Dunno. I’m using a cheapo Behringer DAC UAC-202. I think I paid $20 or $25 for it. Since I haven’t tested anything else, I can’t tell you if it’s horrible or not. But it’s served me well. Someday I’ll test a more expensive DAC and discover if I’ve wasted a decade or not. 
Just build a RPI4 4GB USB out to a DAC of your choice. Done.
I also added the official 7" touch screen and case as it’s handy to have.
As far as computing hardware goes, my rule of thumb is to get the fastest, newest CPU and the max amount of RAM it will support. That points to a RPi 5 with 8GB as first choice or a RPi4 with 8GB. For these small machines the power difference is negligible. If cost is a concern, drop down to 4 GB but get the fastest processor you can. So, in order of preference: RPI 5, 8GB; RPI 5, 4 GB; RPi4, 8gb.
Thankfully volumio is not a windows app where one needs 5 GB of code just to run a garage door opener…
Thanks,
I’m really thinking on RPi4 with 8GB Ram, not going to RPi5 because it seems there’s much new things in RPi5 and it’s causing some software bugs or such
I have an RPi5 and everything works perfectly for me… but I already told you that
If you want to have a compact machine integrating an M.2 SSD, which boots up faster and which does not become obsolete too quickly, you must buy an RPi5 not an RPi4 !!
Volumio currently uses 4 GB of RAM if installed on SD. It will definitely be optimized to use more RAM if needed very soon. These are exclusively the proprietary DAC drivers which are not all currently up to date and which may possibly cause problems, not Volumio !!
In terms of computing power the Pi5 is 2x more powerful than the Pi4, this is far from negligible contrary to what our friend Three_jeeps says. This even though Volumio only uses approximately between 0.7 and 3% of the CPU of a Pi5.
In the end, it’s up to you what you do with your money… and this is you in the future to have regrets or not, no one else.
So you don´t get any special issue running volumio in RPi5? If so, that shall be my most probable choice. Future proof 
Thanks
Another voice for RPi5! I’ve been running RPi5-8gb for over 2 months now. At first, there were few issues which I still managed to get it working by workaround. Now with the new beta v3.631, it’s been solid like a rock since last week (24/7 continue running). There is no more workaround and I started fresh installation. Highly recommended!
HW: RPi5-8GB
Dac: Topping D90mqa USB
Cable: WireWorld Starlight 8 USB 3.0
Accessories: iFI audio iSilencer+ & iPurifier3
15.4" 1280x800 HDMI display
Music source - 16TB Qnap NAS
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The first batches of the rPi5 were troublesome, even returned mine.
The 2nd one I’ve ordered runs stable, only needed to recoded all my GPIO code due to a different way to address them.
However on the question Which hardware to choose, the rPi5 is a big overkill to run Volumio.
I was thinking about you and your amplifier that you love for its sound qualities and that you would like to keep when I remembered that I had tested a USB B to coaxial audio converter a few years ago :
https://aurender.com/home/uc100/
There is also a UBS B to fiber optic version. The coaxial version that I was able to test was of excellent quality, perhaps it is an option for you ?
A quick search out of curiosity shows a price of ~$700 USD for that converter. For the normal price range of a Pi USB-out project, that converter is absurdly costly. Being by Aurender, it’s clearly marked to go with proportionately expensive 1’s and 0’s from a high end piece of kit, no?
Our friend speaks of a price range between €500 and €700… This converter is not free but this quality is excellent !! The a UBS B to fiber optic version is 350 €.
It’s clearly very high-end but there are cheaper equivalent components on the internet. What is interesting to know is that this type of component exists and there is no need for any drivers to make them work.
Right you are. I thought the price was for an equivalent DAC with USB capability, not a converter. My mistake.
It seems counterintuitive to reinvest so much money in a quite old AIO DAC to me, but respectfully, to each their own. Would a DAC that age be asynchronous or within audible specs of recent DACs? Perhaps, but that is a massive budget ($700-ish) for a converter of unknown quality. Only “cheap” if compared to a secondhand newer Lyngdorf AIO model with USB-in.
Without rigorous measurements or properly controlled analysis, “superiority” of such a converter over any other is hearsay. Trusting an abnormally high price to speak for quality in a peripheral is a dubious strategy IMO.
Edit: grammar clarification
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Pjorgenues, this might fit your demands; i have the V2 and I’m more then satisfied. Volumio is one of the three operating options.
When you want to build it yourself, there is also the PI2AES 2.0 - PRO AUDIO hat (same site)