Dac that has tone and timing?

Of the affordable new DACs in your price range I chose the Wyred4Sound 10th Anniversary DAC. I find it tonally dense without sacrificing high end extension, true timbre, excellent macro and micro dynamics, pinpoint imaging, and very good sound stage. Editors in a number of journals much liked it.  All say analogue like whatever that means to them. I do not know why it  does not get mentioned often on this forum.  It is probably surpassed by the Denafrips Terminator higher end models from what I read,  but I never auditioned them in my own systems. Another choice I have heard in a friends system is the Bricasti M1 that should be around your price range pre-owned.  You cannot go wrong with any of the recommendations from others in this thread.  Let your ear’s make the choice. 

I know that it is a stretch but the MSB discrete dac is pretty incredible in regards to resolution and tonal accuracy as well as people like to say prat. I moved from the Bartok to the discrete and was happy with the change. I did buy the bartok when they were still $12k so it made it easier to swallow than where they are now at $20k new. 
 

I did recently upgrade to the MSB premier and am extremely happy it adds to the discrete in all aspects but is way out of the price range you are looking in. That said you can find a used discrete around $9k right now. Or look at Metrum Acoustics the onyx is really good. 
 

@condosound +1 on the PS Audio MK2, I own one and think it sounds absolutely fabulous.

Lampizator. Any lampi.

I tested mine against aqua la voce, holo may, bel canto dac, classe flagship dac , and nothing come even close.

the tonal balance, the spatiality, the air, it’s just amazing, music feels alive, hard to describe.

the only Dac I heard so far that outshined it was the Accuphase DC1000 flagship, but it’s 20k…