DAC Shootout Starts This Weekend

Hello,

Apologies for joining this thread so late.  I have read it with great interest and have found i very very helpful as I have been thinking of upgrading my dac (Moon 280d connected to Mac Mini through usb- Mac mini is hard wired to ethernet cable- no wireless streaming).  What brought me to this is that for a while I have been focused on my analog rig but now I am replacing my cartridge so I went back to listening digital- and I plan to continue listening to digital regularly because of the wealth of music available on Tidal and Qobuz (I mostly stream)
However the difference is sound quality is noticeable so I am looking to address that.  For a DAC I am trying to stick to a budget of $6k so I have to look for something used if I am going to try to jump on some of the better DAC mentioned in the discussion - have been considering Rockna Wavedream.and Bricast M1 SE. I did notice there was no mention of the Manhattan II and I would be interested in your input on one this relative to Rockna, Bricasti etc.  The new Denafrips Plus also seems interesting though a bit above my budget. 
 

To me a key element is soundstage depth and correct placement of the players- but with intimacy when called for.  And  timbre and tone are also key elements I look for. Generally I have found that with higher end dacs detail is generally impressive so I am somewhat less worried about this aspect.

Currently my system feels a bit clinical and missing nuance/inttimacy.  To some degree I have to chalk that up to the direct usb connection from the Mac Mini and I will have to address that if I stick with USB by adding something like a Sonore.  But before doing any of this I would 1st have settle on a dac and whether it has a bridge/network card.

Anyway, thanks in advance and let me now about the Mytek Manhattan or any other thoughts I should consider.

The rest of my system consitsts of the following:
Speakers: Magico S1mk1 and Thiel 3.7
Power Amplification: Pass labs 60.5 mono's
Preamp: Vinnie Rossi used in passive configuration and Prima Luna Dialogue
Cabling: Nordost Heimdall II (including USB)



 

Thank you for your response-  very very helpful.  I kind of thought Bricasti would likely be the way to go- and have been debating between an M3 and an M1 SE (assuming I could find a used one and within my budget).  A straight M1 would probably be in range but then wouldn't an M3 with MDx be a somewhat better sounding DAC?
What I had not realized is that a Nucleus vs a Mac Mini would make such a difference- I simply assumed the Nucleus, while a more tailored solution, would still have the same characteristics of using a computer.  Also, I thought that once a Dac with a network card was in place + using an ethernet connection then the Mac Mini (or similar) issues would be taken out of the loop (I guess I was thinking mostly of Usb "noise").
As someone posted already getting digital right is as complicated as analog.  I am just starting to get up to speed all the intricacies and have quite a way to go.

Thank you again for the excellent advice.  I wonder if before I upgrade the dac I should upgrade what goes into the dac.

Re speakers yes Magico does not give the deepest soundstage compared to some of other speakers I have auditioned.  Their qualities lie elswhere and often their lack of coloration and micro dynamics can seem a little cold.  On the other hand Thiel 3.7’s are a very very different speaker- and indeed have more depth.  Both speakers benefit from pass labs amplification though the Thiels could arguably use even more current.

In any event,  I might look into a nucleus before actually changing the dac.  Doing both at same time might be tough from a budget perspective.  

sorry, I intended "say lack of coloration and emphasis on micro dynamics..."

@verdantaudio 

Thank you again for this amazing thread.
Have you gotten around to listening to the Weiss Dac 204?
I am very curious to know what you think and if in fact it is basically a 501/502 without the bells and whistles.  I am looking to upgrade my current dac and Weiss is on the shortlist- I am trying tp stay as close $5k-$6k as possible, (although I am starting to realize this may be difficult considering what I am looking for), so if the 204 is THAT good it would probably be at the top of the list .

@verdantaudio 
Thank you so much.!!

I very much look forward to hearing your thoughts and where you think the 204 falls in comparison to some of the other excellent DAC's you've tested.