So there have been a few threads that have touched on it, but let me ask directly - for those have compared...

A) Which is the better at DAC only duty?

Which is better as a DAC/head amp combo for occasional transportable use with low impedance cans and which for high impedance cans?

Any words of advice would be appreciated and if you could qualify/quantify the preference it would be doubly so. Obviously, these two units were designed for different uses, but they are priced similarly and often touted.

Finally, personally I already have the Pico which I'm currently using as a DAC, so any comments especially from Duet fans if it's worth switching over would be a plus.

I'd say, given the easily returnable nature of the duet, that you should just pop down to guitar center, pick up a duet, and make your own decision

So there have been a few threads that have touched on it, but let me ask directly - for those have compared...

A) Which is the better at DAC only duty?

Which is better as a DAC/head amp combo for occasional transportable use with low impedance cans and which for high impedance cans?

Any words of advice would be appreciated and if you could qualify/quantify the preference it would be doubly so. Obviously, these two units were designed for different uses, but they are priced similarly and often touted.

Finally, personally I already have the Pico which I'm currently using as a DAC, so any comments especially from Duet fans if it's worth switching over would be a plus.

if you want you can borrow my duet for a week to check it out.

I owned a Pico and a Duet before my current amp. I'm a novice, so this may be of little help, but I found the Pico to work better with more of my headphones than the Duet, though the Duet struck me as an improbably good DAC for the money. It had a very clear, very lucid presentation, especially with voices, which sometimes sounded like they were being formed out of glass, that worked well with my Sennheisers & less so with my RS1s, which for whatever reason could seem a bit ragged through the Duet's HP out, and were noticeably improved via the Duet's DAC into another (Cary) amp. It was a dream to use with a MacBook.

The Pico seemed more organic-sounding to me, and maybe a better all-rounder, but it's been a few months. I'm not sure I'd consider the Duet as a step up. It's a great product, though, and versatile, with great ergonomics.

best,

k