Best DAC $1000 and under used

I posted another thread about modding the MSB Link DAC.I was hoping to come across someone that has or had a MSB that has been modded.As of yet I have not heard from anyone that owns one other than with the factory upgrades.As Zaikesman has posted the MSB units might not be true to the music.I do wounder though if this can be improved upon with parts upgrades.Hell, its done all the time to the Sony units.(es9000,777, ect)Most people that have a modded Sony speak of them highly.

WRT Modwright... Dan modified my Perpetual P3 to his Level 2 and it totally changed the character of the beast for the better. Give him a call or drop him an e-mail about modding your Link DAC. He's a very nice guy, has a good ear and does good work.

I can't speak to the sonic differences between a modded Link and the Gold Link. But FWIW, a "hard" treble was not among the faults I found with the Gold -- quite the opposite in fact. Then again, reading your other thread, you and I hold pretty much opposite opinions of what the MSB upsampling does to the sound, and also the effect of the Monarchy DIP to a degree, so take that for what it's worth. And also this: I own a Pearl, and am familiar with the sound of the Data Basic. IMO, Theta transports have their virtues but treble sweetness is not prime among them. One thing you might also try, if you haven't already, is a "filtering"-type power cord on the digital stuff.

I will vote for the Benchmark DAC1. I like it better than a lot of other DAC in the price range based on my experience..

I can say this with conviction the Xindaak dac-8 which has a remote volume control ,8 seperate power supllys including 2 toroidal transformers,burr brown opamps, analog devises excellent 1852 dac Rubicon caps,Wima,
1% metal film resistors,high speed doides and a vacuum tube output stage for under $1000 it beats up on lavrys and benchmarks,just throw in a decent power cord and put in a good 1960s, 6922 vacuum tube and you are in business.
This used with a oppo980 as a transport it has can go toe to toe with any $5k cdp I know of and I have heard a lot .