Best Dac under $600... New or used

You could also go for a Micro iDSD from iFi.

I second the Bifrost - with the UBER upgrade - have one - love it!!!

I found a benchmark dac 1 local for $425 but I think its going to be too bright for my tastes...

I purchased some older Monitor Audio 2.5 Golds yesterday and I think they might already be on the bright side. They're beautiful and in mint condition so I figured if I didn't like them I can flip them.

I'm looking into that constatine! Thx for that suggestion. It looks promising.

I'll also look into the bifrost some more. It looks like a quality piece.

My last dac was a z dac and I thought it was really nice. I liked it quite a bit. I'd like to try something different but I may end up buying another one anyways, just because I did like it. You can pick up the first version for $299 now...

Anyways, thanks for the replies! If anyone can think of some more let me know! I research any and all recommendations!

Okay, the Bifrost is lookin good!

A few questions. If I don't add the usb connection right now, that is something that can be added later, correct?
I would definitely want to do the uber upgrade right away but since I am not using usb, and have no plans to, that would be a waste for me at the moment.

Second question: should I go ahead and get the Schiit Sys preamp also? It's pretty inexpensive at $50 and it would match the Bifrost aesthetically. Could I beat it for $50-$100 with some other preamp? I'll probably get another Lightspeed Attenuator later when I have the funds simply because I had one before and really liked it.

I would consider the MHDT also but I can't find one for sale and I also think that Schiit might have customer service that's easier to access.

That ifi looks really cool also, but I don't understand what "True Native PCM768, Octa-Speed DSD512 and 2x DXD" is. Would any of that apply to me since my only source is a wadia 170i streaming spotify premium?

Also, could I use the ifi as a stand alone dac later if I wanted to upgrade and go with a different preamp. Is the ifi compatible with a Lightspeed attenuator?

Thanks again everyone for steering my straight on all of this!

The USB module for the Bifrost can be added. However, if I were not in need of USB I wouldn’t be concerned. I like the idea of using a USB/SPDIF converter. There are are many on the market and improving. I have the SCHiit SYS. It seems to work well driving a B&K amp for a 2nd system. For $56 delivered not a great risk.