DAC’s

hi, can give this iFi Neo Stream / Dac combo a try. 

While keeping the streamer and DAC makes a lot if sense, for synergy and financial purposes I went with a Cary Audio DMS650. 
They are made in the US right here in Raleigh NC. I can only compare with my lackluster Bluesound Node, but there is absolutely no comparison. It was easily the most important addition to my system. The sonic upgrade was beyond night and day. Everything became huge, clear, powerful. I played the Made in Japan album so loud that my poor neighbor had to come a knocking. It was so clean and clear and powerful that I couldn’t turn it down. They sell direct to consumer and always run sales. In my case I got 25% off since I also purchased my amp from them. I think that the standard discount for one component is 15%. That makes the DMS650 around 4100. Or the upgraded DMS700 which uses FGPA technology at 5700. I was thinking able to find a negative review. They are also a company that issues upgrades rarely rather than trying to entice people every year or two with some minor tweaks and marketing hype. 
My only other comparison is what I heard at an audio show this summer. To my ears, my 14k system sounds as good to me as any of the systems in the 20-30k range. They are known for a non fatiguing and natural sound. The system reveals differences in recordings of course, but nothing sounds terrible on this system. Not even the horrid AC/DC and Led Zep recordings. They have a 30 day trial period and they also have a DAC only option. They charge a 3% return fee unfortunately. Happy hunting. 

“This is my first dac and the lumin t3 is prob the easiest to get into to start.”
@shtr74sims

Good call! The T3 has a pretty darn good DAC on board and LUMIN app is well laid out for easy browsing. You don’t have to mess with external NUC type of devices for ROON Core or ROON subscription. One very important factor which is often overlooked in purchasing a streamer is ongoing software maintenance and support from the manufacturer.

@JERRYG123 - your product may have some of that but (not really) but I asked to send me a Holo May DAC which has none of that.  Big difference between the two products.  But when I am finished with the Holo May, it will become a reference DAC that competes with most anything no matter what price range.

Happy Listening.

Good suggestions all around, but at the end of the day, the OP would do good to actually audition something in his system, live with it a few days, then decide.  No matter how good something sounds in one person's system and room, it may sound worse (or better) to them. 

I hope you could simply ask to borrow the Meitner for a few days (they might ask for a deposit) from the seller. Kick the tires so to speak. Good luck!

Whether someone spends $300, $3000, or $10,000 on a DAC is not my business.

Life is short. Do what makes you happy. But know that as you go up the food chain you ARE doing socially good things such as helping people stay employed, helping engineers push the level of performance, and helping them pay their bills, and yes, make charitable contributions.  God forbid we ever live in a country where the government places limits on what you think you want and can buy, otherwise we'd all be driving Chevy Sparks, not that there is anything wrong with one.