DAC recommendation

Rega DAC or NAD D1050

Shadorne-you are not accurate in your statement that A rated dacs are very similar. Plus, you left out the PS Audio Directstream which is also A+ rated and is much different than most if not all the dacs you listed. The Directstream has the built in bridge which is much better than other alternatives. Besides the Directstream sounding excellent today, every 6 months the software gets a free update and the SQ gets even better and new features get installed. For example, MQA support was added for free along with bridge support for MQA and Roon. How many other dacs get a boost in SQ and features every 6 months for free? None that I know of! Another feature that isn’t common between the dacs you mentioned are MQA support. Because MQA has the ability to increase SQ, I wouldn’t buy a new dac/streamer without this support. I couldn’t be happier than using my ps audio DS with built in bridge II.

I’m going to be upgrading my systems DAC and streamer and will be letting my current DAC/WiFi streamer go for a couple hundred bucks. It’s Definitive Technology W Adept and has served me well.  I’m hoping for a significant improvement going up 10x in price. I am currently auditioning the Border Patrol DAC and will be comparing it with a Lumin streamer/DAC. 

Leemaze-I went through a similar process, looking for a DAC at a particular pricepoint and sound. I found this online and thought it was helpful.

http://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/marveys-dac-chart-of-awesomeness.63/

Unquestionably you need to buy used. Set the listings under digital to display low to high. You'll then have a concentration of what's available. Checking out US Audio Mart is also recommended.