Levinson 360 vs Benchmark

Irvrobinson
I'm on your side with the mod's I would like to actually hear one as well. I find such claims interesting but then I've been surprised by weeks on occasion I'll admit.
I truly liked the Benchmarks (a USB and a Pre) that I’ve owned and will likely end up there again in the end. The Levinson’s were very nice sounding DAC’s but I’ve never compared them side by side to a Benchmark. Levinson of that vintage had some very nice sounding analog stages and that may account for the following they have. I personally also like the style and the almost ’industrial’ build of the Levinson’s of that vintage. That has nothing to do with SQ I know. I suspect the Benchmark may actually measure a little better than the Levinson of that vintage as all things digital have much improved. The Levinson’s were excellent in their time and probably would still not be all that embarrassed measurement wise.
Overall I suspect the Benchmark probably has a slight edge from a purely technical and measurement standpoint. The only question I may have, for whatever it may be worth, is the analog output section. Even then the Benchmark measures at least as well.

I know it's hardly scientific, but I was able to get my hands on a non-modded unit and A/B with my modded version. The modded piece outperformed somewhat, but admittedly no leaps and bounds. Primarily, the digital "edge" that many associate with the DAC1 was removed for a smoother, slightly more analogue-like sound. I felt it was worth $500, especially since some modders (won't name names) want about $2,500 to modify something that originally cost maybe half that.

I felt the cost and value of the Parts Connexion mod made it a valid purchase.

Thanks for the input Thedautch.
It's great to hear about what could be expected. There are many out there that spend a lot more than $500 for what some would consider small gains. It's the nature of the hobby (dare I say obsession). Chasing those small changes and improvements is part of what can make this stuff so fun.

Patrick, that's exactly right. It amounted to...I was personally willing to take the hit, and I enjoy the gear more as a result. At 5x the cost of those mods, I wouldn't have been willing to take the hit no matter how significant the improvements.

I' shopping right now. I hop to find a used DAC at a fair price. I've pretty much narrowed it down to the Benchmark or a Levinson. I would need to get the Levinson at a very good price so the odds are against me in that regard. With repairs on Levinson gear being what they are I need to consider the possibility that it is a throw away item in the case of a breakdown.
There aren't any Benchmarks out there right now that are priced right so I'm playing the waiting game. All I really need is a plain ol' DAC1 but I'll probably try for a USB, there seems to be a consensus that the analog section sound better for some reason.
I did consider a Wyred DAC but there’s not any third party lab test yet that I could find and it is rather new to the market. I may ultimately wish had had gone with the Wyred; time will tell.
The Benchmark measures so well It’s hard to imagine anything coming along that blows it out of the water in the near future, at least that’s my reasoning to justify my current mindset.
I’m still more than happy to hear from others about any recommendations or opinions that they wish to share and why my thought process is defective. (grin)