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.

http://www.partsconnexion.com/t/clearance/new_clearance.html

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 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.