Must be super Bright with that Benchmark DAC, or have ton's of tubes to mellow out the glare.
Your strongly worded remark reminded me that you have been struggling with your digital setup.
You may have an issue with your room or speakers, as I understand it you have gone through 11 DAC's and sold them all - even the highly reputed Bryston. The DAC 1 may indeed be a little bright for some tastes but your description above and your inability to find a DAC that works for you suggests you have a setup problem or equipment malfunction or you hear things so very differently from others it may be worth consulting a specialist.
I am not saying the DAC 1 is perfect nor is it the best but I am sure that most will agree that it really isn't as bad as you describe.