Has anyone here heard the Aqua Hifi La Scala MKII DAC? The price is at the upper end of the OP's range ($6,800 USD), which puts it below the upper Lampizator and Rowland DACs, and about equal to the Empirical ODSE. It has received several very positive reviews but hardly any comments here.
John Darko review of Aqua HiFi La Scala MKII
John Darko review of Aqua HiFi La Scala MKII