DAC recommendations under $7K

@signaforce, lucky you getting to play some December golf. I live on the fourth and thirteenth tees of our small islands golf course. Unfortunately it’s on Madeline Island on Lake Superior in northern Wisconsin, so no golf here for another few months. At least the ceilings are 20ft high so I çan swing my Miura’s in the living room. 
 

 When I was putting my system together we were living in a tiny townhouse waiting for the pandemic to quit. So those being the circumstances, I purchased a Chord Qutest that packed a lot of DAC into a deceptively small package. I was totally thrilled and delighted until I was at my longtime audio gear dealers and I started demoing different hp’s using their floor model Chord TT2. I immediately drove home, packed up the new Qutest, and exchanged it for the TT2, with the provision that when a new black TT2 came available I could trade the floor model for the new one. 
 

 The TT2 gave me the sound signature that I was looking for, plus its small footprint and functionality were just what the doctor ordered. I feed my m scaler from my music server/streamer using an AudioWise SRC DX USB to BNC converter between an AQ Diamond USB and a single WAVE High Fidelity Storm BNC cable, and then two WAVE Storm BNC’s between the m scaler and TT2. Before the m scaler and boutique BNC cables found their way into my setup, I really enjoyed just using the TT2 on my nightstand, plus it’s small enough that I took it on a couple of extended business trips in my briefcase because I wanted my music with me. 
 

 My TT2 is powered at home by an Sbooster 15-16v LPS. Having the cleanest power possible running through your system is crucial. 

 If you like the Chord sound signature then I’d say the TT2 is a great way to go. I’ve tried almost every DAC mentioned here, with the Chord DAVE being pretty close to the top of my list because of its incredible soundstage and its revealing presentation in almost every genre of music I listen to. I did find that its sound didn’t seem as full bodied as the TT2 with the speakers and hp’s that I have, but the imaging and instrument separation are phenomenal. 

 The Mola Mola Tambaqui is also a superb DAC that has a relatively small footprint.  

The dCS Bartok sounded kinda bloated and forced like it was adding an extra layer of filtering for people with poor hearing. Don’t know cuz I spent a week with it. The higher end dCS DAC’s are on another planet when it comes to my budget. 

 With the Weiss DAC’s you simply have to listen to one first. Great build quality with good ergonomics and a nice neutral and clean music presentation. 

 Whatever you do, take you time. 

Sorry, just reread your posts and see you replaced your Merason recently with the M3. Would still like your impressions of the M3 beyond liking it. The key thing I am looking for is clarity without digital haze & etching I am sometimes experiencing with my Qutest & Ref 3’s. Thanks

Sorry, my profile is out of date. I did sell my KEF Reference One’s, even though I liked them very much. Just wanted to try something new and I now have QLN 3’s. The QLN’s are a hair warmer than the KEF’s which are more neutral.

Going from the Merason to the Bricasti was a significant change, with the Merason having a warmer sound with some roll off in the upper ranges. The M3 is crystal clear up top, with zero grain, and I would say the noise floor drops a bit, adding to the air and clarity.

Some of this will be repeat of what I said earlier, for completeness sake I will reiterate. I started out using the M3 with my Zenith MK3 via USB, and I would still say the above comments are true. On a whim I bought a used Antipodes CX server, installed Roon, connected the M3 to the CX via a short run of ethernet, and made the Bricasti a network endpoint. This was a huge leap in clarity and the noise floor dropped more. Noise floor is the haze you speak of in my mind, I can now hear a pin drop. 

I looked back and I have had the M3 for 3.5 months now, so I am well out of the honeymoon phase and still enthralled by the sound. I was expecting that I would start to think it was too accurate and lacked musicality, but I am still enjoying it. I do think the Merason is a bit more musical than the Bricasti, but overall I am preferring the M3 signature. I am definitely considering a move up to the M1 V2 if something pops up in my price range.

I am a bit surprised that you are hearing haze and etching with your current setup, though I have never heard the Qutest, I have not heard these attributes associated with it. Your system looks like a hybrid two channel, home theater setup. If you continue to have this problem, as an exercise, I would take everything out of the system that has to do with HT, unplug it all, including the subwoofer and the minidsp, and just play Aurender->DAC->pre->amp, and see if you still have that problem. 

My system has reached the level where cables and details really matter. If you stay in the USB space, I would very highly recommend the Wireworld Platinum USB cables, I am a big fan of OCC solid silver for digital connections. This made for a very significant upgrade in my system. And you might experiment beyond the Mogami interconnects, OCC copper, Acoustic Zen or WW Eclipse are both good. I had Blue Jeans and Benchmarks before, no contest when I swapped them out.

More advice than you are looking for, but I understand the haze and etch thing, and I went on a mission across my entire system to get rid of it, and it is gone. If you like the Chord sound, which is supposed to be pretty detailed, I do think that you will like the M3, and it will be a significant upgrade for your system. 

@adasdad I am from Michigan originally, so understand some, but you are way up there! Thank you for the recommendations!

@zlone  perfect… exactly what I was looking for! Thanks!

@zlone Also thank you for your recommendations to improve my system. According to chatGPT, the Qutest can sometimes sound etched. Good point on my HT, as I typically listen to music while watching sports, with my AVR at zero volume, and obviously my BHK set to another input. Interesting thought, but also could be the recording as it only happens on rare occasions, & always at the same point. Also, my Rythmik and miniDSP are running off my BHK, with high pass filter set about 45hz, so don’t ‘think’ they are involved. There is a separate sub running off my AVR via LFE. 
Cables are next. Thanks