Out of the game for 5 years...looking for help?

I have been busy with life( kids!) for the last 5 years. When i got off the merry go round, i ended up with a mac mini using pure music thru a m2 tech hiface into a MHDT paradesia + dac. It sounds good to my ears but was wondering if i can get better sound for not alot of $$$. I was wondering if there have been a lot of improvements in digital playback(redbook) dacs? Any suggestions for under $1k?