Upgrade DAC recommendation

If you are looking into strict D/A conversion performance, it seems like there are quite a bit of new high performance and reasonably priced DACs, such as the brand new SMSL SU-9 Balanced USB DAC (US $439.99), which perform better than most R2R DACs and many of the DACs listed above. The SMSL SU-9 has a SINAD of 120 dB while, for example, the Auralic Vega G2 has a SINAD of 116 dB. You can later decide to color your output signal using whatever, DSP, preamp or amp you like.


https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/smsl-su-9-balanced-dac-review.16150/

if you don't know already, there is a 'it measures good so it is good' school of thought in equipment/dac evaluation, and then there is a 'listening/ itsounds good so it is good' school

you will need to decide which is more important... people here have strongly held convictions on a vs b...  

@aeschwartz -- thanks for the tip on Node 2i. I'm using it in my headphone setup with an external DAC. I had never paid attention to that particular setting but boy what a difference it made once I did. The sound is a little smoother and more liquid now.

I like Gustard A22 DAC’s sound, and how it looks. A22 uses two AK4499EQ latest ’n’ greatest chips from Akamai, buffered with balanced class A "discrete components circuit” outputs. Class A output on my opinion is much better than most design based with Op-Amp chips, and it does sound very close to tubes. Gustard A22 has “professional" look, very heavy for its size, enclosure is CNCed out of thick aluminum and deep anodized ( I have black version) , and internally uses high quality components. Power supplies for digital and analog parts are separated, and use different toroidal, shielded in cans transformers. The only negative note I have is a Display, which looks too simple, and also "Volume dB" setting could be larger. I would recommend anyone to check it out. 

Wow, thanks for all the input.

 Since I will not be able to audition any of
the awesome products people have listed here, and boy do they sound awesome,  I have decided to stick with a DAC that i considerably quite a bit at the beginning of this DAC purchase process.

 I’ve chosen the Lumin T2. Mainly because of it close proximity to the X1, the rave  people praise it, it’s cost, and it’s branding. The X1 is a little out of my price range. 

Since I have these cables now,
I will stay with Tributaries 8 Reference Cables. 
At some point, maybe my next upgrade
will be cables.
Thanks for all the helpful input