sorry, I just found the original link where Jan Meier explains the past problem with DAC:
Corda Symphony info and impressions - Page 27 - Head-Fi: Covering Headphones, Earphones and Portable Audio
I hope this can help you in your decisions. The symphony is in any case worth to be heard. I could recently test it, and will most probably go for one in the next weeks.
For me it will be a perfect device due to the built-in DAC, which is definitely high end class. Also the head amp is fine, but maybe not in line with the general philosophy of purists and high-enders. Here I do not mean restrictions in quality or sound, but the integration of 2 or 3 features: DAC, head-amp, and crossfeed filter.
For me it is more important that there is only one device and it can be used practically. Here I mean the crossfeed filter (which works fine for me) and different digital input lines. Maybe it is the crossfeed filter in combination with a high class headamp, which showed me a new and more comfortable room sound impression, which I did not have earlier.