Better DAC then DA1 module in McIntosh C49 without braking the bank.

If you want to keep it Mac, then you could go for the MDA200 with the DA2 module as I did. It was a nice improvement over the C47 I had.  However with so much more good, more affordable dacs available,  I soon realized my mistake and tried the new Emotiva XDA-3, which totally won me over .

Everything the Mac has and then some, for a fraction of the price.

Chord Qutest, Benchmark DAC 3. 

Thank you guys for your suggestions. 

I am not interested in McIntosh dacs since I've heard the DA2 dac and it was a slight improvement over my DA1 module.

I do not need anything extra like a headphone amp or a preamp in the unit. I need just a straight forward DAC that does DSD 128 or higher, USB, XLR connections, remote control. 

I was thinking a $2-2.5K budget. 

Chord just doesn't look appealing to me. 

Used equipment is ok, since I can afford a higher end unit.

I was researching a  PS Audio Directstream Dac. Some reviews rave about it, some state it's very noisy. Since my system is very revealing now, I don't want hum or noises coming through. 

Ah my bad missed the balanced requirement. 
Add Bryston BDA3 to the list. Straight DAC no preamp no headphone out. 

Holo Spring 3 L1 or L2 sans pre-amp would fall within your budget, and is touted as being close in performance to the May.
GoldenSound has a thorough review here: