Here are my comments from my listening experiences - don't take them personally please I build a R2R DAC but way out of your price range.
From what has been mentioned above - I was not impressed at all with the following:
Wyred
Schitt
Benchmark
Mytek
Lampy AMber
Bel Canto
In your price range:
Ayre Codex - heard this at Audio Connections - very nice sounding
Audio Mirror - see SnoPro comments regarding his comparison of the Denafrips - I trust his ears personally - I think there are upgrades offered for this unit
I would also look into the Electrocompinient (spelling) - I heard this over the weekend and it was way musical and open with excellent sound stage dimension - so musical you could listen all day long to any type of music.
Also, just because a DAC has R2R does not mean anything unless the design is good. The DAC we offer has an R2R discrete but it also has a 30 pound power supply, uses V-Capacitors, AC filter chokes, copper plates, etc. I have also built the same design using the Sanbre 32 bit. Both sound excellent - we prefer the R2R for overall musicality. You can by R2R DACs form China that would not sound anywhere in the same league.
No offense please.- your experiences may be much different that what my ears heard.
Happy Listening
From what has been mentioned above - I was not impressed at all with the following:
Wyred
Schitt
Benchmark
Mytek
Lampy AMber
Bel Canto
In your price range:
Ayre Codex - heard this at Audio Connections - very nice sounding
Audio Mirror - see SnoPro comments regarding his comparison of the Denafrips - I trust his ears personally - I think there are upgrades offered for this unit
I would also look into the Electrocompinient (spelling) - I heard this over the weekend and it was way musical and open with excellent sound stage dimension - so musical you could listen all day long to any type of music.
Also, just because a DAC has R2R does not mean anything unless the design is good. The DAC we offer has an R2R discrete but it also has a 30 pound power supply, uses V-Capacitors, AC filter chokes, copper plates, etc. I have also built the same design using the Sanbre 32 bit. Both sound excellent - we prefer the R2R for overall musicality. You can by R2R DACs form China that would not sound anywhere in the same league.
No offense please.- your experiences may be much different that what my ears heard.
Happy Listening