Ideas for my next DAC....?

Very cool suggestions, thanks!

I will keep an eye out for a few of these.

As far as those saying rare to find something that will sound like the AN, I tend to agree, but I'm not happy with some of the limitations.  That said, maybe I do need to reconsider, as the sound - the goal of all this in the end - is phenomenal.  It's the epitome of organic, natural, 3-dimensional, etc... all those things we seek.  Maybe I just need to send it in for the USB input and learn to live with 24/96, at least for a while.

I'm using the DirectStream now and have to say it's excellent as well and does many things very well.  Maybe time to get the AN out of storage and do the USB thing and some a/b'ing.  Maybe I can live without Ethernet as well, although I think it's where the future is mostly headed.

I think it's the hobbyist in me that wants to keep finding "newer/better".  It's an illness :)

Most likely will be getting the Antipodes CX streamer when it comes out.

What do you guys think about:

Auralic Vega
Lampizator (if I take out the Ethernet requirement, I think, which may not be a deal killer)

Fwiw, the Ethernet requirement is about being able to a/b USB vs Ethernet.  My theory is that as time goes by, changes in either protocol could make one preferable to the other.

Meh, I realized I can’t go back to my AN DAC since I also need the DAC to have volume control/be my pre-amp.

So now I'm looking at: Bricasti, dcs, Lampizator, Manhattan.  Maybe eventually the Ayre; I'm not sure why but I'm not as jazz'd about the Ayre for some reason, even though I've loved their amps for years (and have them now).

The Lampi sort of reminds me of my AN a bit, but they're fairly rare on the used market, then there's whether it was built with my feature needs of vol control, usb, balanced out.