ARC DAC8Price: $4995

Website: www.audioresearch.com

Vade said: ARC’s DAC8 is a well-engineered, well-built machine that advances the state of the audio art and finally makes it possible to assemble a no-holds-barred, computer-based music server whose sound is competitive with just about anything -- which is just what I was looking for.

Reviewers' Choice

Read the SoundStage! Hi-Fi review.

The gist: Sure to be a popular choice for computing audiophiles.