I have the Liberty DAC and it’s a nice piece. It’s very detailed and neutral. I have no experience with the SMSL DAC.
Just a little over your budget, but I would look at the MHDT Labs Orchid. No MQA, no Roon, but it uses R-2R technology and a tube buffer. I like it a lot.
I’m not familiar with the sound signature of your components, but as is often said, system synergy is important.
The Liberty sounds better in my bedroom system that has a class D amp, tube preamp, and Klipsch KLF-30 speakers. It’s a "warm" system and the Liberty complements it.
I have the Orchid in a system comprised of a Peachtree Nova 300 and Focal Electra 1008 BE speakers and it is more detailed and analytical and the Orchid is a nice fit there. I also listen to headphones a lot with that system through a Simaudio 430HA headphone amp, mostly with my LCD-4 and Sony MDR-Z1R headphones.
I listen to a lot of Tidal Masters and hi-res Qobuz files with both systems and can detect differences using the MQA capability in the Liberty, but not enough for it to be a requirement for a DAC. I don’t have a preference for or against MQA, it is different, but not a game changer or deal breaker.
I would put some thought into what’s going to complement your system the most rather than making a decision based on measurements.
Just a little over your budget, but I would look at the MHDT Labs Orchid. No MQA, no Roon, but it uses R-2R technology and a tube buffer. I like it a lot.
I’m not familiar with the sound signature of your components, but as is often said, system synergy is important.
The Liberty sounds better in my bedroom system that has a class D amp, tube preamp, and Klipsch KLF-30 speakers. It’s a "warm" system and the Liberty complements it.
I have the Orchid in a system comprised of a Peachtree Nova 300 and Focal Electra 1008 BE speakers and it is more detailed and analytical and the Orchid is a nice fit there. I also listen to headphones a lot with that system through a Simaudio 430HA headphone amp, mostly with my LCD-4 and Sony MDR-Z1R headphones.
I listen to a lot of Tidal Masters and hi-res Qobuz files with both systems and can detect differences using the MQA capability in the Liberty, but not enough for it to be a requirement for a DAC. I don’t have a preference for or against MQA, it is different, but not a game changer or deal breaker.
I would put some thought into what’s going to complement your system the most rather than making a decision based on measurements.