You say you want better. Better what? Consider your use and source. Then consider if you really need to change, or like so many of us, just got that bug which of course is a perfectly good reason for a change. Modern electronics have fantastically flat responses. Rolled off top end is going to be your speakers, room, and ears. Not the electronics. Linear distortion is easy as can be corrected by eq.
Biggest improvement I did in my DACs was to reduce the output of JRiver by 3 dB. It made my DACs sound much more alike by suppressing edginess or "digititus" quite a bit. Chord and RME both mention this as an issue with digital filters which may be why they don't seem to have the same issue as most chip DS DACs. Maybe the preference for NOS R2R DACs by some. Seems reasonable as it describes a real measurable issue that does not require any magic. . Enough so I am finished on my desktop system. Not sure on my main stereo.
You don't have the Gustard's on your list. R26, A26. ( A26 has a streamer/renderer i it) Some like the Mojo better than the Qutest my local Chord dealer tells me. Like everything, you get to diminishing returns real fast. The sonic difference between an Atom+ and a D90 is not that great. ( two price ends of generic chip DACs) Either it takes a lot more money for a true step up, or steps are very small. Amazon is probably hating me for returns but that is the marketing path of so much these days. ( 2 toppings, 1 SMSL, 1 Sabaj)
The RME is old, but I get the impression it was just done very well so unless looking for some specific parameter that stands out, it is still a viable option. I want to try one. Maybe it is like the good old Vanderstein 2Ce. Does nothing wrong. Nothing great, but nothing wrong. There's a lot to be said for that.
My short list is down to Qutest, Mojo, Rme, A26, and Enyo ( name changed for the Aris when they raised the price) I can't justify the next step up even if breaching $3K is where the differences may start to show. Holo, Terminator, Hugo TT Weiss, etc. I really want to try an A26 in my system, but $1500 had better be a huge difference for 15 times the price over my JDS, not just a subtle detail. I can buy a lot more CD's for that much money and for me, music matters most.
If someone would PLEASE make a midrange to cover 500 to 5K with efficiency to work with 6 to 8 inch woofers, I would gladly use that $1500 there! I have been searching for a good midrange for 40 years. Speakers are and will always be the weakest link. I do not have the space for planer or ES speakers or I would have them. Get the stinking crossover out of the vocal range!
