Update: Denafrips has just released a new version of their flagship "Terminator Plus 12th". It is supposed to have some good improvements: "Optimized Critical Circuitry" "Further reduces noise floor." "Greater Tonal Density" "Ultra High Resolution"
Since starting this thread, I am now down to 3 DACs (from about 25) that make or barely break the $7,000.00 ceiling budget:
The new Denafrips Terminator Plus 12th
Lampizator Baltic 3 or Lampizator Atlantic TRP DAC
T+A Dac 200
They all have a committed following and the difference in price is not significant enough to be a factor.
This is all based upon my own follow-up with web search, emails, and phone calls. The Terminator has resurfaced on this short list because of the updated model and because I currently have a Denafrips Declocker and Pontus II DAC and can see pretty readily how much the new, big brother could get my system to another level. I also favor the Lampizators because the designer of my speakers uses them personally and has had some Best of Show awards at trade shows. I am surprisingly pulled toward the T+A Dac 2090 because it is a solid state relatively new arrival from a prestigious German audio designer and it's creating a passionate following, added to some high-budget systems and knocking some other DACs off the top list.