$1300-1500 DAC

@plga ok, so I see that the SOtM sms-200 is on sale on their website for $450. I can buy that and use the node 2i in my garage system/theatre. It has usb out. The schiit Gungnir DAC has usb in. Something they have called generation 5 usb that apparently it’s quite nice. So maybe I’ll go that route. 

Please tell me me about the converter your using and what it does. 

Hello andrew
The SMS-200 you mentioned in offer is the regular one. The SMS-200 Ultra Neo is the one I have and I understand it's considerably better (and more expensive) than the one you are talking about.

If you want to keep costs limited, may be you could try the Sonore Ultrarendu that costs about $400 less than the SMS-200 Ultra Neo and I understand it has a similar sound quality. If you live in the US, may be Sonore can offer you a trial period.

You will have to consider a Linear Power Supply for any of them. I would recomend a cheap chinese one with Talema transformers, about $70 on ebay. 

The Gustard U16 converts the USB signal into I2S (HDMI cable). In most DACs with I2S input, this option sounds better than USB. There are several brands of converters, Singxer has some good ones, being the SU-6 their flagship, but costing about the double than the one I have, the Gustard U16. Some people on head-fi forum say the Singxer SU-6 has no operational problems like the Gustard, but the latter sounds better. In my system, the Gustard improves the sound noticeably, making it more organic, dynamic and detailed.

@andrewkelly,
If you want just a streamer and you don’t mind a bit of diy,
rasberry pi, allo digione sig, or usb sig, and the allo Shanti power supply.
that with the RME ADI-1 DAC blew away my Bluesound node2 and Bifrost multibit.

I just heard from bluesound support that the node2i will pass whatever signal and bitrate comes to it via tidal or Roon or whatever along to my DAC. The only exception is MQA which will only be 24/96. 
See below: 
“

Tony W. - Product Support Manager (Bluesound) 

Oct 2, 4:59 PM EDT 

Hi Andrew

When using digital outs on the NODE, with MQA we do have to handle some processing but that is only for MQA. With all other formats, you bypass the onboard DAC altogether. The output will be whatever the original file was encoded at.

I hope that helps explain it,

Tony

Andrew
If Im not mistaken, you have a Sim Audio Streamer and DAC all in one, a Bluesound Node streamer and a Schiit Gungnir DAC, am I correct?

If so, can you stream with the Bluesound to the Sim Audio, using the latter only as a DAC? If you can, that would give you the chance to compare the Sim Audio as a streamer vs the Bluesound and as DAC vs the Gungnir. It would help to look for the weakest link of the chain and to see if the Sim Audio is as good as you think. 

On the other hand, Hans Beekhuyzen has a YouTube channel and he has tried the original SOtM SMS-200, then the Ultra and Ultra Neo versions. He also has reviewed A LOT of others streamers/bridges, to mention a few: the Node, the Auralic aries mini, the Rasberry Pie, etc. 

He answers questions vía YouTube, on the coments side of every video. He is very profesional and I guess you could ask him wich streamer/bridges he recomends considering your budget and needs. 

Dont forget that many of the products we have mentioned here are bridges, meaning you will need a computer to run them. They will send the signal to the DAC, but you have to control them with a computer using Roon, Audinirvana, or another software.