Best USB DAC under $1000

Toslink is a SPDIF interface. In the case of the Paradisea I was using Toslink as the basis of comparing between the USB connection to the computer (I did also try a coaxial connection). I preferred the coaxial and the toslink connection in that order, over the USB interface.

In my direct experience you cannot go wrong with an MHDT Havana in that price range. Stupendous for the money. That said, there's a ton of stuff out there that are worth of consideration. For a bit less money the MHDT Paradisea+ doesn't give up that much to the Havana and has slightly smoother midrange but at the expense of some low end impact. My personal experience with two units would have me steer way clear of Benchmark, but that's a matter of taste. Cullen is doing some interesting mods to that PS Audio unit that are well reviewed. VALAB, another inexpensive DAC from the far east is another good candidate getting really good feedback from users. TADAC has quite a following. April Music's Stello 100 and 200. Plenty of choices...probably various different flavors.

Yes, the Havana is an NOS DAC (it does not upsample or oversample). Lavry would be another candidate as well.

Has anyone compared these 2 MHDT DACs using Glass
Toslink vs USB?

I've done some comparisons. The SPDIF options are clearly superior on the Paradisea + that I recently sold, offering a better soundstage and image specificity. I haven't tried the same on a Havana, but have compared Havana to Paradisea using SPDIF. I'd say the Havana had superior extension at both ends, while I thought he Paradisea had a slightly smoother midrange. Overall, the extension was enough to make the Havana a clear choice to my ears, but I would not kick the Paradisea out of bed either. They are both fine DACs for the money. The Havana also gives you the option of rolling opamps for a slightly different sound. You'll have to hit someone else up on experience there as I have none. I'd definitely go for the SPDIF, unless the Havana converts USB straight to I2s.