I think you're both hitting on the same thing, really. The QX-5 is particularly resolute, picking up vibrations and rattles that beforehand I didn't even know existed in the song...listening to classical violin music is particularly intriguing for me. Stravinsky was really a fun experience, as I could hear the players switching instruments over the TADs we use at Ayre. Similarly, the best I can describe the silence is "black"...the noise floor on the unit is remarkably low with all the isolation that is done on the DAC and the inputs going into the QX-5.
That level of clarity can take some getting used to as we've often associated what is really noise as part of the "normal" sound stage...look at the nostalgia behind vinyl and tubes. Where it shines for me is that after listening to it for 3-4 hours I'm still not tired of listening, whereas the noisier DACs wear me out after an hour or so. Once you stop listening intently to pick up differences and relax to see how you feel while listening, you start hearing the music.
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