I have the Khadas DAC here. They reached out to me asking me to carry it and sent me a sample. I opted to not carry it not because I didn't like it, It is very good for $199 but the amount I need to buy (100+ units) and the associated margin is not something I was interested in.
That being said, it is not in the same league as "any four-figure DAC." It is definitely competitive up to maybe $1000 which is super impressive but to compare it to the Weiss, Wavelight or Terminator is a stretch.
The Wavelight is not a particularly difficult DAC to use. There are a few filters. You will try each of them and once you pick the one you like, you will likely never change it again. The big challenge is if you want to use it as a preamp. The volume control is very good but is controlled via an app. I have a loaner that I lend out to folks. The Wavelight is slightly warm vs. neutral. It has a slight emphasis on bass and although quite detailed, is not the most detailed in its price range.
The Weiss is a much better DAC. It is a clear step forward compared to the Wavelight but at almost 2x the price. This is neutral to a hair forward. It is not the most detailed DAC in the world but it will hold its own with Chord Dave, Mola Mola and dCS Bartok. I had a customer do a direct compare between it and an MSB and he said they were too close to call.
Options sound between the two that are interesting would be the Audiobyte HydraVox which is very detailed. Close to the Weiss. Pretty neutral in terms of sound profile. Sounds big like the Wavelight but lacks the absolute depth of soundstage that the other two deliver. This improves a bit with the addition of the HUB. Audiobyte is Rockna's non-R2R DACs .
The Canor DAC 2.10 is a new entry from the Slovakian manufacturer. They are the OEM for a variety of manufactures like ProJect but produce some products under their own brand. This is an ESS chip based DAC like the Weiss but with a tube based output stage. It is incredibly detailed yet warm. It also offers full MQA decoding. This excellent if you don't need a preamp or any networking and is $4K.
Bricasti M3 is the soundstage king in this price range. The image is wide and deep and might be my favorite DAC for hard rock/metal music. It is a good all arounder but it does a really nice job with rock music. Bricasti is made in Boston and offers a lifetime warranty. It has a modular design so it can be upgraded. Service from Bricasti is AMAZINGLY good.
If you don't need XLRs, the Rockna Wavedream Edition SE is an awesome value at $6500, a bit tougher if you need the differentially balanced XLR version at $8800. The circuit is doubled though. This DAC is neutral to a fault. Incredibly detailed by any standard, incredible for an R2R. The knock is the depth of image is not incredible.
I literally own all of these DACs except the Wavedream Edition and have had it here recently It really depends on your excact taste and how you want to deviate from what you are getting from the Benchmark. Are you looking for a warmer sound? Are you looking for better imaging? How concerned are you with detail? What kind of music do you listen too? All this matters.
Regarding the Denafrips, I have not heard it personally and can't say how it compares to the above. I know it is a very good sounding product. Good to hear that they finally have US service.
