(Disclaimer Edit! I typed up this whole massive thing before realizing the original poster had made this thread nearly 2 months ago and now already has bought a different DAC/AMP. - this is what I get for not reading the entire thread and typing up posts at 4 or 5 am right before going to sleep!)
Joshua_Amon1 Welcome to HiFi Guides! =) Glad to help with your question.
Consider this offering. It’s just a tad over your current budget, but it’s about the best dac/amp that comes anywhere close. and it’s really amazingly good.
- I have been through the wringer of spending money on audio equipment - I wish I had found out about the RME ADI-2 DAC FS many years ago, would have saved me several headaches and a fair bit of cash… If you get several different things to do the same job for less, you will end up replacing it later anyway, and spending even more. This will save you that headache.
This is endgame for the ‘1k or less’ market.
The RME ADI-2 DAC FS
Don’t be scared of all the options, they are great to have, and not confusing once you have used them for a while.
You can buy it here for a good price. It’s cheaper through Thomann than you will find through any other reliable company. Almost everywhere in the USA will be charging you 1300 for this unit. Thomann only costs 942 shipped to the USA.
It has a switching power supply that will work in many different countries, but you will need to get a plug to operate if you are outside the EU.
I ordered one and I live in America so I had to buy a US power plug to go with it. You can buy that here at BHPhoto for 11 dollars (+$3.99 shipping)
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/517363-REG/RME_NETZ_CB_NETZ_CB_Replacement_Power_Cable.html
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A very important perk of this unit, RME has an actual office with actual people you can call if you have problems. And they have many offices around the world. And these are real offices with staff hired to work in each one, not just a fake message service that tells you to send them emails or re-directs you to some overseas support line…
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There is an RME office in Florida for example, which means no overseas costly shipping charges if you need service. RME makes professional audio equipment and they are a German company that makes their own products in Germany. No offense to those companies working from other countries, but German products have a very good reputation for durability, precision, and quality. Turns out - country culture does have an effect on the goods made in those countries, because culture effects the work ethic and attention to detail and quality made in those countries. And the German reputation for precision, durability, and quality is well earned & deserved.
I checked with UPS - the import fees are very tiny (under 10 dollars on this item from Germany) They ship via UPS and Thomann is a reliable company, they are one of the largest music companies to order from for the EU - that’s why the price is so much lower through them, they work directly with RME.
And it comes with a good warranty. 2 years from RME no questions asked, and they pay the shipping. Thomann extends that warranty to 3 years if you order from them although you would have to pay the shipping back to Thomann if you send it back to them, so use the manufacturer warranty first if you ever need to. You will have a hard time finding a better warranty at this price point. Most of the Chinese stuff for example only has a 1 year warranty - that short warranty tells you everything you need to know about ordering cheap/inexpensive Chinese manufactured goods… Of course they are not all this short when it comes to warranty, but below 1,000 dollars a lot of those products also come with short warranties…
- I was personally burned by an SMSL DAC in this way, the unit only lasted a few hours before it failed. brand new, out of the box, worked great for 4 hours and conked out. Was very disappointing. Of course it was one of those 1 - year made-in-china warranties. And the company wanted me to ship it back to China at my dime- Eff that. I just returned it and got my money back on that one. Searching around the net it appears SMSL has some problems with their manufacturing quality - but I digress… Just beware of the cheap made-in-china stuff.
The power supply can also be purchased there, but the one included with the unit should work fine with the proper plug attached.
(link to a replacement power supply)
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1288513-REG/rme_nt_rme_2_2a_power_supply_for.html
I doubt you will find anything better for under 1,000 dollars.
Here is another review if the Zeos review doesn’t tell you everything you need to know. This is a newer review than zeos’ review - 2021 compared to 2018.
- both reviews come to the same conclusion - still the best DAC/AMP combo at 1k or less.
And if you want to go higher than 1k someday? this will still work, because you can just get a dedicated AMP and keep using this as a DAC with all the same features.