Best DACs for under $1500 in 2021

I ended up getting the Denafrips Ares II. Amazon had it through a retailer and I paid 825 shipped. It came in yesterday. Very satisfied with it so far. Much more detailed than my previous SMSL 6th anny dac. I can follow an instrument through the entire song without it getting lost. Really great separation. Picking up things I haven’t noticed before in a few tracks. Overall I’m pretty impressed. Bass is also much different. I have always ran 2 subs, but they never filled the room like this, until now. I did have "muddy" bass every now and then, and to be fair I haven’t had enough time to know if I’ll still get this effect, but its certainly tighter and more impactful, if that’s the right descriptor.

Tube amp > Dac > and I stream with the m1 mac mini (also new) on Apple Music Lossless (brand new to this).

I previously streamed on a 2010 mbp on Qobuz/Tidal/Amazon, it died, then I moved to a Windows machine on Tidal. I prefer using my Mac day to day so I ended up picking up the Mac Mini. Not sure if it’s because it’s new to me, but Apple music lossless sounds better than Tidal.

Just being clear as to all the changes made. There could be a case for new hardware making a difference. Coming from a 2010 MBP to something at current year is a pretty big leap. All in all very satisfied with the Denafrips at this price point. It’s a huge leap from a $90 dac.

Shanling. 
Best bang
, Under $3k Prima Luna
Under $8K Jadis

I’m in the market for a dac as well, being that my Schiit Gungir MB sold unexpectedly (be careful when you say “everything is for sale, at the right price” because it just may sell, lol).

I spent quite a few hours withthe Gungir.  My quick impressions are that its great at detail resolution, its smooth in that it will take some nastyness / honkyness out of the highs and mids, it has great bass weight / depth / resolution.  It also has pretty good imaging in that it will give that holographic effect.  Its open and clear sounding and vocalists will appear in the room with you.

Its actually a great dac for $700 used.  I don’t think it can be beat for that $.

I was thinking that I wanted to try the Denafrips Ares II but was on the fence.  The more I started looking, the more I realized how good and what a good deal the Gungir is.

Im going to research a few of the suggested dacs.  That Pegasus looks interesting…

I’ll probably buy something today and will report back!

Great suggestions so far. The MP-D2 looks very promising due to reviews like this: 

"After reading the 6 Moon's review of the MHDT Orchid you could easily switch names to the Musical Paradise MP-D2 MK3 as the description appears synonymous. I have not heard the Orchid but they share similar sound design elements though the MP-D2 MK3 is larger and is tube rectified and has APT-X HD for when you're feeling lazy or you just want background music while cooking/dining that can be changed from the dining table. Hope this helps."


This was one of the reasons I wanted to pull the trigger on the Orchid. Only downside of the MP-d2 would be the size. Quite large when I already have the Doge 10 Mk3 

Musical Paradise MP-D2:
https://www.musicalparadise.ca/store/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=97
Start reading:
https://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=148213.0

It’s way under your budget, but have you listened to the Cambridge Audio DAC Magic?  I recently purchased the CA streamer that utilizes what is probably the same DAC and while I prefer to run it into my much more expensive Bryston DAC3 I am very impressed with internal DAC.

Thanks for the information, I will try to figure it out for more. Keep sharing such informative post.

GUSTARD X26 PRO if you want preamp with voulme control.
Singxer SDA-6 PRO with fixed output with high current.

Khadas 2 Tone Pro - $199! Uses the ESS chip. Also includes a headphone amp.

Chord Qutest.
Schiit Gungnir.

Someone will soon suggest an Ayre Codex.

I have that on the list as the better alternative to the Denafrips Ares. At least from what I gather it’s the better option. I've seen more negative reviews on the MP Dac, however. Regardless, Amazon has it at a great cost.
https://www.amazon.com/Musician-Pegasus-Decoder-DSD1024-Amplifier/dp/B0891X8BM8/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&...

Another on my list is the Burson Composer 3

https://www.amazon.com/Burson-Audio-Performance-Bluetooth-Preamplifier/dp/B08KR7DT6C/ref=rvi_18/135-...


I watch a lot of Thomas & Stereo on youtube and he gave this one a great review.


Too many options, but I’m looking for the sound as I described in the OP. It’s hard to decide which would be the best buy at this PP.

I’d put the Musician Pegasus on your list...

https://aoshida-audio.com/products/musician-pegasus