Just curious what DACs you've tried? I think it'd be tough to get a DAC to sound close to a good vinyl rig for under 7K. Even with the right component selection, a lot of things can go wrong, adversely affecting sound quality, like setting up the computer to have adequate available resources, the player software, etc.
The best of the DACs
I've heard can not perform better than my CD player...most of them not nearly as well. Why would I want to open my wallet and patience to pursue digital downloads and have results not be better than what I already have. I don't mind storing the silver discs....and actually, LP's often sound better than CD's.