Solid state DAC under 12K retail preferably with ethernet

I think you should also look at, 

Rockna Waveform DAC
Metrum Pavane
COS D1
Mytek Manhattan II

And Denafrips Terminator, I believe this DAC is most likely the best value among all the SS DAC's currently available. There is a 6-8 weeks wait.

“It's that last Ethernet interface before the D/A that uses the master clock that matters”

@audioengr,

Great point. It’s imperative to pick a player that has decent Ethernet interface to tackle jitter. My N10 does a fabulous job of minimizing jitter with onboard OCXO clocks. Also, it’s worth pointing out the use of a quality Ethernet cable to reduce noise and data transmission errors.

On my last visit to RMAF, I have seen few Ethernet switches that were focusing on jitter control with their onboard OCXO circuit and separate linear power supply. 

@drstarbug32,

What DAC you were using with N10 audition? Just curious why would you use Mac mini / Berkeley alpha usb converter with N10?

@drstarbug32,

That makes sense. Glad to hear you’re enjoying the M1/Ethernet. One certainly can’t overlook the convenience of one box solution. Looks like that’s the latest industry trend as we see more and more DAC’s are now adding network interface and media renderer option. 

I am very content with my N10 and ARC DAC9 combo 😉