New to DAC, need advice.


I recently purchased a Parasound ZDAC here and it worked well for a short time but then started acting up with short, intermittent bursts of static while streaming Tidal. Then for a day wouldn't play certain parts of the music such as missing a guitar or piano notes. After contacting Parasound they tell me it's a circuit issue. It's out of warranty and they are offering to have me ship it there for repair. It's been error-free for a few days now and in the mean time it's been recommended to me by Jim Williams of Adcom modification fame that I should consider the Pro-Ject Pre Box S2 Digital DAC. It's roughly twice the price I paid for the ZDAC but if I send it in for repair, with shipping, I'll be right around the price of the Pro-ject DAC new, and it can decode MQA files where the ZDAC can't. So I defer to the community here. What's my best option on a limited budget?
ratboysr
haha!! Thats great! I can send you the Ayre Codex via fedex. Oh wait I dont have one, even for myself to use. I would either try to Pro-Ject and let us all know how it sounds....or save a few bucks and get the Bluesound. But hey don’t forget the Meridian Explorer 2 for $199.00. It is a USB DAC stick that will handle Tidal MQA. Great for testing the waters...
@2psyop Well I got the Pro-Ject Pre Box S2 Digital. I appreciate everyone's input. I can say without hesitation this DAC is FAR superior to the Parasound Zdac whether playing MQA files or anything else. I could not be happier with my choice. To my ears it is simply amazing.
I may have missed it up thread, OP, but what is your budget?  Also, do you need a CDP?  Many players have Digital inputs so that their DACs can be used by other digital sources
Another question is portability.  Some DACs can be used will cell phones and other potable devices and then plug into a system at home.  Is that a requirement?