Suggestions for a top flight streamer/Dac around the $2000 mark?

Dude, so serious??  LOL!!  Chill out!  You must be a riot to have a beer with...

@david_ten I'm not sure what to say to your post, other than "duh".  It's not like there are TEAC dealers all over where I can audition one.  The only one within a couple of hundred miles that came up on TEAC's web site was Frys, which does not appear to carry the NT-505.  There are more Lumin dealers, but I'm not aware of any nearby that would just let me take one home and try it with the Vega and even if they did, there would be no way I could have compared it to the NT-505.  Trying things out and auditioning them is highly recommended, but not always practical or possible.  Regardless, I'm happy with my purchase.  

@big_greg My apologies for not being clearer or if I gave you the wrong impression.

I’m glad you got the unit. I’m happy you are enjoying it.

My point was around the value of comparisons. We need more of them. Serious, well thought out and executed comparisons.

I believe those would be helpful to the community, regardless of the outcomes and preferences.

Cheer and Cheers. - David.

Greg, I noticed an improvement in sound quality (and now never ever get dropouts) when I went from a longer cat6 Ethernet cable to a shorter cat7 cable with the Teac, so if you aren’t already at cat7 you might try that. I’m just using a cheap AmazonBasics Ethernet cable under $10

@david_ten I agree with your point about having points of reference and comparisons. 

My point of reference was the Blue Sound Node 2 / Auralic Vega DAC combination that I had prior to purchasing the TEAC.  I shared my thought process about my purchasing decision, but did not make sound quality comparisons to something I haven't heard.  I did share my impressions of the TEAC vs. what I had. 

I appreciate it when people make posts about their actual experiences, not conjecture, and try to limit my posts to my personal experience and stay away from conjecture.