How does the Bryston BDA-1 DAC sound?

Keithr - I have had both the Bryston and Berkeley in my system (they were broken in). IMO the Bryston provides very accurate but ultimately hi-fi sound, while the Berkeley is overall more organic and palpable. Along with the ability to drive an amp directly, this makes the Berkeley worth the extra cost IMO, assuming of course the rest of your system will reveal the differences. That said, once you are up in the price range of the Berkeley, there are some other DACs out there to think about....

what other Dacs with volume controls would you guys recommend?

it appears resale on Berkeleys is falling, so maybe i will try one some day.

I just upgraded from a Benchmark to a Berkeley and can finally say my Squeezebox (w/Berkeley) finally sounds as good as my Esoteric X03SE - different, but just as good, finally. The Berkeley is am amazing dac. Solidly wide soundstage, incredible resolution and the retrieval of low level detail is simply astounding. There is one on 'gon for $3,995 new in box - if your funds allow GRAB IT. You can always sell it for probably the same price if you aren't thrilled with it, though I bet a nickel you will not.