Low priced alternative to Benchmark Dac1

No one mention Bel Canto DAC2 ?
Great sound for around $650 used

the above comments on the paradisea are spot on. one smooth sounding easy to listen and musical machine. I actually find it relaxing, this have never happened to me with digital

I'll third the Paradisea, but some other good choices here too such as the VDA2. The Benchmark is a good product, but way too many comments around about how sterile it sounds. If you want something musical avoid the Benchmark.

I second the Paradisea. Nice smooth sound.
Enjoy The Music has a good review

Paradisea usb - tube dac, sold direct. I can not speak on the usb input sound. I own the same but non usb version. I am not sure what is the price right now but I think it is around $700 Shipped. Very easy on the ears, on par or better then Scott Nixon ( top model, non usb ). Easy to tube roll and very responsive to different tubes which are very inexpensive (nos). Great thread on AC forum that goes into details on tube choices , mods etc.....
Might not be as clean and polish as Benchmark but the benefit of music that is relaxed, non edgy and liquid is clear......we are talking about the digital that never fails to remind us about its sterile characteristics that take away from musicality that we want to enjoy and not to bare with.

The Channel Islands Audio VDA 2 is a great DAC, in fact I think it sounds better than the Benchmark. It is a minimalist design but the build quality is exceptional and it has a fully discrete analog section and very mild digital filtering. It will also accept 24/192 over coax. Additionally I thought that the DAC 1 has too many bells and whistles that I wouldn't use, not mention that it uses op-amps.

The VDA 2 is very dynamic and revealing, you won't believe you're listening to a $600 DAC. Best money I've spent on audio in a long time.

Check out the Audio Magus website for the Aelous Audio MagiDAC. Uses transformers for gain instead of op amps or tubes.

Give the Beresford TC 7510 a go...at ~150 bucks is a true bargain. Several of us A/B'd it against the benchmarh USB DAC1 and the benchmark just barely won out (at about 8x the price) -plus, at that price it comes with a digital cable!

Audio Mirror makes a good sounding DAC. Had one before I got a Benchmark, but I didn't do any A/B comparisons.

I had the Benchmark DAC1 and sold it and went to a Musical Fidelity A3.24 DAC (Stereophile product of the year a few years back).

You can get them for $550 or so. Very satisfied with the results and you will be hard pressed to do better for the money.