Behringer SRC 2496 DAC

The dac in my DEQ 2496 sounds excellent in my system which consists of:
Krell KRC 3
Innersound ESL amp
VMPS RM 40 loudspeakers
in a dedicated and thoroughly treated listening room. I too had thought I'd need an outboard dac but find the built in one very satisfactory. When the new VDA 2 from Dusty Vawter comes out I will get it but only expect a small improvement. Dusty also told me he's very impressed with the dacs in the Behringer products. As a sidenote this new dac from Channel Island will be outstanding, far outclassing the VDA 1 which is current. If you're considering a dac you may want to investigate this further as they'll be available in about a month and a half. Call or email Dusty for questions as it's too much to get into here. For 600 bucks though I expect he's going to have a hard time keeping up with demand.

I haven't tried the DAC, but own the DEQ2496, and find it very transparent. Set flat, I find I have to listen fairly closely to tell if it is in the system or not, even tho I have a fairly high resoution system (GNSC modded Wadia 850, Atmasphere MA1 amps, Talon Hawk loudspeakers, and Ented LF20 subwoofers.) I recently had a $5000 pre-amp from a very highly respected manufacturer in my system, and found it to be much more colored / veiled sounding thatn the Behringher. Also, I was running the DEQ with analogue inputs, so was going through the a-d AND the d-a converters. I want to try it as a stand-alone DAC w/ its digital inouts at some point, but lately I've been enjoying listening to music, and haven't been in the mood to listen to components.

At the very least, if you do buy one get one used so if you don't like it then you can sell it for a minimal loss (if any).

I've had enough experience with Behringer products in the studio to know that you get what you pay for. I'd avoid this unit unless the total value of your system is under $1,000. Anything above that and you'd be better served buying something a notch or two higher.