You want a DAC that sounds *different.* What factor helps you find it?

Great answers! Many factors I had not thought of.

A lot of these factors seem to be of the "What makes a DAC sound great" variety. I suppose I'm especially interested in the "What makes a DAC sound *different*?"

In other words, assuming I had a choice between two DAC's and they *both* had all the great aspects mentioned -- what would be the differentiating factor which would alter the sonic character between them?

Some of the answers above did touch on this, so I'm just re-stating the question in case it was somewhat muddled.

Choice of optimal rendering in both streamer and dac critical, really should be thought of as package deal. Using non optimized connection or port on either of these two components won't allow for full potential of dac to be heard.

I'll soon be investigating virtually every rendering scheme available with recent ATX board based server purchase, should be interesting.

The question then becomes, whether optimal rendering is done internally within dac or in streamer? I presume both have pluses and minuses, implementation everything.

Chip used that changes the math to sound . Each one’s output then is effected by the math Method d/a. Each manufacturer, chooses one. Then builds based on target price around that . 

listen from the reference of chip design higher price may not give you a linear better. 

I have a vendor that allows me to try d/a and return what I do not want. 

“Implementation of the analog stage
Quality of the DAC’s clock
Quality of the power supply
Must have USB & AES inputs
Ability to play both PCM and DSD
Sturdiness of build and interior organization for isolation”

All good points of consideration.  I can live without DSD but it has to sound great on my system.  That’s all I care about.  How does it sound.  
 

I went from a fully featured DAC that sounds really good to a stripped of features Non OS with tube analog output and it sounds MUCH better in my system…. Maybe not your’s.  It sounded so so when run direct onto my amp. And that’s the whole thing about this hobby , lifestyle, whatever you want to call it.  No two systems are the same. So many variables.    
 

Putting other components ONE at a time in your system is the only tried and true way to get optimum sound and that’s why dealers that work with you, take trades , let you take the item home are invaluable   

Over the past year or so, I have either owned or had extensive in-home auditions of the following DACs:

Audio Mirror Tubadour IV SE

Audio Note 3.1x/II Balanced

Bricasti M3

Bricasti M1 SE

EMM Labs DV2

Holo Audio May KTE

Mola Mola Tambaqui

Rockna Wavedream Edition Balanced

In several instances, I had two DACs in my system simultaneously, and they were compared level-matched. They were all fed by a Rockna Wavedream NET streamer, with the Bricasti DACs additionally auditioned using their LAN inputs.

All the DACs sounded more similar than not. Yes, there were differences, but my preferences didn’t consistently align with one DAC topology over another.

My conclusion thus far is that specific DAC chip, or R2R vs. Delta Sigma doesn’t matter as much as one might believe. At least to my ears.

What matters is the DAC builder’s circuit design and implementation...and how the DAC sounds to you.

The answer to this question:

You want to get a DAC that sounds much different than what you have. What factor helps you find it?

Reading and interpreting reviews/user comments, and then listening in my system. However, the bottom line from my experience is that I have yet to find a DAC that sounds much different from what I own.