Teac surprised me by introducing an asynchronous DAC at an entry-level price (£299 in the UK). This compact unit, the UD-H01, runs a pair of Burr-Brown PCM1795 32-bit/192kHz DACs with upconversion. It has USB and S/PDIF inputs and both balanced and single-ended outputs. Headphone users are catered to with a 1/4" jack and volume control. It’s Mac and PC compatible thanks to USB Class 2 input, and it looks to be a great converter for the money.