Dac that has tone and timing?

Loving this discussion as I'm searching for a new DAC after 5-years... happy years with the Chord Qutest (with Sbooster PS).

And that's one thing that surprised me about this discussion. No one has really mentioned the Qutest which seems an obvious choice for the OP.

I'm very happy with the Qutest's sound quality and the biggest problem is finding a suitable, aka better, DAC to try next. With 5-years in my system it's kind of the one constant that hasn't seen replacement over this period.

Add to this being retired and having limited funds available to move up - we've got plenty of funds, but for upgrading a DAC not so much.

I've had Benchmark and Project DACs and in general don't like Sabre ES DACs all that much.  So, Holo Spring 3 "seems" like a reasonable road ahead. I do tend to buy used to get more bang for the buck.

@schw06 

If tube MHDT DACS are on on your radar, you might also look into a classically trained musician-made DAC that is fast, alive and richly musical: Abbas DAC 2.4SE, or his other variants using different chips. After Meridian, Chord Quest, and other units, this one is leaps ahead in terms of soundstage, air and space, dynamics and tone. Made in the western suburbs of Kyiv. My 2.4SE+ was ordered and delivered during the war with no issues. If there are any, they are taken care of. Enjoy your search. 

@schw06. Re: Abbas DACS, Just saw this on Hifi Haven website, dated 10 Aug 2022, echoing my findings: “Both myself, the two local friends who also purchased a 2.4SE and now the new owner all agree that Abbas DACs are transformative. Hard to explain but simply put all other DACs we’ve heard till now sound like music being played from a stereo. With the Abbas put into the system it changes the sound in such a profound way that it’s as if music comes alive in the room and fleshes out into real instruments and singers into your room”.

Rockna Wavelight?  It has won over many others in my system.