Dac: Old vs New

a SIGNIFICANT improvement in sound

Benchmark DAC 1 (in stock form)

$500 mark

Empirical Audio Synchro-Mesh ($600, last recall)

Very difficult question. This is very budget oriented equipment… so with limited design time and part choices based mostly on cost. So, if you want a significant improvement in sound quality, I recommend save up,twice as much and buy a used unit a few years old for around half price. This would put you in the used $2K range. 

A lot depends on you and your expectations. If you truly understand that you might gain a bit of spatialness or a bit more detail or a bit better soundstage or imaging, but most likely not all of these things, you will find differences and may be worth trying others. I have had no less than 15 different dacs and have never spent more than $500. I have found gems at a hundred dollars or so and some real dissapointments. What I am using now is without a doubt the best that I’ve had in my system. It is an SMSL SU9 with MQA version. I’ve had it about a year and since I’ve had it, they have come out with a few other models that compete in the same price range. Be aware that I sent mine back to SMSL for a firmware update to remove a distortion peak. I believe the current models do not have this issue. I’m sure that other manufacturers also have some great products for the buck. All I am saying a very long winded way is yes. You can find something else out there. A couple others that I have owned is the MODI 3 (akm) and the original Chord Mojo. I prefer the SMSL. One thing the SMSL had done for me is that I've always had a hot spot that I do not have with the smsl. 

Perhaps a DAC with a tube output is in order? Something way different sounding may just be what the doctor ordered. 

Tonyjack

I'm a fan of Gustard for fairly inexpensive DAC's. I have one and love it

There is a 22x pro listed for a good price. It offers a lot for the money and right in your budget