DAC Under $3000

Ayre QB9 Twenty, in fact any Ayre will outperform your previous Dacs.

Schiit Yggy comes a llittle bit below the Ayre, but still very good.

If  you can score a used unit, then you are well below $3K.

I hate to say it, but at $3K you aren't going to get 'special', but very good.

Unfortunately, you would need to increase you budget around 3x to get into the 'special' level.

Bob

@gnoworyta "In the past I have had PS Audio Stellar, Benchmark, and Merason Frerot. I thought all were good, but not necessarily "special"

You might get more helpful responses if you provide context around what you feel was missing from the presentations of the 3 DACs you’ve had; "not necessarily special" can be widely interpreted to mean anything but maybe what you are after sound wise/emotionally engaging

I like the Schitt Yggi+ Less is More DAC more than a 7x more expensive DAC that came before it. I also have the Benchmark DAC3B from your list. The Yggi+ is better.

I also stream via fibre optic cable and that is a big benefit.

@gdnrbob 

+1 I must agree. I own an Ayre DAC and Auditioned a Yggdrasil and own a Gungnir. I would go for the Ayre. A more natural sounding DAC. 
 

When thinking about a component a bit over your price range… I always think about how long I have it and how many hours of use I get. The price becomes a little less important. The sound quality is going to be better every time you listen to it.

The Matrix X Sabre 3 is right on your budget. I have owned some vastly more expensive DACs, and the Matrix outperforms them all. Probably the best value in digital audio.