[Tubeburner]

The Exogal Plus with upgraded umbilical cord and you don't need a  preamp. 

[mr_bill]

I did read a comment on this,

[Tyson]

Which one is the best?  All of them.  Or none of them.  Hard to say without a demo in your own system. 

[SoCalWJS]

Too early to say conclusively, but maybe.......

Sonica DAC modified by ModWright? 

[jarcher]

thanks a lot for all the replies so far this is my list of contenders


Gustard X20 Pro - New
Exogal - New
PS Audio DirectStream DAC - Used
Schiit Yggdrasil - New
Aqua La Voce - New
Dangerous Music Convert-2

Vote for one LOL

Sorry - none of the above. You need to listen to some to make a decision. Not just buy whatever's hyped at the moment.

[I.Greyhound Fan]

I have had both the Exogal Comet and PSA DSD in my system.  Both are excellent DAC's.  The Comet is detailed and very holographic, almost like I had surround sound, but the the PSA DSD was more refined and had better texture, tighter bass and sounded more realistic.  The PSA also allows you to customize the sound to your liking due to the fact is has changeable software.  I would have no problems recommending either one as it is a matter of taste.  I ended up with a Luxman DA-06 because of its warmth and musicality but wish I had the PSA Direct Stream.

Another DAC to consider is the Marantz NA11s1.  I owned this for a short while.  It had the most natural texture and was very organic and musical. Female vocals and piano was to die for.  However, in my system there was too much bass, otherwise I would have kept it.

[Tubeburner]

You have a difficult choice to make in buying a dac. I want my dac to be true to the music and not add to the music. As others have said and the "achilles heal" of audio is I like this one and my friend likes a different one. You are in a great price range that allows you some great choices and you can choose to your liking. I would buy used for now and see what you like and dislike. Buy a dac you know you can resell.  Enjoy the chase!