Unless you have a DAC problem you can hear and measure, you have no problem.

It's what people do when they have nothing further to do or spend their money on. A high end DAC is a solution to a virtual problem that isn't discernable to the human ear in so many cases that unless you're really intentionally looking for a bad dac below $89, you won't find one. Some people throw big money at expensive DACs because they want to be absolutely sure it's the best to match their expensive components. And then there is confirmation bias, a placebo effect that goes something like, Oh yes, now I can hear stupendous detail, and so much more width - because I paid $1400 for this DAC. Today, a $100-200 DAC is as audibly transparent, with vacuum of space-like pitch black noise floor to several zeros of fractional decimals beyond human hearing as a so-called high end DAC. THX in consumer products was a revelation for many, that you don't need to spend an arm and a leg to get perfect audio transparency - and power. Some people will say there's coloration in the 'budget' DACs. I think That's where the problem lies. Strictly because a DAC may be inexpensive and therefore available to most budgets, and because there are much more expensive DACs on the market, we call the cheaper DACs... Entry Level, as if.... there's tiers of excellence in the case of DACs. Excellence in DACs has come way down in expense. That's where we're at. It's finally amazing for everyone to enjoy at any budget. So don't go spending big money for audibly nothing in return. Or do. If you'd like to thank the R&D of top tier companies for the trickle down tech that gifted us all with "inexpensive high-end" DACs.

It's best to look for a dac with the Features you want. Maybe you want versatility, or maybe you want it to do just one thing. Maybe you want balanced connections, power button and selects on the face, Bluetooth, preamps, optical, USB, coax, subwoofer output, phono preamp with ground, a good feel, build, looks (constantly cleaning off really noticeable fingerprints on finishes piss me off lol), etc.