Levinson 360 vs Benchmark

I'm listening to my Benchmark as I write this. I went with an MIT power cord, Kimber interconnects, and a Locus USB cable. The quality of the DAC1 took leaps forward when I had Chris Johnson of Parts Connexion modify it for around $500. So I'm still not in for the megabuck DAC prices, but I'm 3extremely pleased with what I'm hearing.

Thanks for all th input so far - please keep it comming :-)

Thedautch -
May I ask what mods were done by Parts Connexion?

Horseface
Many thanks-
Your insights and experience is extremely helpful. I really like the prospect of a Levinson DAC but did have some of the concerns that you addressed in your post. I purchased a Levinson 380 pre because I used to own a 380s and really like that piece. I still have concerns with it due to the repair issues you spoke of and those concerns cause me to hesitate before purchasing any additional ML gear. I sold a Krell FPB600 due to the same concerns with that company. I had a much smaller item (not the 600) repaired by Krell and the cost was almost as much as the item in question was worth. The repair was VERY minor, I would cringe at the thought of making any repairs that could be more involved. The ML pre I have will hopefully be trouble free for a few years. It’s a shame the high end industry is taking such a turn, it’s not a way to stay health in this economy – or any other for that manner.
It seems you have a very nice system, I’ll bet you get a great deal of enjoyment from it. Mine is very much down scaled from what it used to be. I believe I can still piece together something that I enjoy anyway. I just need to be a lot more careful these days. (grin)
I’ve almost decided I need to steer away from the ML dacs, as much as I love them. Huge repair bill just don’t fit my budget these days. Expensive items that have become, in the case of repair, ‘throw away equipment’ can just ruin ones day. I have previously owned a 30.5. In my opinion it was the best to be had in its day and would probably still be competitive with almost anything out there today. Well those days are gone for me so I am in search of more reasonably priced items that still sound good.
All my best –

You hit the nail on the head ...
I paid nearly $2000 for a used No. 37 transport which was supposed to be in perfect shape. Within a year it was skipping ... I had a very competent local tech look at it and he did all he could but it needed a new laser assembly. I contacted an authorized Levinson repair facility … they wanted $700 up front and estimated $1000 or more. No way … I blew it off for $800.
My current amplifier is a ML 23.5 and I love it, I have yet to find an amp I like as well in the $2500-3000 range. I brought it to two techs to get the caps replaced and get it tuned up. The first one wouldn’t touch it and the second one informed me it would be very tricky. When it dies … I will have a difficuly decision to make. This is classic equipment and it’s too bad that Harmon is guarding the repair process by holding onto all the parts and the knowledge base to repair. I hear some of the Levinson circuitry is very complex and without the right repair info can be nearly impossible to fix. I know Harmon has to make a buck but it’s sad how much of this classic equipment is ending up in dumpsters. It doesn’t need to be that way; there are plenty of techs that can do the work. But I digress –
I am considering trying out an Audio Research DAC next … I really like their equipment and although I am expecting a much different sonic signature I have a feeling I will enjoy it. I am a bottom feeder when it comes to equipment. These are the kind of problems I will need to deal with when buying older used high end equipment. I have a couple of really good local techs and I have an affinity for older equipment. My system is fairly basic … the 360s and the Levinson 23.5 are the gems. I lucked into a Modwright pre which is a great combination with the 23.5 and I found an old Denon TT on craigslist in near mint condition. I was lucky enough to have beers with Jeff Dorgay (Tone Publications) a year or so ago and took the opportunity to pick his brain. He really is an expert on older gear and system synergy. I asked his advice on building a reasonable vinyl setup for my system. He suggested keeping the Denon and trying an Audio Research PH3 SE … I picked one up, retubed it and have never been happier. He also really liked the Benchmark DACs and that prompted me to give one a try. He convinced me to stick with my direction of buying older gear and keeping it repaired. In some cases it’s like having an old Corvette or Porsche. Everything is expensive to keep up but they are a snapshot of the past. Technology gear has horrible depreciation – which is good news for all of us. Since most of the source material I feed my DAC will be CD’s or FLAC files I don’t need anything that will handle hi def files. That opens the field up to purchase DACs from ARC, CJ, Music Fidelity, Krell, Wadia that when purchased new, sold for a fortune but now get blown off for a song. I think it’s the analog side of these DACs that make them so great. CD technology is what it is, as long as I stay away from Hi Def files these DAC’s are a real bargain.
Sorry to be so long winded folks but I felt like some of this info might be of value to some.