part of the fun in this hobby is to scratch the itch... i am itchy like all the time ...😂
Well said sir!
Go to Audio Science Review and look at the test results. Choose a DAC within your budget with the least distortion and best linearity. No magicinvolved!
ASR is a great start-point. Use this to short-list. There is always someone who says try before you buy, which everyone knows anyway. However, if you combine good measurements with good reviews and recommendations (and scratch that itch at the same time) then you will be fine.
My current DAC is a Matrix Audio Sabre (from Xian). Ticks all my boxes: Superlative measurements, top ESS chip, does I2S, does balanced, does DSD, looks decent on the shelf. And after I bought blind: sounds totally neutral.
It is a ΔΣ so no scratchy scratchy sorry!