Best Minimalist DAC?

A decision has been made -- for the moment! :)

Embarrassingly, none of the DACs on my short list made it.

A friend recommended I look at the Simple Designs Sonore exD just as one came up used for a good price here, and I went for it.

Defintely minimalist: USB only, the only control an on/off switch. I'd characterize the sound as leaning toward the warm and laid back, which is what I'm usually after in my gear. In a direct comparison, it readily bested the HRT Music Streamer II which I was using as a stop gap -- as it ought, given the price difference. By memory, three of us thought it compared quite favorably to the much more expensive PSA PWDII it replaced -- arguably, a bit more musical.

A link to a bit of press below; I'd rate the Sonore as definitely worth a look if you are shopping along the lines of this thread.

Thanks to everybody for their advice!

John

http://www.audiostream.com/content/sonore-simple-design-exd-dac

Good luck with the Sonore John,

I was just going to attest to the merits of the Bel Canto e.One 2.5 DAC. It does meet the "minimalist" criteria, but more compared to a larger/beefier DAC/Pre combo (such as SS or tubes).

I've been running this Bel Canto for over a year now- very impressive as a DAC, let alone a DAC/Pre with very clean, musical and slightly warm Class D sound, AND built-in 1/4" headphone amp in a small and low-heat unit.... Has many ins/outs despite the small footprint. I'm currently running mine directly into my Pass Labs x150 with Exc results.

These

Oh, and the Bel Canto used is a ridiculous $900-$1200