DAC 3-4k range

Thanks for all the great input. After considering the options, I've decided to go with an upgrade in the AN line to the 4.1.

There seem to be a lot of great sounding DACs with high end specs and interesting approaches out there but in the end, I already know how much I greatly appreciate the AN sonics and build quality, so it just makes sense to me to stick with them at least for now.

My eedac was actually a bolder cable company modified unit and was quite good for the coin. The dac was extremely resolved with it's sabre32 chip but the resolution was balanced well with tone and dynamics from the tube output stage and power supply augmentation.

It was a hard player to fault, and was among the best digital I ever heard, but it was clearly digital in it's presentation.

The lampizator level 3 I picked up to replace it is more analog in it's signature. I generally hate that as a descriptor, but what I mean by that is that it has a real flow to it, relaxed yet effortless. It's pretty resolved, but it never strikes you as detailed. It just has a weird intangible rightness to it. It stages wide and deep being really holographic and just breaths naturally.

It doesn't make my Kuzma turntable obsolete but it is what I do 90% of my listening on. It will sound good on a short audition, but it's over time it really proves it's worth.

Due respect, but it's very easy to like what you have right now. Before dropping a lot more cash on an upgrade into the same line (which may very well turn out to be the right path) it would be a great opportunity to hear what else is out there. Everything sounds great, but you don't know how great until you hear the competition. If you just take the easy route you'll always be asking yourself...

do consider the ARC DAC8...its an excellent piece and Im pretty sure it has balanced outs.

" Due respect, but it's very easy to like what you have right now. Before dropping a lot more cash on an upgrade into the same line (which may very well turn out to be the right path) it would be a great opportunity to hear what else is out there. Everything sounds great, but you don't know how great until you hear the competition. If you just take the easy route you'll always be asking yourself... "

Really excellent point. I've given this a decent amount of thought, but given that there are really no high end dealers nearby it's difficult to audition in person, research is about all I have to go on.

I've heard a few in my own system over the years and a few more in others' systems, but none I can remember in the same price range. A few close but none quite as high end. Nothing I've heard has even really come close to the AN.

In the end I guess I'm choosing to take the conservative route since, based on the obstacles I'm facing auditioning competitors and somewhat that what I've heard hasn't come close to challenging what I know. I have at least spent time reading up on the units suggested here and some are quite interesting but nothing is overwhelmingly compelling me to risk the money to try them out first. At some point if finances or circumstances allow I would certainly like to audition some of the ones suggested.