Head on over to HEAD FI forums and check out their forums and the For Sale forums.
They go through DACs like kleenex over there.
FWIW- I ended up with a used Ric Schulz EVS modded OPPO Sonica DAC with a single ESS ES9038Pro I bought from a member here.
Not sure if he is still modding them.
http://tweakaudio.com/EVS-2/Oppo_Sonica_DAC_mods.htmlSupposedly it makes a good DAC very very good.
Here is a techy review of it if you like that sort of thing. They are still available on Ebay pretty cheap if you are patient (7-800$).
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/oppo-sonica-usb-dac-and-streamer-review.11845/I liked all of the options built into the Sonica and I am an OPPO build quality fan.
There are other newer DACs with the dual mono Ess9038 pro chips like the LKS MH DA004 which I considered.
I also looked at the updated RME ADI 2 DAC.
I have an OPPO 105 I use as a transport for CDs (which is really very good on its own and also can stream) and I also stream hi rez and DSD files to the OPPO SONICA via JRiver and they sound fantastic on good recordings. Very analog like and I grew up on LPs.
Everyone has a different setup and room, etc and you know everything has an impact. I have a VAC Standard LE as a preamp, Odyssey Kismet monos, and ACI Jaguar/ACI Dual subs setup.
The VAC tube preamp is nice and I can play with different tubes. The system leans toward balanced and warm to begin with.
I also have a modest turntable setup (heavily KAB modded TECHNICS 1200) which I never use anymore which is all I can tell you.
Good luck. Higher end audio is a rabbit hole as we all know so have fun with it.
