I had the gen1 Xpressor,also have other Elysia stuff so I know the quality and the philosophy of the brand. So when NEO came out, I switched with no regrets...So If I'd rate the Xpressor Gen 1 %100, Xressor Neo would be %115! A wider image, better depth and tiny more detail on transients.. Because my DA converters output level can easily send audio to match my 500 series devices and Neo's s/n ratio is soo low, I can easliy use it with for mastering purposes..Highly recomended