Best sounding new DAC under $2500?

Check out the Chord QuteEX and the new Chord Hugo. The Hugo is meant to be a portable device, but Chord is calling it a Reference Product, which means a lot for them to say, just a portable DAC. They basically put their $25,000 DAC that was under development into a portable product. It is just shipping but there are a lot of very favorable comments out there. There is a long thread on Head HiFi about the Hugo, since it is a portable device. The QuteHD is also very good if you do not need 2x DSD or 384KHz. Chord does not use a commercial DAC chip but rather they do there own coding for the conversions. That gives them a lot more flexibility than most manufacturers. And, it seems to be producing excellent products.

Take a look at Benchmark, various models from $1K-$2K, based on the features. Yes, I own one and use it as a headphone driver amp. Well reviewed and well liked by the audio press, Stereophile Class A.

Should say, "It is NOT just a portable DAC". Even though the Hugo is a portable DAC, it is a standout as a stand alone DAC also.

For some reason, the edit function is not working. Sorry.

Another good Dac for the price is the BMC Pure Dac.

If you believe in new technology = ZDAC. Sorry only $0.5K