Best DAC’S $5k to $15k

I got my first experience of a DAC > CDP and eventually a CDT, through having a Bespoke Built Valve DAC produced for me.

Cutting Edge it is not, but it has hit all the right spots for where I am with a Digital Source.  

The DAC has travelled and been compared to other DAC's and it does not fall short, it has been a very good demo' on all occasions outside of the home.

My curiosity after experiencing different CDP's and CDT's is not to experience a different DAC, but how an exchange of a CDP / CDT used on the home system would change my perception of the end sound produced through the DAC.

We demo a lot of DAC's for customers/home trials and they always choose the Mola Tambaqui. It is truly a DAC that competes with more expensive converters. I cannot say I agree with comments saying it isn't musical, it is very much so. However, the lack of noise floor and its utter transparency make it so everything comes through - even as a headphone amp it just excels at showing all the nuance in a recording, while being very engaging. Its a special DAC. 

There's about a million DACs out there to choose from.  Who knows which one is best?  Auditioning and trail-and-error is the only way to know for sure which one sounds best to your ears.  Period!!!  Me, personally, within my price range, I thought that my  Ayre Acoustics QX-5 Twenty Streaming DAC sounded just as good or better than anything I'd heard, including some far more costly DACs, so that's the one I opted for with no regrets.  Happy listening.  

I started with an OPPO Sonica, then added Modwright tube mod, then PS Audio Direct Stream. I now have DAVE/M Scaler with OPTO DX. Hands down massive improvement to my system. Purchased both as demos. With savings I replaced DAVE’s internal SMPS with Sean Jacobs DC4/SRC6 external LPSU. It utterly transformed the DAVE/M Scaler into something truly extraordinary. I was not prepared for the improvement to an already excellent DAC. Enhanced absolutely everything about my system.

I would agree with comments about DAVE sound profile being somewhat forward and analytical   However it works well with my system - Pathos Heritage hybrid integrated and Tannoy Kensington speakers which remove any brightness but leave the inner voices clear and distinct   The SJ is the secret sauce that fills out the sound into something quite special to my ears.  
If you can find a a used DAVE and MScaler then it’s something to consider.

At $13,500 I don't think a better DAC can be had than the Mola Mola Tambaqui DAC. Most reviewers and critics have concluded one has to spend > 50K to get anything that sounds nominally better. 

There is an audio company that sells a $70k DAC that actually outsources the internals to a well know digital company. The outsourced company also has a product line, which is a lot less costly and highly regarded. The designer at the outsourced company has publicly stated in an interview that his company does not sell their best boards to other manufacturers.

Money should not be what drives the purchase of a DAC. Have a listen and see if it matches your system. A cheaper DAC could be the best DAC for your system.

I had a $14k DAC mentioned in this thread and it was replaced by a $2.6k DAC that I thought a tiny bit better and a lot cheaper. I used the difference to buy a killer speaker.