Should a dac run hot??

Warm, yes.

Hot, no.

The amount of heat generated is directly related to the electrical efficiency of the device. As an example look at amplifiers. Tubes are very inefficient and very hot, that's why many come with a cage to keep fingers and cats from being burned. Solid state amps are more electrically efficient and have fans and/or heat sink fins to dissipate heat. Digital amps are the most efficient and run cool to barely warm to the touch.

My Chord DAC-64 runs warmer to the touch than my Wyred 4 Sound multichannel amp.

Dave

I've been running a 27 for years. It should be nice and toasty but never "hot".

My benchmark runs a bit hot.

Cerrot - Benchmark gets hot when you place something on the top of it or enclose it otherwise. My Benchmark, sitting on the open shelf, is luke-warm.