I second the notion that your best bang for the buck would be to skip the external DAC and have the 2900 modded. Dan Wright (ModWright) can really work some magic with the 2900, and one of his options includes a tubed analog output stage for 2CH. I have a 5900 in his shop right now receiving (among other things) his tubed output stage mod. From what I have read, the stock 2900 is a bit of a disappointment, but with some mods (which Exemplar and Underwood also do a commendable job of), it can improve dramatically.
