Dacs, Dacs Dacs.... They seem to come and go like the morning sun. Some do this and some do that, but the true goal of a dac is to TRY and (somehow) sound analog. The goofy little things seem to span a cost factor that is mind boggling. I truly cannot remember how many of the digital creatures that I have bought and sold. OK... What do I think are the best for my tastes ? Of course I haven't heard them all, nor come close to owning even a fraction of the lot, but for great analog sound at a fair price, I would recommend a few good ones.
The older PS Audio UltraLink Dacs.... Very musical, well built and easy to listen to. Nice robust bass lines and very open soundstage.
Aragon D2a2 ...... Build quality second to none, quick, punchy presentation and very musical.
Michael Yee Audio Dac-1 ..... Yee is the master of analog. His "head amps" are legendary. All of his "vinyl" expertise he wired into his wonderful dac. Built like a tank but with a smooth, truly musical sound that is intoxicating. No longer in business, if you can find one... jump hard on it.
And then..... OK, go ahead a laugh, roll on the floor and call me a dip-sh-t, but try out one of the Jolida Tube Dacs. Throw a couple of the new re-issue Mullards or new Tung-Sol (12ax7's) at it and listen to it light up your life. For under $500.00 it is a steal. Extremely well built and already upgraded right out of the box, the gorgeous little dac is a music making machine.
There is my little inexpensive dac line-up that I am the fondest of. I own the Jolida at the moment and use it mostly for my Apple TV unit to greatly improve on the radio station format. I still have my Michael Yee Dac and really don't use it as much as I should.
Hope this helps out a bit. Of course, there is a endless list of others, but these have given me the most pleasure of owning over the many years.
Cheers,
Tony