Laid back DAC under $800?

Thanks @andr3wd.


Ayre Codex on ebay for under $1k....

I have a Nuprime Dac10 and its stunningly good.  I still suspect the highly directional radiator ring tweeter might be giving you too much of a spotlight effect and choosing something with more dispersion may do the trick. It never hurts to test and try.

I recently bought a Gungir Multibit (gen 2 udb, which I don’t use, thats why gen 2 wasn’t a deterrent) for $850.

I love it!  Great dac.  Needs to be left on all the time though.  Comes to life, even buying second hand, after it’s been on for 2-3 days.

For fun you could put headphones on and go online and listen to frequency sweeps.  I did and it was an ear opening experience. I have sensitivities around 1khz, 4.5 khz and again around 8-9khz.  Im also slightly deaf in my right ear between 4-7khz and nothing over 15khz. So much for having the golden ears I thought I had.   

frequency sweeps.

What is this?

The denafrips ares 2 is an excellent Dac that can be adjusted to sharp or softer presentation. Great for the money in my opinion.