Thanks for the feedback. I was considering the Halo May KTE and the AudioByte VOX | ZAP | Hub stack as a future upgrade to my Benchmark DAC3B (which I recently reluctantly sold). Now that I want to get this RAAL headphone and amp combo I wanted something that would be ideal for that RAAL combo. Your DAC suggestions are much more cost effective, and for DACs, I do agree that it is a good place to save money.
The DACs you have mentioned are ones I have head about but never listened to since I normally go for DACs like my Benchmark DAC3B. My currently 1/2 the price Matrix Minii-i 3 Pro is similar to the DAC3B (almost) but I feel it does not pair well with the RAAL combo due to it being a little too strong on top. It sounds rather good on my all-Benchmark 2 channel system, where being very neutral is a virtue. I am really nitpicking now but by buying the HSA-1b I get the opportunity to 2 variants of sound in my setups (with 2 preamps/headphone amps).
I kind of wish I did not hear the RAAL SR1a + HSA-1b, I was perfectly happy with my Meze Empy and Benchmark HPA4 (not selling those 2).