Dave.
But there is a lot of preference at that level.
Hell I am curious where I will end up too!
I should preface the experience with planar and TT2 was with the RAD-0 and Final Audio D8k, nothing like the Susvara or harder to drive planars. I could not stand it with the LCD-5 when I had that for a short period, it is no LCD-4 replacement but that is one persons opinion on the internet.
@Polygonhell thank you for the input on the DAVE comparison, a lot of preference at this level and as I mentioned feel it is time to move on from the Chord signature. I can always go back to it down the road as they seem to be quite consistent in their signature than other DAC companies.
Huge thank you for both your input!
Opened up Totaldac d1-dual for some cleaning before listing. If anyone wants some specific pics hmu
The intricacy level is more impressive seeing it myself than in pics tbh. Makes me feel a bit better about the twelve purchase.
Also, apparently, this unit has the copper base and dsd options.
Edit: reference (not live) power supply
Very cool, thanks for sharing. I may have missed it in one of your posts, what did you end up deciding to go with?
I ended up getting a twelve mk3
Sweet, congratulations!
This one right?
https://www.totaldac.com/D1-twelve-eng.htm
Correct
…Very sensitive to cables. I’m not sure if it’s the same with the older Totaldac models, but the new models with the Unity architecture? You are going to want high quality cables. I’ve had the Diamond Reference in for less than an hour and the difference might be even larger than moving to the UltraRendu was.
Ya hear that @Draaly, come on everyone has been nagging you already
I’ve read in a number of places that copper has a smoother, less harsh shielding capability than aluminum. Surprised that it’s not a std. feature if you say it’s an option. I wonder if they know that they’re going to have the equipment “stacked” by the nature of the design. Heavy copper is great. That’s got to be 2.5 mil thick by the looks of it.
It’s pitched as an anti vibration plate, since copper is considerably denser than Aluminum, the increased mass will help with any higher frequency vibrations.
Oh the contradictions of audiophilia. lol I’m just going to go with it being able to do both!
For what it’s worth, (probably little) I’ve spent some time shielding both the opticalRendu and the Berkeley USB alpha with copper sheets and RFI shielding fabric tape. Cheap and entertaining but a bit labor intensive.
Auralic with the Aries 2.1 and up is one of the places I’ve read about the powers of copper since they use a complete internal copper case inside of the thick aluminum case.
Oh I’m sure it helps with shielding as well, but I can’t see why you’d use a 1/4 inch plate for that, and the advertising copy states anti-vibration, and the use of fender washers for fastening is interesting, I wonder if there is something compressible between the plate and the case.
I kinda just figured that waiting for the dac to arrive before I start buying a bunch of 4-figure cables was a sensible choice tbh /s
But realy, I keep an eye on the used market for good cables. Not sure what is arriving with the 12 but will do an inventory from there. Current upgrade plan was power conditioner → interconnects → Power cables with digital just in there as it pops up used (since aes seem to be the hardest to find tbh)
as @Polygonhell said, its a damping mechanism, not shielding. I asked vincent that directly a while back. As for coming standard, I think its standard starting in teh twelve but im not positive.
Just FWIW, vincent said on WBF to just stack them on stock footers for best results. Seems slightly suspect to me, but it also probabaly means I wont be ordering 8 sets of footers any time soon 
The difference the interconnects made was so ridiculous, it’s got me questioning whether or not I need to move up from the ANTICABLES 3.2 USB sooner than I’d planned.
