Sorry but this statement is naive at best, Intel corporate speak at best....If USB is fading in favour of Thunderbolt, please show me all the DACs on the market with a thunderbolt interface? Even in the pro audio world they are very thin on the ground, the Universal Audio Apollo has an optional...
The Vaughan does NOT use an ESS Sabre chipset, it uses Burr Brown PCM 1795 x 8 and 'used in a custom way'.
See here: http://www.wickeddigital.com.au/index.php/buyers-guides-learning-centre/dac-buying-guide/dac-comparison-chart