Best dac under $2500 - comparing build quality and technologies


I have been in the  Audio field for over 4 decades and have owned some pretty exclusive audio gear 
I was listening to a 3 years old R2R dac the R7 from AudioGD a 20 year old company which won several awards  which is not known much in the U.S yet  ,This New R8-MK2 is better still.
it is  very well built using 3 R core transformers rarely seen unless spending $$. Their latest and best value is the New R8 mk2 dac. This dac just came out late April 2021 ,over a year went into the redesign the Owner stated this unit has several advancements vs previous designs , and runs much cooler for less money then  the previous R7 but better ,their is also a mk2 R7 also as well as a Flagship R7 HE with power regeneration,which I wanted but could not afford .The dynamics and realism is what sets this apart it’s massive power supplies and over 130k uf 
of capacitance is more then most amps has a lot to do with it I will be getting my dac next week and put side by side with  very well know competitors  it was noticeable better  in several areas , and it has 7 sonic adjustments all FPGA based 
4- non over sampling ,including a vinyl mode, and 3 over sampling  other dacs just a minor OS option 
you literally can Taylor the sound to your audio system .it weighs 26 lbs ,Underwood Wally is now the U.S distributor and service center  . I will give a full rundown once I have logged a week or two on it ,2 R- core transformers go to the pure class A  analog output section, the 3 rd transformer -digital is now fully servo controlled and runs much cooler and much better specifications . Check out link below.
http://www.audio-gd.com/R2R/R8mk2/R8mk2EN.htm
128x128audioman58
Did my research up to January of this year and decided the latest Benchmark DAC 3b or Mytek Brooklyn would be the right choice for me. Took a 30 day trial on the Benchmark (Stereophile Class A+) and kept it. It is fed by a Cambridge CXNv2 streamer and a Sony XA5400 ES CD/SACD player.. Everything in my system is extremely sensitive to the cables going in and out of it and everything is on an Audioquest Niagara 3000 power supply. Every digital cable sounds different so invite your audio friends and have a digital cable party.  https://www.martindareff.com/Other/HDR-Treated-Images/i-3ZfL6Gq/A
If you don't like the Cambridge app, you can just use Chromecast from your music app of choice. Qobuz App, or  Qobuz from the Cambridge app, sounds just as good.  Cambridge's StreamMagic app has gotten better and it does what I need it to do.....Stream Music, don't need all the AI to tell me what to listen to.
I will stick with Simaudio 280D (modular and upgrade able) and my Border Patrol DAC in the office on my QS system.

Mid2 is slick in the 280 and has all the bells and whistles. Can get a good used one for under $3k
Audioman 58 man you nailed it   it seems that names not very well know AKA the UnderDOGs have the passion  lost by corporate money makers  Big name audio equipment has lost there soul , anyway  at 68yo i getting tired of the T/T games  & streaming dac is here to stay  Audio GD  has really built something special i will be looking more into this than you  G Leary