I am considering two of the DACs on your list and recommend adding the Bel Canto DAC 3.5 with the VBS1 power supply. Computeraudiophile has reviewed both the Weiss and the Berkeley and is also a good resource for user feedback. AVguide reviewed both the Berkeley (Robert Harley) and the Weiss (Steven Stone). The Weiss was also reviewed by Ultraudio. I am leaning towards the Bel Canto based on price, several professional reviews, as well as user experience including one that had the Perfect Wave DAC and bought the Bel Canto. In the Positive Feedback review, Robert Lerner put the Bel Canto ahead of the Berkeley. It also had a glowing review from Stereophile. It has a volume control and can run direct to amp which Bel Canto recommends.
I had a similar objective to use the DAC to eliminate the preamp but did not because I still enjoy multichannel audio from concert DVDs, DVD Audio and SACD. My plan is to run a computer based server, an Oppo player, and Cable TV into the DAC to improve the sound from those sources, and then run the multichannel analog output from the Oppo and the two channel output from the DAC into a multichannel preamp.
All the DACs on your list are top notch. I think your decision may come down to personal preference and synergy with your system components.
Good luck!
I had a similar objective to use the DAC to eliminate the preamp but did not because I still enjoy multichannel audio from concert DVDs, DVD Audio and SACD. My plan is to run a computer based server, an Oppo player, and Cable TV into the DAC to improve the sound from those sources, and then run the multichannel analog output from the Oppo and the two channel output from the DAC into a multichannel preamp.
All the DACs on your list are top notch. I think your decision may come down to personal preference and synergy with your system components.
Good luck!