DAC shopping - Trying to sift through the Hype. Can I trust the reviews these days ??

Unfortunately, most audio reviews are based on the hype a company can generate through paid advertising revenue to the magazines their equipment is reviewed in. 

Not only is this a conflict of interest,  it also means that in all likelihood unless you're advertising in an audio magazine (which is usually expensive) you won't be able to get your audio gear reviewed.  

Years ago I spoke with the owner of a company that designed and manufactured a fine line of digital to analogue converters, one of which I owned.  When I asked him why I had never seen any other reviews of his gear he lamented that he could not compete with larger companies like Mark Levinson, because they had much larger advertising budgets which ensured that not only would their gear get reviewed, but that the reviews would always be positive;  since the magazines would never give up their advertising revenue. 

As such,  those who seek to purchase audio gear must rely on their own ears and when possible travel to an audio store that carries the equipment they are interested in purchasing.  It's also a good idea to find a store that will allow you to demo the gear in your own home system so that you'll know whether or not you will be satisfied with the equipment you are thinking of buying, once you hear it in your own system. 

To thine own ears be true. 😉

I have the Weiss 501 MK2, wonderful DAC.Comes with room corrections and different settings if needed. Had the chance to audition many DACs dealers telling me you should try and would never trade in my Weiss. Music is played as if you’re in the studio, never bright, not coloured and extremely detailed and clear sound.We all have different tastes and different hearing but for me after many trial and error’s with my sound system, my present setup is best and most rewarding to my taste. 

I have a Bryston DAC3.  It was the first DAC that I encountered where usb was not a compromise.  You should be able to pick up a used one in your budget range.

  I get the point about wanting to audition in your system and the difficulty of doing this with used.  Is there a bricks and mortar dealer by you that will allow for a short home audition on the stuff that they have accepted in trade from other customers?

I trust written and video reviews at least as much as I do anonymous postings on message boards and forums. I do research using a number of different sources, including written and video reviewers, and forums, to reach a conclusion. That said, I've had a Holo May KTE DAC for about 3 years and am very happy with it. 

My observation is the YouTube reviewers never give a negative review.  However if you’re spending $2k plus on most any piece of modern electronic kit, you’ll get something good, maybe not “great,” but certainly very good. System synergy is also important, as is room acoustics and speaker placement along with good, but not necessarily expensive interconnects and cables. 

That being said, I am very impressed with my Pontus II 12th fed by an IRIS DDC. Now that Denafrips is putting out 15th anniversary editions, you should be able to pick up the combo used for $2k. USB your streamer source to the IRIS then I2S to the Pontus II NOS, you’ll love the smooth detail and huge soundstage!