RT Audio Ultra USB DAC Orpheus EX

Seriously, This DAC is a lot better than most in the $3K to $5K range.  I have owned 3 DAC prior and this is the best.  It is very very quiet.  Very musical.  Not as punchy as some, but its much more clean and totally non fatiguing.  The only DAC I have that I would say is better is the current Mojo Audio Mystique V3, but that is going to set you back $5.5K single ended, 7.5K balanced.  This RT at $1,200 is a significant piece of playback gear for the money.

This is the DAC Robert Neill with World Wide Wholesales sells.  The only DAC he finds to beat it is the Rockna Wavedream DAC that sells for $16K. The RT is a great DAC.  Especially at this price.  It is very natural, quiet and always pleasant to listen to. With a battery power supply and  transformer coupled outputs it is absolutely quiet and non fatiguing. This is a lot of DAC for the money. There are some online reviews that are pretty accurate to the sound such as what is in the link. Not the exact model. This model is not shown on the website as RT makes it custom for World Wide Wholesale. The EX is the same as an SE with the following upgrades.

The
Ultra usb dac Orpheus EX use:

1.Output
transformers Lundahl LL 1545A OCC wire and amorphous core.

2,Signal
silver wire pure silver 99,9999

3.Gold
power wire.

4.special
resistors metal foil 1% tolerance.

5.Audio
grade capacitors true gold Nichicon.

6. Hand made audio feet.      
Online Reviews
http://www.rtaudiodesign.com/w/products/dacs/ultra-usb-dac-orpheus-se/
http://www.rtaudiodesign.com/w/products/dacs/ultra-usb-dac-orpheus-se/
https://positive-feedback.com/high-fidelity/rt-audio-design-orpheus/

This was a DAC that really started to allow me to turn my music up. Very quiet with very low jitter.  It was also the DAC that made me stop and really listen to my vinyl.  In comparison I found my vinyl to be very lacking.  The vinyl was full of bloat and shout.  I thought the vinyl was great until I had an accurate lens to compare it to. This DAC did just that. It surpassed my $7K in vinyl setup.  With a little more money into my vinyl I closed the gap, but did not surpass it.
If you look the RT up on forums, people wonder about the internal USB jumper. They are correct. Unplug it and bring your usb into the back, right onto the USB board. There is a post inside to zip tie the cable for safety. It makes a notable improvement in sonics. This is a lot of performance for the money.

There are no scratches, dents or blemish in the finish.
I just lowered the price on this to move it. There is nothing at this price point that is better. There are other than maybe somewhat different. But, I truly believe they are going to be more difficult and unpleasant to listen to. This is the best DAC you will get for $1,200.