OP: As you can see above, most people will suggest DACs they already own or are quite familiar with. I suspect that from an SQ perspective, they will sound more alike than different with minor variances. I was in a similar boat last year, and for me it came down to the following ...
Serviceability -- if anything breaks, how easy is it to reach the manufacturer, and what will it cost for 2-way shipping? Since I'm in the US, it ruled out a number of manufacturers.
Upgrade path -- I wanted to start with the base version and upgrade only after I decided that I liked the overall sound signature. Again, this would have required me to pay for shipping the unit for upgrades. And not every manufacturer offers a straightforward upgrade path.
I eventually settled on the Audio Mirror Tubadour III, which I absolutely love for the price I paid for it. I'm planning to send it to Vlad for an upgrade to the SE version in a few months.
Serviceability -- if anything breaks, how easy is it to reach the manufacturer, and what will it cost for 2-way shipping? Since I'm in the US, it ruled out a number of manufacturers.
Upgrade path -- I wanted to start with the base version and upgrade only after I decided that I liked the overall sound signature. Again, this would have required me to pay for shipping the unit for upgrades. And not every manufacturer offers a straightforward upgrade path.
I eventually settled on the Audio Mirror Tubadour III, which I absolutely love for the price I paid for it. I'm planning to send it to Vlad for an upgrade to the SE version in a few months.