I’m humbled by all of your responses. I was away for the holiday and returned to see a lot of great suggestions which have really helped narrow the field. I want to thank you all for your time and knowledge!
Dac that has tone and timing?
I’m hoping to see if anyone has experience and has found a dac that nails both a "meat on the bones" presentation that also preserves the leading edges of notes and maintains pace, rhythm, and timing. In general, it seems that tonally dense dacs tend to have rounded-off leading edges of notes, and dacs with great PRAT have a leaner tonality. I’d love it under $5k but willing to spend more if necessary.