Move on from my Bryston BDA-1?

The One to Beat: Gustard X26 PRO DAC Review (soundnews.net)

$1300 (on sale now)

I will get this delivered tomorrow. I will compare this to my 2 existing DACs, Benchmark DAC3B and Audio Mirror Tubadour III SE (mentioned above). The review above says it is a step up from the DAC3B which I am sure is better than the Bryston BDA-1.

Would love to have the BDA-3 but $3,800 is well out of my budget.

@dsands In that case I second the RME ADI-2 DAC FS recommendation above, as a much less expensive option that also uses the AKM chipset. The UI can be a bit daunting and lead to accidental misconfiguration, but once set up properly you can choose to never touch the UI again.

If you are looking for something that (I feel) utilizes the CS4398 exceptionally well, then I can suggest the Prism Sound Callia. While there have certainly been major improvements in DAC architecture over the years, there have also been improvements in people optimizing and maximizing the use of older DAC chipsets.

There are really good youtube videos showing all the "ins and outs" of the RME. I found after about an hour watching those going through the steps with the RME sitting on my desk I think I have it all figured out. Not too bad at all. 

While we are on the subject (and thanks for all of the input) what about the new Liberty II DAC that retails for just under $1K? I realize no one has had any chance to use or review this yet but if you have had experience with the original Liberty it would be valuable to see how it stacked up against those we already have been discussing. 

Just a thank you to those who responded. Sold the Bryston and purchased an Ares II. I expected a long wait for shipment but it arrived within 8 days of ordering and with several messages along the way confirming the order, tracking shipment, and thanking me for the purchase.