How do you make a final decision on a DAC

Consider the Cobalt by audioquest. Auditioned terminator 4k from a friend, luxman DO3X 4k, Schiit Yggy 2500 and the Cobalt 300 dollars. Not even close. The Cobalt is quiet natural clean comparatively. So quiet, and timing is more correct.  Real music. Then again I sit in the front violin chair of a great professional orchestra. So what do I know. Of course if budget is no issue then it’s Wadax anything. I am saving up.

Fpga, and Ethernet based, are the only dacs to look at but probably out of your price range. The benchmark dacs are terrible sounding unless you want shrill/cold sounding gear. 

If it’s any help, I sent off a Denafrips Athena preamp to their service guy, Todd,  in Buda, Texas, and the experience was outstanding. Excellent communication, prompt attention to the issue, and lightning fast turn around. Based on my experience, I would highly recommend Denafrips.

I can highly recommend the Aqua Voce S3. It transformed my whole library. Totally awesome sound. I recently upgraded to the Aqua Voce Fomula DAC, only because one used came available through my dealer at about half the new price. It was still more than I thought I would ever spend but couldn’t help myself after having benefitted from the S3. My dealer has my S3 on consignment for $2,850, but there’s a delay in moving into their new building. If you decide on the S3, contact me if interested in a pre-owned unit (which was an S2 that I had sent back to Italy for the S3 upgrade. Whether interested in mine or not, this is the bomb! You’ll be delighted.

@robshaw hey Rob…curious what you end up with. I’m running DAC3 HGC. Prior to that I had Chord Qutest then Bryston BDA-3. The Bryston didn’t do it for me and after an extensive shootout the Benchmark won. That said, Chord really has a magic tone. If I was in a market for a $5k DAC I would seriously consider Chord Hugo TT2.