R to r dacs

I have the Pontus. It is the best DAC I have ever heard or owned. I used to have a Chord Qutest that was “in your face”. The minute I turned the Pontus on then I felt
myself relax into the chair. It is fantastic.

I have the Terminator.  I compared that to a Mytek Brooklyn, PrimaLuna EVO 100 Tube DAC, and the D/A in a Lyndorf Integrated (Tdai 2170).  The Mytek had a lot of detail but cold sounding to me.  The Lyndorf was similar to the Mytek but it was a great all in one unit.  The PrimaLuna was the total opposite.  Liquid, round almost mushy to me.  The Terminator is just outstanding.  It's full sounding, detailed but not cold... it's fantastic.  That being said, I have read that the Pontus II is the "sweet spot" for value in the Denafrips line.  Most people say it sounds very similar to the Terminator.  I would strongly consider the Pontus II on your budget.

I too have the Aqua La Voce S2, purchased used for about $2,700 (I think new is about $5,000); and although it was wonderful as is, I had Aqua upgrade it to the S3 for about $1,500. It’s an outstanding DAC, very organic sound, unlike digital. Sound is rounded, without the loss of detail. Don’t know how they do this.

I have the entry R2R DAC from Denafrips the Ares II and even that is special, so musical, I’m blown away with how good it is.