Rega Apollo R

If I were in the 5k market, I would pick this up. No affiliation to seller:

http://app.audiogon.com/listings/ps-audio-pwd-ii-and-pwt-perfect-wave-dac-ii-and-transport--2

I have the Apollo R and DAC. They're good, but not this good. And I've only heard the Mk 1 version. Mk 2 is supposed to be quite an upgrade.

Afranta,
Honestly, I purchased the Apollo R because I had an Apollo and thought it was decent for the price. The Apollo was used with an Audio Research DAC 7. I sold both of them and now it's time to listen to something else. The guy I sold the DAC 7 to compared it to the Wyred for sound DAC 2 and decided to sell the DAC 7. I'm looking for the best value that I can find.

If you like the look and ergonomics of the Apollo, it would make sense to get a DAC and use it as a transport. With your budget, you'd have your pick of a number of top-flight DACs (Berkeley, Weiss, etc.).