Seems to me you first need to clarify what type of sound you're after. Do you favor resolution? Neutrality? Musicality? I'd suggest you find a way to demo a few different DACs in your system before settling on anything. The differences can be fairly dramatic.
Best Bang for your Buck DAC ?
I just realized I’m in the market for a DAC , I don’t want to spend a fortune on a DAC either . I picked up a drangonfly cobalt a while back and am unimpressed so I moved it to my CPU and sounds really good on my system there which when I bought it figured I would do anyway since it was my first DAC purchase . There are so many DACs I have no clue , how high up on the returns chart can I go at say $1,000 before I run into heavy Diminished returns resistance. I’m open to buying used . I was thinking about a Schitt made in the states ? Anyone’s take on best bang for buck DACs?