Standalone DAC upgrade from onboard integrated

@phydo 

Maggie's are very revealing as you know. I just purchased a Gustard x26 Pro, yes its older but more than holds its own against newer DAC's. I've owned many Large panel Maggie's over the years.  My current system is a pair of Acoustat Spectra 33's,  which are a bit more revealing.  My question is, what are you missing from your current DAC, what are you looking to improve on your current sound.  Once you figure that out you can look at the characteristics of the DAC you want to hear in your system. 

Oddly enough I just used Copilot,  told it what I had and what I wanted to hear,  and it came up with the Gustard.

Enjoy the Music

I really like my Denefrips Pontus 15 DAC and I highly recommend the Denefrips Hermes re-clocker to straighten out the signal feed from your streaming provider. Both of these units are extremely well made and you can feel this by the weight of each unit. A little pricey but compared to others....a super value overall.

If your on a budget, the Wiim Ultra is a excellent value for the money.

@ericrhodes1 not sure what your system is but in my system the Pontus 15 is anything but clinical.  In fact, quite the opposite. I find it more analog like with fantastic details than my previous PS Audio Dac. I found a fantastic deal on the Pontus 15 so pulled the trigger.  Very satisfied and from what I've read it's hard to beat anywhere near its price and a few thousand above. 

@samzx12 in context, it's more clinical than the Ares II I've owned previously. 

I would suggest the Fiio K13 R2R.