"Best" DAC for a grand or less

I recently purchased a Havana NOS DAC and am thrilled with it. It has a tube buffer but unlike the Paradesea which uses an op amp in the output it is eliminated in the Havana, this has got to make some difference in the sound between the two IMHO. The best under 1K? I'm not going there since I haven't heard many of the current ones in this price range but it should be a safe bet if you are looking for natural timbers, excellent resolution and non fatiguing sound at an affordable price. It really draws you into the music, amazing. It is a huge improvement over the Bel Canto 1.1 it replaced.

BTW, the sound is both fuller with an improvement in bass without any undue emphasis.

"The question is whether you want "accuracy" or some other sound output. If you like sound coloration, that's all well and good. I'm sure there are numerous tube DACs, for example, that offer that. Extreme accuracy may come off as "brittle" or "sharp-edged." But it's simply a mirror of the recording, rather than an interpretation."

I'm not too sure about that chicagojtw. You have me curious though, do you always look at measurements when considering audio purchases or do you look at measurements and use your ears?

Julian Hirsch used the same basis in his useless reviews of audio components. Basically all he did was measurements and came to a preconceived conclusion that if the measurements were the same it sounded the same. It seems he clearly couldn't differentiate between the sound of components he reviewed or did his measurements sway him away from critical listening?

You don't really believe that brittle and sharp edge sound could possibly relate to design issues?

I can only tell you that it reads and plays HDCD maybe some of the information is missing but if that is the case I certainly can't hear it. Sounds great! bty about the bass, this unit is still breaking in and I must say that the bass is improving dramatically but not in an exaggerated way as stated above. I am very sensitive to overcooked bass, don't want it don't like it but some to, YMMV

"There are SO many variables that finally, how a DAC measures is academic. It's how it SOUNDS that matters, in the CONTEXT of the system's synergy. A Dac's ''flaws'' (or lack of ''measurement'') may actually contribute to the overall musical experience this way."

I agree with you Sonicbeauty. I always used to rely on measurements in the early years, I still think they are valuable and along with good design it is an important factor when choosing gear. However as important as measurements may be if the piece of equipment measures off the charts so far as new levels of low distortion, frequency response, noise, dynamic range etc. it still has to have a musicality, draw you into the music as opposed to the initial "WOW" and then the subsequent focus on sound over music. There is something inherently flawed about a component that does this and it is consistently noted by listeners. This is why it is VERY important to read between the lines of listening impressions by a cross section of different listeners. What is my system doing that I like and don't like, what is missing? There is no universal product for all systems and while a very forgiving system may benefit from a DAC perceived as accurate from measurements, a balanced, highly resolving system can expose its flaws more easily as it can any weak link, IMHO. I base the above on having listened to many more mediocre digital devices than REALLY good ones over the years and until recently the REALLY good ones cost. This is no dis on the Benchmark DAC 1, I haven't heard it but I am getting a pretty good picture from many comments over the years concerning this DAC. It is not the "be all end all" for all systems, neither is the Havana I'm sure.